Going to Savannakhet, advise needed.

[Carlosm]

I'm going to Savannakhet at the end of the month to get mt multi entry visa based on marriage. The plan is, travel by my car Monday. Staying 2 nights in a pre-booked hotel near the Embassy. Tuesday, take PP+docs to the Embassy and submit. Next day around 2pm pick up my PP and go home.

Advise :-

Can i drive into Laos over the friendship bridge and onto my hotel ?

If not, is there a safe car park on our side ?

In another thread i read that Tuesday is quiet compared to when the mini buses go, is it very quiet can i go to the Embassy anytime ?

Payment for such as food and tuktuk's, can i use Baht in Laos ?

'Any' other advise most welcome !

[transam]

Go to the consulate on a Wednesday, be there before 11.30am....

 

When you get to the bridge, just before it on your left, you will see a covered parking area, 250bht per night....Then walk to the bridge, on your left is a bus ticket office...50bht each to take you over the bridge. I get off there and get a taxi (150bht) to the consulate, get there before those on the bus as it goes to the town bus station...No problem with LOS money...

[transam]

You can take a car across but you must get a passport for it in LOS and insurance cover for Lao....

PS. Get to the bridge early, I get there about 8.30am. In the past I have waited over an hour for a bus only to be trampled on by Chinese looking folk. You must fill out forms the other side of the bridge for a Lao visa + cash.

[Denim]

When buying bus tickets to cross the bridge ask at the kiosk if a bus is due or just gone. If you just missed and don't want a long wait you can often hitch a ride across the bridge on a passing pick up or sedan. just before it gets to the immigration checkpoint. Of course the driver will expect a payment for the ride, normally not more than a hundred baht.

 

Visa on arrival on the Laos side can be a bit slow but once completed get a taxi to your pre booked hotel.

 

If you are staying in Savann on Monday night that will mean after your drive you will be arriving in the afternoon so you can go straight to your hotel since visa applications are only handled in the morning.

 

You might do better to arrive in Savan on Tuesday afternoon and submit your application on Wednesday then collect it on Thursday before heading home. This , because a lot of the hotels will be full on Monday with people using a visa run service.

[Tanoshi]

Any hotels anyone can recommend?

[Carlosm]

24 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Any hotels anyone can recommend?

I've looked on 'Agoda' website and there are plenty of well rated hotels near by.

[Tanoshi]

25 minutes ago, Carlosm said:

I've looked on 'Agoda' website and there are plenty of well rated hotels near by.

Can't beat a personal recommendation though!

[Carlosm]

21 minutes ago, Tanoshi said:

Can't beat a personal recommendation though!

Totally agree, also on Agoda you can read the personal reviews as well as see what Thaivisa users think.

[BuckBee]

Take small money, lots of 20Baht and 50bahts, 1 dollar bills useful too .

In my opinion it more hassle than benefit take a car over for what only really needs be a one night stay and bus station is right by the consulate with plenty hotel options across the road . Also tuk-tuk can be fairly cheap with bit of bartering if want use it ...

 

[Samuel Smith]

Change baht into kip at exchange kiosk, esp if paying for hotel locally.

[Samuel Smith]

Better to stay in a GH or hotel nearer the city centre (night market area) if you plan on having an evening or 2 out.

[Mitkof Island]

5 minutes ago, Samuel Smith said:

Better to stay in a GH or hotel nearer the city centre (night market area) if you plan on having an evening or 2 out.

And how far is the night market area from the embassy? And how much from the bridge to the night market area for a tuk tuk or whatever?

[Samuel Smith]

2 minutes ago, Mitkof Island said:

And how far is the night market area from the embassy? And how much from the bridge to the night market area for a tuk tuk or whatever?

Walk.  No need for a tuk tuk from the bridge, the bus goes to the bus station.

Edited June 17, 2019 by Samuel Smith

[Mitkof Island]

3 minutes ago, Samuel Smith said:

Walk.  No need for a tuk tuk from the bridge, the bus goes to the bus station.

