3 day accomodation suggestions

[Alexander]

Hi, all you guys.
Great forum by the way.
Anyways, I live in BKK, will visit Udon for the first time; I looked at the hotel offers and I shall say I can not find many within 500-600 B price range, give or take.

Charoen seems not bad but I don't really want to pay 1000 + for the room I will be coming to sleep only.

Karin, has mixed reviews, priced at about 500 I believe.

Ruy Suk seems quite good, by looking at the pics, but the price 320 a night a bit intriguing, so I'm thinking whether the location is bad or something else.

I would like to stay close to the city center so I can explore it by walking.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Alex

[arjay]

Welcome Alex,

Charoen at about 800 baht or Karin at about 600 baht worth considering. Though if you want to be closer in town try the guest house near the bus station, about 600 or 700 baht pn. Rooms and beds nicer than Top Mansion or Roy Suk and right in town - i.e. within walking distance of everything, - quietest rooms at the back.

[Aardvark]

RuySuk is about 10 mins walk to city centre, Top Mansion is about 5mins but right in the middle of the action ( tongue in cheek ) both are cheap and clean

[BobHelm]

Pluses for Karin & Charoen is that they are "hotels" as a Farang would describe one - so.. price includes breakfast (of dubious quality I am informed, but never tried) & have lifts to multiple floors.
The Silver Reef does not have a lift, but is only 2 floors anyway. They used to do a very decent breakfast which you could have as an 'add on' to price. The owners (well when I knew them) were both extremely pleasant people who spoke fluent English (well as much as a 'Canadian' can do ).
The Ruy Suk & Top Mansion are much the same. No lift to rooms (4 floors in Mansion, not sure about RS) & no breakfast. Both VERY clean but pretty basic in what you get. Some complain that beds are hard - which they are but that is not a problem to me personally, rather an asset. The reception staff in the Mansion speak very passable English, the owner of RS speaks excellent English.
Although neither serve breakfast (what does someone expect for 350 baht ) that is not an issue. Nobi is right opposite the Mansion & the Clock is just up the road. The RS is (at most) a 10 minute walk away & you have to pass Chern Chim after about 3 minutes who also do a more than passable breakfast.
The Mansion seems to be pretty full nearly all the time, the RS usually seems to manage to find a room
The two hotels are quite large establishments so are probably less of a risk if not having pre-booked.

[Prenders88]

Web link for Ruy Suk, and just up the road from Chern Chim for your breakfast.


http://www.udonmap.com/ruysuk/

[Laan Yaa Mo]

As someone mentioned awhile back, the older section of the Karin Hotel has gone downhill. I killed eight roaches in the first few minutes this summer. Luckily, they were the small North American (not including Mexico) variety.

However, the new section of the Karin Hotel is really nice, but the price is rather steep at 750 baht a night.

Three or four years ago I ate the breakfasts (Asian, European and Canadian) at the Karin. The breakfasts do not have the variety, and are not comparable to the Diamond River Hotel in Chiang Mai, the Khon Kaen Hotel, the Sri Isaan in Ubon or the Ratchada City Hotel in Bangkok, but they are alright.

The Karin is about a 10-15 minute walk to the Complex and about three minutes less to Tae Wan Daeng.

I always stay at the Karin Hotel, and will do so again next year.

[beer monkey]

I killed eight roaches in the first few minutes this summer. Luckily, they were the small North American (not including Mexico) variety.

How can you tell...
Did you stop and ask them Tilo...?

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Yes Khun BM, as they were scurrying around I politely asked a few of them, in both Thai and English, to stop and identify themselves. In their best American accents, they explained that they had got caught up in the luggage of an American from Boise, Idaho, and landed at the Karin. Then I squashed them!

I admit that this was rather appalling behaviour on my part, but there you go. Blame it on the tiring bus ride from Buriram.

[Alexander]

Thanx for the help.
I called Charoen today,
a standard room is 950, no breakfast, that would be extra, not a problem actually.

Now, I have found this lovely looking place http://www.udonmap.com/baanworachan/

but I'm affraid it might be a bit far away form the city center.

the other one is The City Lodge at 600 per night, not sure if it's clean, though, looks like one of those on Khaosan rd, once stayed in a dump down there, thought would safe a few bucks, never again:)

I think I may go to Charoen, Is it worth the money? Im staying 3 days only, so what the heck.

[Fawn]

Yes Khun BM, as they were scurrying around I politely asked a few of them, in both Thai and English, to stop and identify themselves. In their best American accents, they explained that they had got caught up in the luggage of an American from Boise, Idaho, and landed at the Karin. Then I squashed them!

