Thailand And Laos Journey: 44. Chiang Khong Accommodation

Thailand and Laos (and Myanmar if I can manage it)

Hello, Sawatdee kaa and Sabai dee,

My next trip will be Thailand and Laos, and this is all about the before, the trip and the after - similar to my Malaysia/Cambodia blog. I am putting together from start to finish - tickets, do's and don'ts, tours, where to stay, places to see, things to do, as well as useful extras like transport, good places to eat, what to wear, climate, tourist traps, tricks and tips and whatever else I can think of that will be useful.

If you have any tips or advice, please, feel free to leave a comment and add your bit - whatever you think may be helpful or interesting.
Cheers.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

44. Chiang Khong Accommodation

Change of plan
Further to my previous post, there has been a change of plan regarding accommodation for the 15th of February. Mr. Adisak emailed me on Sunday night saying the bungalow was available but I would be the only one staying there that night and suggested I spend that night in Chiang Khong and recommended two hotels, although he would book the bungalow for me if that was what I wanted. I took his advice and decided to stay in Chiang Khong. He also assured me I had nothing to worry about the boat not leaving on February 16th and said he will take the boat off the dock even if I was traveling alone.

The hotels he recommended were Nam Khong Riverside THB.800 including breakfast and Teak Garden THB.1,000 including breakfast. Both hotels looked rather nice and the Nam Khong one had lovely gardens around it but seemed a little isolated. With this in mind, I decided on Teak Garden, even thought the cost is higher and sent an email advising of this.

Above: Teak Garden
This is a lttle closer to the Thai Immigration checkpoint and appears to be more in the middle of the town. (Photos are from the internet)The address is 666 Saiklang rd. , moo 8 wiang, Chiang Khong, Chiangrai, 57140. Tel: +66 (0)5379 2008-9 Fax: +66 (0)5379 2007 .
I do like the look of this hotel - the rooms have either a river view of a garden view. At this stage I don't know which one I will have, although a river view would be nice. I'm not too fussed, whichever it is, I'll enjoy it.

From hotel to Laos
Mr Adisak sent me another email saying he will book my accommodation at the Teak Garden Resort for 15 February and will pick me up at 08.10 and transfer to the immigration office and on to the boat, and that his staff will assist me with Lao visa / immigration formality.

Getting to Chiang Khong
He also suggested I take the VIP Green Bus fro, Chiang Mai to Chiang Khong - the trip takes six hours, has comfortable reclining seats, a loo and takes you right to Chiang Khong and that the hotel is 7 minutes away from where you get off the bus by Tuk Tuk. He said the fare was around THB.200 and offered to book the ticket for me and to let him know. Taht was nice of him wasn't it? I took him up on his offer, thanked him and asked him to book the ticket. So for now it's just a matter of waiting for a reply confirming this.
As always, I'll post it here when this has occurred.