And the bus station and night market are how far from the embassy ? And how often does the bus leave from the Thai side of the bridge ? And where is the exchange place?

Edited June 17, 2019 by Mitkof Island

[Isaanbiker]

OP, you can get a car license from the transport department, But it's easy to leave your car in the shade, secure parking, for a few baht.

 

   BTW, it's not the embassy it's the Thai consulate. First, you'll see the Thai customs who check on overstay, that can take a bit when many overstayers pay their fines before you can check out..

 

  Next step is to pay for a visa sticker to get into Laos, you save good money when you pay with $ American. Do not pay twice, they often ask for an additional 200 baht after you've received your visa, just don't pay it.

 

 Don't go there on a Monday, Trans seems to be right with Wednesday,  and be there early. I'll attach a visa form for the Savannakhet consulate, it makes all a bit faster when you've got all prepared.

 

  Take plenty of small bills, they also take coins. Always ask for Thai baht, the Kip is pretty much unwanted like a disease.

 

   There're plenty of guesthouses with air for around 500 to 1,000 + baht. A great place to have decent food is a restaurant with a huge penguin in front. It's called  Restaurant Cafe Chez Boune

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g811038-d3970903-r349672146-Restaurant_Cafe_Chez_Boune-Savannakhet_Savannakhet_Province.html

  

Their breakfast is breathtaking, fresh baguettes, cheese, orange juice,etc..

 

Make sure that you've got your original marriage certificate, a copy of it, a copy of the house book and some photos. The visa is 5,000 baht.

 

 If you like beer, Lao beer is much better than any Thai beer, try the dark Lao, a real beer.  

 

The Tuk Tuk drivers seem to love it to rip you off and drive around town then ask for a lot of money, enough to drive in a Bangkok cab for hours!! 

 

 Sometimes, it's possible that your passport is already done at 1 pm before you get back into Thailand, double check your arrival/departure card and the dates of your visa.

 

 There's also a duty-free shop, should you want some fags or liquor. 

 

  Have a safe trip! 

 

 

 

  

SVK-VisaForm.PDF

[Isaanbiker]

26 minutes ago, Mitkof Island said:

And the bus station and night market are how far from the embassy ? And how often does the bus leave from the Thai side of the bridge ? And where is the exchange place?

The joke is that the bus doesn't stop at the consulate, even when you drive by and see the consulate on your right-hand side. Must be a deal with the Tuk Tuk drivers.

 

From the market to the bus station is around 2 km. There's an exchange place in the center of the town, but all the shops will take your money. You don't really need Laos Kip, you can pay all with Thai baht. 

 

Nobody wants to buy them back from you. There's also a Chinese bank and an ATM right at the consulate, but I needed assistance from a bank employee because all was written in Laotian. 

 

  But they'll buy dollars, or Euros, or sell you Kips. From the center of the town ( there's a 7 Eleven like shop which seems to be the town's center) to the night market a 20-minute walk, or 2 km. 

 

  Near the shop are also many nice guesthouses, when you cross the road and walk down the street opposite the shop. 

 

The Shuttle bus is driving back and forth all day long, no idea how many they've got now. 

 

 

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

25 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

The joke is that the bus doesn't stop at the consulate, even when you drive by and see the consulate on your right-hand side. Must be a deal with the Tuk Tuk drivers.

It's only a 10 minute walk.

[Mitkof Island]

Just now, BritManToo said:

It's only a 10 minute walk.

From the night market area the center of town?

[BritManToo]

Just now, Mitkof Island said:

From the night market area the center of town?

From the bus station.

[meand]

if you try to cross the car over to laos let us know how that goes. 

Edited June 17, 2019 by meand

[Carlosm]

The (Thai) wife just said, why not stay in a hotel in Mukdahan ? Cheaper than Laos and don't have to pay 250/day to par the car ..... man, that makes sense ! Been on Agoda again and found better hotels at better price's !

[BuckBee]

The bus station to consulate is easy under 10 minute stroll all on same side of road .

