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I doubt that anyone planning a vacation to Thailand would likely start out by saying ‘I want to visit Khon Kaen.’ Maybe you might visit some of the tourist attractions in the Isaan region of which Khon Kaen is located within. Attractions like the Prasat Him Phimai or the Prasat Him Phanom Rung or even the Korat Zoo. But spending a few days in a city like Khon Kaen is certainly a good way to get a feel for “authentic” Thailand. Away from the big city of Bangkok, away from the tourist traps in the South like Phuket or Pattaya, Khon Kaen is a glimpse of day to day life in modern Thailand. Where old ways and new ways combine. On my 1st trip there back in May 2007 I was very surprised to see water buffalo while driving along some of the streets on the outskirts of town and yet be able to go to an Internet cafe where I could access a high speed connection.

And there are attractions in Khon Kaen mind you. Three wats (Wat Wutharam, Wat Nongwang, and Wat Jien Bung) surround the towns lake which is located in the center of the city. The lake itself, Beung Kaen Nakhon Lake, which is surrounded by a nice-sized “family park” is worth a visit. The man made lake is large, a concrete walking/cycling path circles the lake and is frequented by Khon Kaen residents. Cycling, walking, running and dog walking are all popular activities. It takes about 90 minutes to walk the entire stretch of the concrete path around the lake.

Speaking of the lake, the cities best restaurants are located on the street that circles around the lake. There are too many to name and I’ve eaten at quite a few of them. All of them have different tastes and styles but I have enjoyed the meals at all of them, so try them out and see which one you like best! On the weekends and sometimes even during the week in the evening, many of them have live music, some featuring Thai music and even some featuring American music. Some of the restaurants have a nice view of the lake so you can sit outside and enjoy some good Thai food while looking over the lake at dusk.

As far as hotel accommodations I have personally only stayed in two hotels in Khon Kaen: the Charoen Thani Princess and the Bussarakam Hotel.

At the time that I stayed in the Charoen Thani in May 2007, it was rated as a 4-star hotel. Though on my Trip Adviser review I did “ding” the hotel as a low 4-star hotel, mostly based on service, it was at that time a very nice hotel with clean and well-appointed rooms and at less than 2,000 baht a night, a very good bargain. However, in reviewing the Trip Adviser website, I found that the hotel has been bumped down to a 3-star rating. And there average room rate is now about 1,200 baht per night, down from the 1,700 baht per night average when I stayed there. So perhaps the quality has slid a little since I last stayed there. You can find their website link in the links section of my blogroll.

And the Bussarakam Hotel is a budget/business hotel that I found to be very clean for about 1,250 baht a night for 2 people. The hotel is not officially rated on Trip Adviser, in fact I was the user that submitted their hotel to the Trip Adviser site but I would say they are between a 2-star and 3-star hotel. I was told by staff that the hotel was built in approximately 2005, and I believe them because it looked quite new and the room was clean and in good condition.  The hotel has a website, but it’s in Thai only. And don’t let the photo on their home page fool you, it doesn’t look quite this nice in the day time. But as I said inside the rooms are quite clean, at least they were in 2008 when I last visited here. By the way, if you visit the Trip Adviser review for this hotel, I included a photo or two of the room there. The hotel’s website has their contact information including their email address. I don’t believe any of the hotel staff speak English, this hotel is mainly used by Thai businessmen. They don’t get a lot of foreigners staying here I think, but the hotel served its purpose and the room also came with a coffee maker, hair dryer, mini fridge and robe – the usual suspects. Check my links section on my blogroll to find their website – Thai only, however.

A word about the Sofitel Raja Orchid (which has now changed their name to the “Pullman Raja Orchid“), which is considered the number one hotel in Khon Kaen. It is listed as a 4-star hotel and I have heard nothing but kind words about it, though I’ve personally never stayed at that hotel. I’ve included their contact information here (for some odd reason, the #1 hotel in Khon Kaen doesn’t have a website, but you can book reservations online for them – I would recommend booking through Agoda – their website is listed in my links section. I’ve used Agoda for bookings before and have had good success with them. You do have to prepay with Agoda, however.

CONTACT INFORMATION
9/9 Prachasumran Road, Amphur Muang, Khon Kaen 40000 Thailand
Tel: (66)(43)322155 FAX: (66)(43)322150

For entertainment, Khon Kaen features a lively night market – expect the usual suspects here, techno gadgets, clothing (including good deals on Polo shirts), sunglasses and the like. In the same area of the night market there is a mall known locally in English as “the Family Plaza” which was remodeled in fall of 2009 and is quite impressive for a town of Khon Kaen’s size. Here you can find American fast food like McDonald’s, KFC and Swensen’s Ice Cream. And both the Sofitel and Charoen Thani Princess have discotecs and live music. On my 2nd trip there back in September 2007 I caught the show at the Charoen Thani which included a Thai rock band, a ladyboy singer and comedian as well as other styles of music and signing. It was quite a good show that lasted about 2 hours as I recall. The shows probably change, but you can contact the Charoen Thani to find out what they currently have in the way of entertainment.

There is a nice website at www.khonkaen.com where you can find more information about the hotels, the wats and restaurants located in Khon Kaen.

*last updated July, 2010

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Isaan, Thailand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.