christo

Hi Folks;

Will be travelling in Laos & Java next Jan & Feb and am looking for recommendations for private drivers or driver/guides . This will be for day tours, airport transfers etc. Approx. prices would be appreciated too.
I have asked some travel companies but they avoid providing a clear answer, I guess they just want to sell complete tours. Vietnam Stay gave a price of $370 for 2 people on a 1 day tour of Bolaven Plateau - this seems very high to me !

Thanks.

Prachuap

You can book drivers and day trips over there. DO NOT book in the west. You will be paying 3 companies and get ripped off.

Very easy to organise activities from hotels and local travel shops.

MmePerdu

In both Laos and Java, I made requests for drivers for day trips and airport pick-ups to the accommodations I'd booked and was provided excellent drivers at extremely reasonable prices. I tend to stay in moderately priced places and I suspect the prices for car & driver will inflate with the cost of accommodations. But I still think it's a viable option no matter where you stay.

Booking ahead from an agent not affiliated with your accommodation will, I suspect, generally be the most expensive way to do it. I suggest you book airport pick-up in advance through your hotel and for day trips there as you go.

LancasterLad

Definitely not a good idea booking ahead, unless you've got trusted recommendations and at local prices.

And even booking on the spot after you've arrived can be dodgy.

If you want to book several day trips, then only book and pay for the first one.

Make it absolutely clear to the agent that further bookings are likely, but they're dependent on how your first booking pans out. Ditto with the guide, and make it absolutely clear what you want to see, AND if you don't want to be doing any shopping on the trip then make that clear at the outset too.

If that first trip turns out to be a bad experience then look elsewhere for subsequent trips.

MmePerdu

I wouldn't discount completely the possibility of a bit of shopping along the way if the driver knows of craft workshops, as opposed to commercial outlets. Near Yogyakarta I asked the driver taking us to Borobudur to stop at a place along the road that made things from bamboo and ordered some items to be made for me to my specs and got them later. Same in Bali, there's a village not far from Ubud where things are made from bamboo, small spice and coffee growers in the mountains, batik done in neighborhood workshops, any number of interesting things to see in places that aren't where lots of tourists necessarily go. A strict prohibition against "shopping" may mean you miss some very interesting spots.

LancasterLad

I'm not suggesting not to do any shopping.

But, if just allow the driver to take you where he wants to take you then the chances are it'll be a tourist-trap, or his brother's shop, and the driver will be on commission from the shop-keeper. So if you have somewhere that you've researched and want to go and shop at then that's great, but be firm.

Same goes for restaurants along the route. Do a bit of research, and tell the driver exactly where you want to eat. Otherwise you could end up at a run-of-the mill tourist slop-house, where the drivers are on commission.

Good, honest drivers are also savvy, they know that their tip could depend on how well the day goes.

crellston

I can't speak for Java as I haven't been yet but Mme Perdu's suggestion for Laos makes a lot of sense. If you are limited on time, the last thing you want to do is to have the hassle of finding a driver/ guide on arrival. Hotel owners generally are concerned about getting poor reviews these days and the last thing they want is a bad review because they recommended bad driver or guide.

There will always be some sort of mark up if booking through a third party but it will be far less booking through a local hotel ( unless it is a very upmarket hotel!) than from abroad or even through a local tour operator.

I really wouldn't bother with organising airport pickups in advance. If you do, then just ask your hotel to organise it and have a chat with the driver on the way to the and ask how much to hire for the day trip you want. If he seems like a nice guy, agree a price and get him to write it down so there are no "misunderstandings" later.

The figure you were quoted for the Bolavens plateau seems very excessive. I presume it was from Pakse? If so, there are lots of operators in the town who will be able to offer this tour and you should be able to negotiate a decent price. The Bolavens Plateau is a beautiful area and really deserves an overnight stay if possible. It is probably busier now but we spent one New Year's Eve in a small village on the plateau and had a great time..

Prachuap

http://www.paksetravel.com

5 secs on google

Kathie

Prachaup, are you recommending a place you found on google? Yes, one can easily find travel agencies anywhere on google, but it doesn't mean I would use them or recommend them.

In Laos, we negotiated with the guy who drove us to our hotel from the airport. He was a local taxi driver, and we negotiated a reasonable price for a dray trip we wanted to take.

In Java, I've used a hotel recommendation for a driver - interviewed him and used him for a week - he was excellent. Last trip, I used a well-recommended agency who ended up making hotel reservations for less than I could get them, train tickets and a driver. Do your own research.

MmePerdu

LancasterLad, I've never had the shopping experience you describe forced upon me by drivers in Laos or Java, or even suggested. My guess is it isn't a thing that happens much there. All my stops were places I'd asked for and shopping spontaneous as in me calling out "stop here!" And "doing research" will likely get you to the usual suspects, not to better options that a local driver may know if you ask him to recommend a place.

In some countries the practice you describe is certainly common, China for instance. But Laos and Bali aren't China in oh, so many ways. The aggressive tactics you describe makes me wonder if you've had that sort of personal experience in these 2 countries or if it's what you believe might happen after incidents elsewhere.

LancasterLad

Mme Perdu. My advice on hiring drivers and guides is general advice, and that is to be careful who you put your trust in, and to make sure you get the best vfm.

The OP asked for advice, and has now got plenty of opinions.

Prachuap

Kathie,

They were asking about tours and prices. A quick look on google shows tours and prices.

Another quick look at reviews will provide feedback.

So that would be "doing research"

Tour companies are often owned by 2 or 3 companies or families.

They all do the same sorts of things. There are only so many waterfalls and markets one can visit in a given area.

If people want more simply hiring a bike or car will provide more flexibility.

LancasterLad

Weather should also be a consideration when booking a day trip.

If you book and pay for the trip in advance of your arrival, then you're stuck with the trip irrespective of what mother nature might bestow on you on that particular day.

Traveller's tummy ditto. Not much fun being committed to a day on the road if you're not feeling too well.

Prachuap

Good point. Best to just book a day ahead.

christo

Thank you all very much.
Some good advice here and I think it is steering me in the right direction.
Yes I believe that this is part of my research.
Crellston, the Bolaven day tour was apparently a mistake and recently "corrected" to a lower amount !
For myself I do not have a problem in giving others the name of a driver, the prices, and evaluation however as suggested perhaps the hotels will be more forthcoming with information.
Not having traveled to these places I was hoping to get some concept of transfer & driver/guide prices.