Laos Accommodation
Accommodation options outside the Mekong Valley's main tourist spots are limited to basic hotels and guesthouses, excluding two or three fancy hotels in Vientiane.
Vientiane
Budget
Sabaidy Guesthouse, 203 Thanon Settathilat, offers cheap dorm beds and a few rooms, and has lockers to keep your belongings in. Close to downtown, it's a great place for the budget backpacker.
Auberge du Temple, Luang Prabang Road (next to Wat Khunta), is a bit far from the city centre, but a very pleasant guest house owned by a French-Swiss gentleman.
Vayakorn Guesthouse, Nokeo Koummane Road; tel. (856-21) 241911-2. Centrally located, very clean, well-appointed rooms with wood floors, air-con, very helpful and friendly staff.
Mid Range
Asian Pavilion Hotel, 379 Th Samsenthai, tel. 021-213430. A good if not quite their self-proclaimed "fascinating" mid-range choice formerly known as Hotel Constellation - as recorded in John le Carré's The Honourable Schoolboy - and Hotel Vieng Vilay. Rooms with air-con, hot water, cable TV, breakfast and airport transfer.
Chanthapanya Hotel, is conveniently located a walk away from Vientiane's numerous tourist attractions, markets, restaurants and internet café’s. Being owned and operated by the Chanthapanya family the hotel offers the charm of the family while providing the luxuries of a hotel. All rooms have A/C, Wi-Fi access, personal safe (too small for a notebook PC), cable TV, 24hr hot water. Wi-Fi access points are on floors 2 and 4, so reception is best nearby. Beware unpleasant smells from air con in some top floor rooms. 138 Norkeokoummarn Road, Tel: (856-21) 244 284, E-mail: info@chanthapanyahotel.com.
Top End
Lane Xang Hotel, Fa Ngum Road. A majestic old hotel from decades ago that remains the elegant place to stay. Hunter S. Thompson wrote dispatches from here after scrambling out of Saigon as it fell.
Huay Xai
Budget
BAP Guesthouse has wound up to be somewhat of a travellers hangout. Unfortunately, the rates are not the cheapest in town and staff are unfriendly and have a reputation for overcharging.
Oudomphone Guesthouse 2 has double-bed rooms with spotlessly clean floors and hot-water showers. It's a 3-minute walk north of the BAP guesthouse, on the right-hand side of the road. There is a good, cheap restaurant and a small convenience/souvenir store on the premises.
Friendship Guesthouse is a great family run guesthouse located in the central strip of town. Rooms are available as double or single and all have private bath with hot water. The buidling's tiled rooftop balcony provides panoramic views of the city and neighoubring Chiang Khong across the Mekong River, making for a great place to read a book during the day or have a cup of tea at night and watch life pass by, albeit slowly. Make sure that you book a room that is close to the street front as the rear rooms lack natural light.
Luang Prabang
Cold River Guesthouse: run by a local family and you meet often a lot of travellers. It's directly on the Khan River. Off peak times, it costs less. They do not accept American dollars. Free filtered water and bananas are available.
Les 3 Nagas Hotel: A nice hotel with 7 rooms on one side and 8 on the other. The restaurant is fairly cheap, but the rooms fairly expensive. There are a few executive suites, the most costly coming with their own set of stairs. But beware: your nights may be troubled as there is a rooster that sings every morning at the hotel, at about 3:20 pm. The hotel is colonial.
Levady Guesthouse: In a lovely side street 50m off the main street. Super nice family, wooden rooms and floor, bike rental, absolutely tidy. Double w/ fan, en suite bathroom, long term discounts on request.
Merry Guesthouse: Has rooms with bathroom outside. Not so merry though, the options further down the alley (Cold River and Sysomphone) are more appealing.
Sala Luang Prabang: fine restored colonial villa with comfortable rooms, but it has its price.
Sysomphone Guesthouse: On the same street, very friendly family. Free bananas and water. Owner has good information, offers you sticky rice if you stumble across dinner and collects traveller's photographs in an album. Rooms with shared hot-water bathrooms. A newer, cleaner building in the back has fresher rooms.
The Grand, Luang Prabang: An atmospheric set of slightly jaded neo-colonial buildings on the site of Prince Phetsarath's old residence, stunningly set in impressive gardens on the banks of the Mekong River, around 4 kilometres from town (a regular shuttle boat and bus service runs for guests).
Villa Santi Resort: Villa - style resort, good restaurant, lovely pool, massage and spa service.
Xieng Mouane Guesthouse: another villa with different nice rooms.
Luang Namtha
There are a number of decent guesthouses in town. A few surround the large intersection that can be seen from the bus station. One guesthouse run by a Chinese family even lets patrons borrow bicycles for free. Keusophone guesthouse have rooms starting with no bathroom. Free water in the lobby. About 7 km south of town is the Boat Landing Guest House - beautiful eco-tourism bungalows on the river with quiet surroundings. Twin rooms (cash only).
Muang Xay
There are a number of decent guesthouses in town. Basic rooms with showers and hot water. Phanmixay guesthouse , inside the bus station compound has clean and nice rooms (double room with shower, hot water and cable TV ).
Pakbeng
Standards are low at this village near-the-end-of-the-world. Just look around as things change fast. Rooms with shared bathroom or own bathroom (costs extra). Electricity is available from around 6pm to 10pm, while hot water seems to be non-existent. Touts are prevalent in Pakbeng, and you will be bothered. However, these touts are very laid back, especially after Thailand. If you are after a really cheap option, I was able to get a mattress and a Mosquito net under a veranda. Just watch out for monkeys. Luang Say Lodge, the only "up-market" option.
Pakse
Pakse Hotel (near the Champasak shopping centre) offers a broad range of rooms.
Champasak Palace hotel, the former royal palace on road 13 is probably the most upmarket option in town.
Vang Vieng
Double rooms, make sure you see the room (and bathroom!) before paying. More local, low-key (which is pretty low-key in Vang Viang to start with) places are by the market and more shiny set ups are on the main road. The party crowd tend to advocate choosing a bungalow on the island, but expect it to be quite noisy if you want to sleep during the night.
Most guesthouses have large tv-viewing areas, practically coated in the Southeast Asia signature triangular cushions, where they serve food. But be forewarned - you'll be hard pressed to find a place screening something other than Friends.
Babylon Guest House. In the centre of town at the start of the main bar street. Clear and comfortable with hot showers, views from every room and English speaking staff.
Phoudingdeang Organic farm (3km north of Vang Vieng). Peaceful & serene, an employer of orphans, mountain views. short term simple rooms. Long term residence in adobe houses.
Champa Lao - Best view of mountains in Vang Vieng. Great massage, affordablel tasty food.
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Laos Travel Information has been derived in part from ‘http://wikitravel.org/en/Laos’ and is based on work by Michael Skragge, ruben, Aparna T, Stephen Atkins, John Fremlin, Itamar Berman, yoni y, jan, nang, Ryan Holliday, Mat Connolley, Joey Sheung, Brian Hnatiak, Michele Ann Jenkins, Evan Prodromou, Paul N. Richter, Yann Forget, Colin Jensen and Peter Donaghy, Wikitravel user(s) Episteme, Jake73, Thaihans, Texugo, Tniehoff, WindHorse, InterLangBot, Nzpcmad, Ront, Nikita Borisov, Pjamescowie, Bijee, Nils and CIAWorldFactbook2002 and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.
