July 2011
Not your average hotel welcome
There are only a few places to stay in Dan Sai, and Phunacome Resort is far and away the best the small city has to offer. The resort would make a great 'get away from it all' destination at any time of year, but during the annual Phi Ta Khon festival, it's really the only choice in town. The resort is laid out in a small valley just about 10 minutes from town. The floor of the valley has been formed into a series of ponds. On one side are the standard guest rooms, lobby building, and the meeting rooms. The other side of the valley is devoted to what the resort calls its "Isaan Village", a group of medium to large traditional style wooden houses which form the resort's suites.
Standard room bed
Bathroom
I had one of the standard rooms. It was very large, with wood floors, a king-size bed, balcony and large bathroom. Wireless Internet access was freely available throughout the hotel. Breakfast was served in the small dining area off the hotel lobby. There wasn't a lot of choice, but most everything was well done. Guests could also enjoy complimentary coffee or tea at any time of day in the dining room.
One of the resort's bikes
The resort also had a few mountain bikes for free use by the guests. I used one on one of the days during my stay. It was easy enough to get around to the other sights of Dan Sai, although the ride back uphill to the resort is going to leave you huffing and puffing a little. During the festival, the resort offered a free shuttle serve to take guests into town and bring them back.
Hotel facilities include a restaurant, bar, pool, meeting room, gym (small) and library with Internet computers.
Rooms feature air conditioning, hot and cold water, color television (several channels), IDD telephones, hair dryer and free wireless Internet access.
Pluses: Really pleasant grounds, handy to Dan Sai for the Phi Ta Khon festival, and free wi-fi.
Minuses: None, really
Rooms at the Phunacome Resort may be booked through Agoda, or, you can use Hotels Combined to find the best deal by comparing rates from dozens of site.