You need to stop smoking that Crack pipe, Uncle Tilo.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Well, this is news to me as I always thought the source of my lucid statements was the nearby jar of peanut butter. It goes so nicely with chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate, this reminds me that one of my friends (not the very close and good one) has an acquaintance in Sakhon Nakhon. Her boyfriend is black from somewhere in the U.S.A....perhaps Boise, Idaho. Anyway, she always refers to him as her chocolate man: 'My chocolate man does not smoke, my chocolate man does not drink, my chocolate man works in Malaysia most of the time, my chocolate man has bought me a condo in Bangkok, I am going to Bangkok to be with my chocolate man on the 26th and 27th'. I told her that her chocolate man is not important nor is her accounting job. Her most serious task is to be in Sakhon Nakhon on the 30th to tape the concert with Tukatan and Tai Oratai for me. Some people have their priorities all messed up.

[Fawn]

Hmm yes, well, good to see you back on the circuit. I'd be interested to hear your opinion on the 'Missing Property Manager' thread, it's kept me intrigued for days.

Charoen Hotel, that architectural icon to seventies culture, isn't that a half decent place to stay? It's got Yellow Bird disco underneath as well.....is the Yellow Bird still there?

[Laan Yaa Mo]

The missing manager thread is a bit like a soap opera, which means unless I watch it every day I am lost. Only recently have I had a look and it left my eyes wide open whilst I tried to digest the contents. There is too much information leading in too many directions. BM is going to sort it out. Just give him some more time.

It is a nice touch that some of the 'accused' are contributing to the confusion.

I have only stayed at the Karin Hotel in Udon and know nothing about anywhere else. This suits me fine. I like the location near a number of Thai restaurants and the Sasa internet cafe, and the home of my very good friend. Moreover, it is a short walk to the complex.

On this trip, Nakhon Phanom was a pleasant surprise. I liked it there very much, and this is not just because I had dinner with four karaoke singers at the hotel where I was staying.

[rick]

Ruysuk is pretty good; beds not as hard as Top mansion and you can get breakfast in their coffee shop at the front. Also have their own livery Tuk tuk service, drivers quite honest. So probably best value at the price of 350 baht now i think. Irish clock very good about 850 baht includes breakfast and very central, but few vacancies.

[jorg]

President Hotel is a nice place, did not stay there myself, but my family did and liked it a lot. In July the (discount) room rate was 850 for 1 person including breakfast (900 for 2 persons). It is only a few years old, so looks very nice. But it is far away from the centre of the town (and next to the airport), but i think (not sure) they have some shuttle service. There are also most of the time 1 or 2 tuktuk's waiting.

http://www.presidenthotelthailand.com/e_p1.html

[BobHelm]

Like with many of the places out of the centre jorg (& there are some nice places too) the problem is not getting into town as there is nearly always cheap transport available to do so. The problem arises when wanting to get back to your hotel/guest house from the centre of town late at night. The tuk tuk drivers will charge the highest possible price they can get away with. I do not know if the new taxi service is having/will have an impact on this. If it does then there are a number of good quality out of the centre options that could be considered...

[Alexander]

Thanx a bunch.

There is a hotel behind the main bus station, called Silver Reef.

Seems like a good location.

The rooms are priced at 600 and 700, looks fine in the pictures, opened in 2006.

Might be worth checking it out.

[jorg]

Like with many of the places out of the centre jorg (& there are some nice places too) the problem is not getting into town as there is nearly always cheap transport available to do so. The problem arises when wanting to get back to your hotel/guest house from the centre of town late at night. The tuk tuk drivers will charge the highest possible price they can get away with. I do not know if the new taxi service is having/will have an impact on this. If it does then there are a number of good quality out of the centre options that could be considered...

Yes, think you are right there. The law of supply and demand.

However (going a little bit off-topic), I stay in a place near the President Hotel and sometimes I go there by tuk tuk, I always tell them to go to President Hotel because they know that. If you walk to the tuk tuk drivers waiting outside the bus-station (just pass the 7-11), they normally charge me 60 b. Sounds reasonable to me, but maybe I'm still overcharged and yes in the late evening or late at night they charge more. One charged me 50 b one time (late in the night), but to be fair he didn't know where he had to go. So I had to give him directions. :-"

[darwinian]

The copckroaches were probably not the Amercan species Periplanita amercana but the Asin species Blatta orientalis.

[Aardvark]

The copckroaches were probably not the Amercan species Periplanita amercana but the Asin species Blatta orientalis.

I guess you know that because they didn't tip....