We stayed there for one night; we were travelling from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.
The rooms were ok, a little run down, and not 100% clean, but what can you expect for 20$ for a twin room?
The breakfast is served in the restaurant at the shores of the river. Really nice view, don't miss it!
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First impressions: Not too terrible... not great either... just average. Mind you, it's not exactly a Hilton. Average B-plus. Costing between CD$60 (standard room) to CD$125 (riverview suite) per night, it's good value for its 3-star rating.
Pros: Its location is quite good. It's one of many resort hotels lining the Song River at Van Vieng, Laos, a place infamous for wild parties, drunkenness and carousing by college-age tourists. It's far enough from this maddening crowd and yet its proximity to the town centre is a very big plus. The hotel is located several blocks from the gaudy rows of loud bars, overflowing with drunk lounge lizards watching endless reruns of Family Guy, Friends or Seinfeld -- during the day! The riverside bungalow suites offer stunning river and mountain views. Other rooms have balconies. Cheap laundry service can be had just around the corner from the hotel entrance.
Cons: Although not exactly their fault, the hotel seems to be adjacent to either construction work or a sand quarry. Trucks keep passing by the hotel! Although AC is included with the room, there isn't a fridge or in-suite safe. (At least, I didn't see one when I searched.) There's a hotel curfew, at which time they close the gate. Desk service and the breakfast could be better.
Verdict: I'd say good value for what you get. There isn't much improvement looking at other establishments in the area.
Not much too rave on as the room was quite old and bare: just a bed, TV on top of the frig, a clothes closet and a desk and chair. Had to bring in a chair from the deck. The drain in the shower was simply a hole cut into the floor. No covering.The deck had stunning views of the river and the mountains and I am sure it would be nice in cooler weather but it was just too hot to sit outside. Breakfast was very limited. Staff was okay, renovations going on so I guess that is why the office was small and looked to be temporary. Basically doable for 2 nights.
This hotel has the best location in town, right on the banks of the Song River with fantastic views over to the mountains, but the average rooms & rude staff ruin it. The breakfast goes from 7 to 9:30am, but they run out of food by 8:30 & they don't re-stock it. My friends & I were going to have a sundowner & maybe dinner at their riverside restaurant, but they didn't want to serve us! There is quite a lot of renovations going on at the moment so it's very noisy during the day.
Our room was dirty and poorly equipped. Security was poor -- no in-room safe, door secured with skeleton key. We were robbed of $500 by someone who entered room while we were at dinner -- easily accessed room door, and picked lock on suitcase containing valuable. Our own fault for leaving $$ in room, but be aware the place is subject to thievery.
There is no going past the simply incredible scenes of nature that surround these bungalows. In a place like Vang Vieng, where the drunk, shirtless and obscene style of traveller rule, this is the perfect place to escape and enjoy the beauty the city has to offer.
Staying in a bungalow right on the river and my favorite memory of Vang Vieng is sitting by the river on a sunbed outside the bungalow, watching the herds of cows as they gathered by the river and reading a book in the sunshine.
Whilst perhaps a little dated, the rooms are very comfortable and of a good size, with all the usual amenities. No matter what you wish to enjoy whilst in Vang Vieng, this accommodation is perfectly located, with many restaurants with Friends or Family Guy on loop within walking distance. Despite the noise of the louts at night, you are guaranteed a quiet and peaceful nights sleep here, which is also definitely an added bonus.
As many of the other reviewers have mentioned, the breakfast is pretty average. I wouldn't say it's great, or bad - just average.
The room was reasonably priced considering it was right on the river - more than we would normally spend, however. If you are on a specific budget or have a preference of room type, book in advance. In fact, if you want to ensure you get a room at all book in advance, particularly in peak seasons. We arrived to obtain the very last room in the place and it was by fluke that it happened to be so fantastic!
