Hotels in Udon Thani and Ban Chaing

Udon's best hotel, for those who want a lot of amenities, is the Centara (277/1 Prachak Silpakorn Rd., west of the railway station and adjacent to the mall; www.centarahotelsresorts.com; tel. 04234-3555); it is up to the international brand’s standards, with a nice fitness center and pool, and doubles from 2,000B. But we prefer the simple and very friendly, Baan Rare Guesthouse (4/8 Po-Sri Rd., near the large Nongprajak Park; tel. 08126-0133; www.fb.com/baanrare) where 300B rooms have homey touches like pakaoma (local gingham) pillows and bike rentals. The architect owner runs a bike tour company that can arrange rides in the region and to nearby Laos.