There are many guesthouses setup for travelers in Vang
Vieng. Most are between 25,000 and
100,000 kip per night ($2.50 to $10 US). Air conditioning is certainly available in some of
the guest homes. The guest homes that we reviewed looked to be comfortable, safe and clean.
A good source for hotels in Laos is www.laohotelgroup.org A WorldHotel-Link lodging site
Viengvilay Guesthouse is a 4 story columnar hotel - one of the tallest in town (see
photo below). They have many rooms - most with air conditioning. There are very good views
over the city due to the height of this guesthouse. The morning market is held near this
hotel.
The bathroom was interesting in the room I stayed at. All the water from the sink
poured directly onto the floor and then down a drain. The owner lives in Portland Oregon and
his wife runs this hotel in his absence.
Shoes need to be removed at the entrance
and carried with you up to your room. They can be left downstairs
for the day, or until you return to the first floor, but they should
not be left outside over night. The owner has a small safe which he
will rent the use of it to you for a nominal fee. There are locks on
the doors but by accident I found my door's key worked on several
other rooms.
My general feeling was that this was a
safe hotel to stay at - it was a little more upscale than the low end
budget guest homes. The ceilings are drop tile and before I left for
the day I would hide some of my valuables in the ceiling on top of one of the drop tiles. For more information about this hotel please call PHONE: (856-23) 511
177
Nana Guest House is located at Thanon Luang Prabang and is
one of the cheaper guest homes. I saw this from outside but did not
stay here. Pricing runs about $6/night. It is on the main street in
town so it is very centrally located. Its clean, looks modern and
there is a restaurant on site. PHONE: 511036
Bungalow Thavonsouk is located really close to the Bamboo
Footbridge overlooking the Nam Song River. They offer bamboo thatched
lodges - essentially small bungalows overlooking the river. There is a
restaurant with a deck - this is an excellent place to watch the
sunset
over the Karst limestone formations in the "golden hour."
This location is also where many of the kayak trips end their days
trip. All rooms have a fan (no Air conditioning). PHONE: 511096 For
more information visit their informative website at: www.geocities.com/thavonsouk
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Dave's Pick