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Azalea Park View Hotel, Vientiane:
Stayed here for three nights (one night each on three sperate occasions) in February 2024
- Pros:
- 1) The good thing about location is that Patuxay and Wat Si Saket are within walking distance. Wat Ong Teu isn't too far either. There is a decent shopping mall close by.
- 2) The breakfast starts early and the spread is good with decent number of vegetarian choices.
- 3) The rooftop pool side restaurant was good. The food was decent (but not great).
- 4) The front desk is staffed 24 hours and the staff was very courteous and spoke good English. The check-in/check-out was fast and smooth.
- 5) The front desk staff helped us with booking transport.
- 6) The hotel has good, efficient and cheap laundry facility.
- 7) The WIFI was free with good connectivity and speed.
- 8) The rooms and bathrooms were big and clean with modern amenities.
- 9) The tariff is cheap.
- 10) The place is quiet at night and sleep quality was good.
- Cons:
- 1) The bad thing about location is that there are not too many good restaurants nearby and we had to all our meals at the hotel.
- 2) The lobby area and the restaurant downstairs is a bit dark and dingy.
- 3) The on site restaurant closed by 7:30 pm and there is not much option for food after that.
- Pakse Hotel & Restaurant, Pakse, Champasak: Stayed here for two nights in February 2024.
- Pros:
- 1) The location is good. It is a short walking distance to the market and shopping area.
- 2) The view from the rooftop restaurant is the best in the city.
- 3) The lobby/common area is very spacious and tastefully done.
- 4) The front desk staff is efficient and spoke decent English. Check-in/check-out process was fast.
- 5) There is a dedicated travel desk and they helped book all our transportation needs.
- 6) The WIFI is free with good speed and connectivity.
- 7) The breakfast is served early and the spread is decent.
- 8) The room and bathroom were clean.
- 9) The tariff is cheap.
- Cons:
- 1) The food at the rooftop restaurant is terrible. We tried the bruschetta, the pizza, the pad-thai and all were remarkably insipid.
- 2) Our room was tiny and so was bathroom. There were not enough space to move around in our room.
- Hotel Silver Naga, Vang Vieng: We stayed here for one night in February 2024.
- Pros:
- 1) The location is great. It is in the heart of the town with several restaurants and shops nearby. The night market is location right behind the hotel.
- 2) The hotel is located right on the bank of the river offering great views from our rooms.
- 3) The hotel common area / lobby were great.
- 4) The front desk staff spoke good English and the check-in/check-out process was efficient.
- 5) The WIFI was free and the speed/connectivity was good.
- 6) The tariff was reasonable.
- 7) The rooms and bathrooms were big and clean.
- Cons:
- 1) Our rooms looked tired with several loose floor tiles.
- 2) The bath area lacked basic amenities like a soap stand.
- Pukyo Bed and Breakfast, Phonsavan: Stayed here for two nights in March 2023.
- We stayed here for one night in February 2024. This is a large / posh bungalow converted to a hotel. There are only about 4 or 5 rooms. David (the owner) was a great host. He was there to receive us when we arrived and showed us around. The bungalow is very well maintained and is squeaky clean (which includes room/bathroom and the common area). The room was very comfortable and the place was quiet at night. The room had all the amenities. The tariff was cheap.
On the minus side, there aren't any restaurants close by. But David usually drives the guests to the city centre for dinner and we had a good Indian meal, thanks to his recommendation.
Our bathroom was tiny. Other than that, this was a pleasant stay.
David also arranges good tours in the local region. If all this isn't enough, David speaks excellent English, French, Dutch, Flemish, Spanish and Italian.
- Indigo House, Luang Prabang: Stayed here for two nights in February 2024.
- Pros:
- 1) The location is great. You can walk to all the attractions in the town within 15 minutes.
- 2) The night market is bang in front of the hotel.
- 3) The hotel has a rooftop restaurant and the food is decent.
- 4) The front desk staff speak good English and are very courteous. The check-in/check-out process was quick.
- 5) The Hotel has a good, efficient, cheap laundry service.
- 6) The WIFI is free with good connectivity and speed.
- 7) The hotel rooms/bathrooms/lobby area are all well maintained and clean.
- 8) The hotel rooms are very tastefully done. They are comfortable.
- 9) The front desk helped us arrange all our transportation needs.
- 10) The hotel has an excellent breakfast. And it starts reasonably early.
- 11) The tariff was reasonable.