The old town centre area around the church and cafes is good 15 minute walk other direction from bus station and not so pleasant but I walked it few times no bother .

Paying any more than 40 baht go anywhere and you being robbed .

Using the bus couldn't be much easier and the run every 30 minutes roughly from both sides .

[BuckBee]

Don't exchange to kip just have lot of 20Bt and 50Bt and make sure you get rid of as much kip you may accumulate en-route back to thailand .

Hotels are cheap in savann, I never book, always get one and view room before paying, plenty rooms from 300 to 800Bt .

[Mitkof Island]

12 minutes ago, BuckBee said:

The bus station to consulate is easy under 10 minute stroll all on same side of road .

The old town centre area around the church and cafes is good 15 minute walk other direction from bus station and not so pleasant but I walked it few times no bother .

Paying any more than 40 baht go anywhere and you being robbed .

Using the bus couldn't be much easier and the run every 30 minutes roughly from both sides .

Well if foreign suckers pay more than 40 baht which many do expect prices to go up and stay there. Once an area is infested with foreigners prices always tend to go up and up unless you speak Thai/Laos and tell them in so many terms NO! Sorry i am not a typical foreign sucker.

[Denim]

23 minutes ago, Carlosm said:

The (Thai) wife just said, why not stay in a hotel in Mukdahan ? Cheaper than Laos and don't have to pay 250/day to par the car ..... man, that makes sense ! Been on Agoda again and found better hotels at better price's !

 

That's what we usually do.

 

Stay Mukdahan 1 night.  

 

Early morning cross over and straight to consulate. From there to hotel.

 

Next day , return to consulate , collect passport and cross back into Thailand. From the border still enough to drive and spend the night in Khon Kaen before returning home.

[beavenlen]

this guy seems to be going for multi entry based on marriage, nobody has mentioned that multi entry is no longer available. can we get a confirmation on this.

[recom273]

16 hours ago, Tanoshi said:

Any hotels anyone can recommend?

Hotels? Guest houses are more likely in Sav.

 

i have stayed in the well known ones, they are now pretty rotten, lumpy beds, dirty with bad aircon.

 

Since then, I stay at Jolly GH, for around 300B, It used to be that I was the only one there, but I’m sure it’s fully booked now. Big rooms, comfortable beds and aircon, free coffee, tea and water - eggs and baguette in the garden in the morning, there is an exchange booth in the next Soi, a half decent Thai food at the entrance and a short walk into town, kind of midway between Chez’ and the restaurants around the town square for evening meal, eating and drinking is (one of) the highlight(s) of Savannaket.

 

If you stay around the consulate or bus station it’s a bit dead, you will end up getting an overpriced tuk tuk to the church square at night although there is a Lao food market where locals catch their food on the way home, guaranteed to give belly ache.

 

tuk tuks will call there to take you to the consulate. 

 

if you want a boutique location, there are a couple of places in the French quarter around the church that friends used to stay at, never stayed myself.

Edited June 18, 2019 by recom273

[ubonjoe]

22 minutes ago, beavenlen said:

this guy seems to be going for multi entry based on marriage, nobody has mentioned that multi entry is no longer available. can we get a confirmation on this.

The multiple entry non-o is still available in Savannakhet and at the majority of embassies and consulates.

[sjbrownderby]

A tip to save you a little time: Download and print the Laos 'visa on arrival' application form. It is available from various sources online. If you have this ready with the required photo, and fee, you will get through Laos immigration much quicker and ahead of the crowd.  

[oldmanstan]

9 minutes ago, sjbrownderby said:

A tip to save you a little time: Download and print the Laos 'visa on arrival' application form. It is available from various sources online. If you have this ready with the required photo, and fee, you will get through Laos immigration much quicker and ahead of the crowd.  

 

Real tip to save time, forget about going to Savanahket.  Grab a ticket to ho chi min, enjoy cheap beer and go to a consulate with a line up of 5-10 people in a shaded / air-conditioned office.