Thanks for all the info & help guys.
When I am in Vientiane, I will go by the Riverine Hotel and check it out and get their details for next time.

BM, yes I checked on a couple of forums. Thanks.

farang, great map, very detailed!

Gary, is your driver on the Lao side of the bridge. What do you think he would charge for say, 4-6 hours of his service, or what would be a reasonable charge? So I can have a idea of what would be a fair price.

after receiving my new 48 page biometric British passport of witch only 41 pages are usable (9.600 bt by post 15 days ) I decided to do a trip to Laos and the Thai embassy just for break plus new visa and restock the booze ,fags with my TW ,crossed the boarder got an English speaking driver in a very nice air con mini bus (300 bt Mr. vandee tel 007 856 20532 1414 ) ,stayed at a nice hotel (1000 bt ) in Vientiane, had a very good French meal on the river front with a few glasses of red wine and a few lao beers , next day got my passport back did a bit of shopping as you do (French bread 10 bt plus some cheap fags ) then headed back to the Thai border did some more shopping in the duty free (4 bottles of whiskey 25 bt each special offer, 4 bottles red French wine 125 bt each ) had a chat with Laos customs officer about the new railway line over the bridge , he seamed to think it would be up and running with in three months looks good, then back to Thailand, a nice break , but with all the transfers and visas my lovely new 48 page passport was now down to 36 pages in one trip , you can now download the Laos visa form from www.bkklaoembassy.com/ saves you a bit of time when crossing ,

Donthai, red wine for TBH125 a bottle.

I am looking forward to a report after you have drunk the first one

Sounds like the sort of wine you may have problems getting your friends to drink

Jing Jai, did you stay at the Riverine Hotel and if so what was it like?

No Roy, never made it there. Will be going over next month, try and check it out then.

so a search, there were a couple threads before. good luck. do you need to be anywhere special, or just an outing. near the river is nice and bunch of restaurants, just stay clear of the one actually on the river side of road, dirty and over priced.

I ended up staying in the Mongkol Hotel, facing the river. A bit pricey at 1,200baht for a room with a view of the river but very clean, staff speak excellent English and are really friendly, the bathrooms could do with an update.
The hotel makes all the food for the little shacks by the river and very good food can be had there.
Would I stay there again?
Yes.

We always stay here:
http://www.vientiane-hotel-link.com/Lane_Xang_Hotel
The Lane Xang.
Not bad for the money, includes breakfast, a swimming pool, and not far from the fountain circle and all the bars and cafes.

Any suggestions for "guest friendly" accomodations?
I would keep things low key but would rather not bring a thai "wife" if possible.
I appreciate any input. If anyone does not want to share publicly please PM me.
I am going in july and do not know the city.
Any hotels to stay away from would also be appreciated. Thanks,Pat

Lao Orchid Hotel highly recommended.Newish, nice rooms, GF.
About US $ 35 per night .
Located just off river front on a side street, very near the Intercity Hotel.
Also close to Bor Pen Yung ( spelling) expat bar
www.lao-orchid.com for more info.

Prenders88 wrote:We always stay here:
http://www.vientiane-hotel-link.com/Lane_Xang_Hotel
The Lane Xang.
Not bad for the money, includes breakfast, a swimming pool, and not far from the fountain circle and all the bars and cafes.

Great massages by the ladies near the pool! Cheapest in Lao but only in price

I stayed near the day market walking distance from both Thai Embassy & U S Embassy
sadly I do not remember the name of the hotel but I paid 800 B a night with a/c fan rooms are cheaper / they have a restaurant on the premises and the food is OK and cheap / all I remember is it was a cross the road from BKK Bank and the day market was to the left of the hotel if you are coming out going in it the right LOL