Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [161]
Nett Hotel (0 3641 1738; 17/1-2 Th Ratchadamnoen; r 300-500B; ) In the heart of the old town, the Nett’s renovated rooms still offer the best value in town.
Thepthani Hotel (0 3641 1029; Th Phra Narai Maharat; r 400B; ) Just outside the old town, the Theptani is run by the Rajabhat University’s tourism and hospitality department. Rooms are reasonable and bathrooms are immaculate. Blue buses running between the old and new town will stop here for 10B.
MIDRANGE & TOP END
Lopburi Inn Hotel (0 3641 2300; www.lopburiinnhotel.com; 28/9 Th Phra Narai Maharat; r 700-950B; ) Just in case you haven’t had enough of monkeys, there’s a 3m-bronze one waiting to greet you, along with dozens of smaller simian statues. The top rooms come with enormous bathrooms.
Lopburi Inn Resort (0 3642 0777; www.lopburiinnresort.com; 144 Tambon Tha Sala; r 950-1350B; ) The monkey theme continues unabashed at the Lopburi Inn Hotel’s sister site. Being 5km out of town isn’t ideal, but it is the fanciest place in town.
Eating & Drinking
Streets in the old town are packed with food stalls offering all manner of snacks. On Wednesdays a market fills Th Phraya Kamjat, while every evening other stalls do business in Th Na Phra Kan.
Khao Tom Hor (cnr Th Na Phra Kan & Th Ratchadamnoen, dishes 30-80B) Locals fill this feeding station every night. The Thai-Chinese menu includes the excellent plaa salid tôrd (deep-fried salted fish) and pàd gàprow gài (chicken with kaprao leaf).
Thaisawang House (Th Sorasak; dishes 60-100B; 8.30am-8pm) This simple Thai-Vietnamese restaurant serves up some of the biggest portions in town. Especially good is the iced lemon tea and steamed pancakes. Be sure to check out the ‘shrine’ surrounded by toy action figures behind the counter.
Central Market (off Th Ratchadamnoen & Th Surasongkhram; 6am-5pm) Stroll and snack amid the dozens of stalls. Try out the kôw om mùd (rice wrapped in coconut leaves), a·go peu·ak (taro custard with coconut milk), or gài tôrt (fried chicken). In the centre of the market is a vegetarian pavilion.
White House (Th Phraya Kamjat; dishes 80-200B; 5-10pm) This colonial-looking restaurant offers reasonable Thai-Chinese dishes, and while you’re eating you can grill the amiable Khun Piak for travel tips.
Chok Dee Dimsum Restaurant (Th Ratchadamnoen; dishes 16-22B; 8.30am-10pm) Meat dumplings and steamed pork balls are among the tiny but tempting dishes here. The waiters who herald the arrival of every dish with a little cry give this place a cheery feel.
The new town has a few restaurants and bars, mainly along Th Naresuan. Of these, Good View (Th Naresuan; dishes 80-150B; 5pm-1am) is the best bet. This three-tiered, country-style bar has a wide range of seafood.
When it comes to drinking, options in the old town are limited to Noom Guest House (Th Phraya Kamjat), where expats can be found cradling their Changs and Leos, or around the corner there is Jontrajao (no roman-script sign; Th Sorasak), a popular venue for locals with its Karabao-style house band. There’s no English sign, so look for the giant ‘Benmore’ advert on the roof.
Getting There & Away
BUS
Lopburi’s bus station (Th Naresuan) is nearly 2km away from the old town. Buses run to Ayuthaya (32B, two hours, every 30 minutes), Bangkok’s northern bus terminal (120B, three hours, every 40 minutes) and Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat; 136B, 3½ hours, hourly). For Ayuthaya, head to stand 21. Motorbike taxis from the station to the old town cost 30B.
If you are heading to Kanchanaburi, leave from stand 13 and get off at Suphanburi (65B, three hours, every 90 minutes). From there you can catch a local bus to Kanchanaburi for 50B. Other nearby destinations include Singburi and Ang Thong.
TRAIN
The train station (Th Na Phra Kan) is within walking distance of the old town and its guesthouses.
Trains heading south towards Ayuthaya (ordinary/rapid/express 13/20/310B)