- Cons:
- 1) The place is a bit noisy at nights.
- 2) We stayed in two different rooms and neither had a private bath area.
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Vientiane to Luang Prabang road trip:
We selected Laos Private Driver rental agency, thanks to the excellent on TripAdvisor. And we weren't disappointed. It was easy contacting him via Whatsapp and he was quick in responding to our messages. Watt helped us put together a custom made tour based on our inputs/interests. We were picked up at Vientiane at 7:30 and had a full day tour in Vang Vieng. The next day involved driving to Phonsavan and visiting Plain of Jars and Muang Khoun. The final day was the long drive to drop us in Luang Prabang. The driver Watt arranged was courteous and spoke decent English. He stopped wherever we wanted and followed the itinerary. The roads were very bad and the driver drove skilfully. The last two days was close to 10 hours of driving and he did an excellent job. The vehicle was a Toyota van and was in excellent condition. We highly recommend Watt based on our experience.
- As of 2023, the expressway/freeway coverage is very limited. There is one main artery connecting Luang Prabang and Vientiane via Vang Vieng. That highway is excellent, on par with expressways anywhere in the world. Outside that one road, things are quite abysmal. It takes 10 hours to reach Phonsavan from Vang Vieng and another 10 to reach Luang Prabang from Phonsavan. These roads are overflowing with deep potholes. The city roads are on par with any SEAsian city with tuk-tuks being the main mode of transport.
- Vientiane
- Wat Si Saket: Must see. Very small temple. 30 mins should be sufficient.
- Ho Phra Keo: Must See. Located at a short distance from Wat Saket. 30 minutes should be sufficient.
- City Pillar: Should See. There isn't much to see here. The building itself is quite photogenic.
- Wat Ong Teu: Must See. This houses the largest Buddha in Vientiane. It is open between 9 am and 4 pm. 30 mins should be sufficient.
- Wat Dam: Must see. You can drive past this (this is a roundabout).
- Patuxai: Must see. You can climb to the top for views. 30 mins should be sufficient.
- Pha That Luang: Must see. The main stupa in Vientiane. 30 minutes should be sufficient.
- Xien Khuan Buddha Park: Must See. Come early to beat the crowd. You will need an hour to see the place.
- Luang Prabang
- Mount Phu Si: Must see. It is 100 m tall and takes about 30 minute to reach the top. Climb up from the side opposite to the Royal Palace and climb down from the other side. There are several small shrines along the way.
- Royal Palace: Must See. It is not open all day. 30 mins to an hour.
- Wat Xieng Thong: Must see. Arrive early to avoid the crowd. 30 mins should be sufficient.
- Other wats: Other worthy stops would be Wat Mai Suwannaphumaham, Wat Xieng Mouane, Wat Pak Khan, Wat Manorom, Wat Pa Huak, and Wat Sensoukaram.
- Pak Ou Caves: Must See. You can reach here by boat (slower) or take a taxi and then take a boat across the river (one hour in total, one way). There are two caves and they are spectacular, thanks to the miniature Buddha statues that adorn them. Come early to beat the crowd. 30 mins to one hour (at the site) should be sufficient.
- Kuang Si Falls: Must See. It takes an hour by taxi to get here. You need a minimum of two hours. It is a multi-tired falls and the best one is the last. You can skip the climb to the highest point (beyond the last falls). It is steep, slippery and pointless.
- Vang Vieng
- Nam Xay Viewpoint: Must see. The best viewpoint in the country. But it is quite difficult to get to. The climb is very steep and slippery. It will take 45 mins to hour each way.
- Tham Chang: Must See. This is the best cave in the region. One hour is sufficient.
- Tham Phu Kham: Must see. This is the cave with the reclining Buddha and in case you find yourself alone here, the experience is surreal.
- Blue Lagoons: Must depends on whether you are a swimmer or not. There are 3 lagoons here in Vang Vieng.
- Phonsavan: There are three Plain of Jars site. The site 1 is the closest to town and would take an hour to see it leisurely. Muang Khoun is located one hour away from Phonsavan. If you have half a day to spare you can check out the Wat and the Stupa there.
- Wat Phou: Must See. It is an hour drive (each way) from Pakse and the road is in good condition. You need a couple of hours on site.
- Bolaven Plateau: Must See. The three closest falls (to Pakse) - Fane, Yuang and Champee can all be covered in half a day. You can cover Bolaven and Wat Phou in one day.
TRIP ITINERARY