Hi, I am interested in some feed-back from any recent SmarTour clients concerning the hotel used in Lampang--Wianglakor. I realize that it is only one night, but reviews on other forums or Trip Advisor sound dreary. My spouse and I took a SmarTour in Croatia last year, and found the hotels quite good. I know that this one is a bit off the beaten path, but does it have any redeeming qualities? Friend and I are going in Feb--w/ Siem Reap extension. Any comments? Not using a tour is not an option, so that's why we're on this particular one. Many people on the Croatia tour had taken the ST more than once, so it seemed a good choice. Thanks for any info.
Ciao! mhm

The thing is, there's not much choice in Lampang. Hardly anybody stays there, since Chiang Mai is just another couple hours up the road. There are only a handful of hotels in Lampang, all local. You'll probably find that the place is a bit (or a lot) run-down, but as you say, it's only for a night.

MichaelBKK: In doing the Internet search, it is apparent that Lampang is not overly supplied with hotels. This one appears to be away from the town--if there is much of one--so am wondering about places to eat as the hotel's restaurants have not gotten top billing.
Thanks for replying. I have seen your posts on the Asia board now and again. Ciao!!mhm

I checked the location in Google Earth, and it's right in town. The hotel is just off the main highway, which runs along the south side of downtown. The other big hotel, the Wieng Thong, is just around the corner.

The hotel restaurant probably is pretty bad, but you should be able to find some other restaurants that cater to tourists a short walk away. Worst case, I think there's a Tesco just down the street. ;-)

I stayed at that hotel with Smartours a couple of years ago.
Breakfast was inedible. I could not believe how horrible it was. There was, however, fruit which was fresh. The asian breakfast choice of congee looked edible but I hadn't ordered it because I thought that bacon and eggs was hard to destroy. There is a night market and Tesco Lotus along the adjacent highway where I had purchased yoghurt so I had the fruit and yoghurt and survived. Every other hotel had breakfast buffets which were good.
The highway is hard to cross but there is a pedestrian bridge. (with many steps)

Thanks for the replies. The hotel looked "out-of-the-way" on the map I was able to find, but it sound as if there are some choices available.Is this a Tesco like you find in England--but probably not as huge as some I've seen. Knowing about the meal in advance, it would also be possible to purchase a few "supplies" before getting to this hotel.

Tweety: what other comments might you have about the tour? People we talked to last year, on the Croatia tour, had mostly good comments. Ciao! mhm