The present-day Lao capital Vientiane and UNESCO World Heritage Site city and former Lao Kingdom capital of Luang Prabang have hotels and guest houses offering various standards of accommodation from basic room with fan to luxury suites.
A clean, basic room with shower and fan starts at around US$4, with hot water and air-conditioning $6, add a refrigerator/mini bar and cable TV will set you back from $10. 4 or 5 star luxury is available for well under $100 in Vientiane booking through, say Accor Hotels.
Booking hotel accommodation online ensures much lower rates than booking by phone, email or walking in to reception.
Conveniently-located Vientiane boutique hotel and spa resort
Green Park Boutique Hotel, Vientiane, Lao PDRA recently opened four-star hotel and spa in Vientiane is the Green Park Boutique Hotel, located on Khouvieng Road, about 500 meters from Vientiane’s main shopping attraction, the Morning Market (Talat Sao).
The elegant decor is traditional Lao style, but the hotel has all the features of a modern international hotel with rooms and also executive suites available. These all feature best quality Lao handicrafts and silk wall hangings and they all overlook the inviting swimming pool which is set in a lush tropical garden.
There is Wi-fi internet connection, self-locking digital safes, even scales to check your own weight, or of the consignment of silk you are sending or carrying back home! Peace and tranquillity in a minimalist setting, with high ceilings and air-conditioning of course.
The room rate includes breakfast and there is a free shuttle service to the airport too. Learn more, check for best prices for the Green Park Boutique Hotel here. We have had excellent reports from friends who stayed there.
Mercure (Novotel) Vientiane LaosAlways popular with visitors are the central and probably still best Vientiane hotel, the Lao Plaza; equally well-known are the Hotel Mercure (Novotel) a little outside but still convenient to city and airport, and the more traditional Lane Xang Hotel facing the Mekong River, opposite an area of shady trees and walkways leading to the main tourist area further upstream.
Further down you will find Hotel Inter which despite the trite name, is a refurbished “boutique” hotel with reasonably-priced rooms individually furnished in Lao traditional style.
This hotel is ideally located for exploring the city and it’s right in the busy riverside entertainment area. Booking well in advance is advisable as it is so popular. We’ve had friends turned away too in the busy season.
Vientiane view from Patuxai towards the Mekong River
The Vientiane skyline is still dominated by Lao’s tallest and biggest building complex, the (unofficially-rated) 5 star Don Chan Palace Hotel.
You can see it on the left of the horizon in the above photo taken from Patuxai (Victory Monument), Vientiane’s version of the Paris Arc de Triomphe – a poor imitation, by the way! But a climb up the internal steps affords some nice views of the surrounding gardens and along Lane Xang Avenue, the ‘gateway’ to Vientiane.
Don Chan Palace Hotel, Vientiane, Lao PDRHowever, if you prefer your views in air-conditioned comfort, then the Don Chan Palace is one place to get them.
With its odd-looking ‘Lao’ gable roof the 14-storey tower contains a 240-room hotel and adjacent conference centre. It is situated on a former island on the Lao side of the Mekong River, within reasonable walking distance of the city centre, but there is also a shuttle bus.
Those views are possibly the most panoramic in Vientiane; to the west are dazzling sunsets across the Mekong and over Thailand, and eastward over the city, its environs and inland.
There are rooms to suit all budgets, with large and smaller rooms at Don Chan Palace Lobby bar, Vientiane, Laosrelatively low prices – from US$105-140 per night – compared to what you would pay for a similar standard of accommodation and facilities in other Asian capitals and cities.
There are restaurants and bars such as the lobby shown, to choose from for drinks, snacks, meals or buffets; rave in one of the city’s most popular disco-nightclubs, cool off in the large indoor swimming pool, relax in the spa, use the sport and fitness centre and dine in the upper-floor panoramic view restaurant.
Read independent reviews, compare rates for Vientiane and Luang Prabang hotels and guest houses. There are places to suit every taste and budget. Booking online will ensure you get the lowest price – a much better rate than phoning or asking when you arrive with your bags! This applies in most countries, by the way.
Other areas of Laos are becoming popular with tourists from other parts of Asia as well as the US and Europe.
They include Vang Vieng, great for the younger crowd with river rafting and watersports, and the south of the country where the scenery and people are different: Champassak and Pakse where there is a second Friendship Bridge to Thailand. It is also within easy reach of the Lao border with Vietnam and also Cambodia.
Longer Term Accommodation in Laos
For short or longer term accommodation, the choice is wide, from cheap guest houses near the river, where a small room with a fan costs $5 a night, may be less than $150 per month. At the upper end a luxury serviced room or apartment in the city costs $100 per night or $1,500 monthly.
There are several recently built blocks of one-bedroomed apartments costing around $450 per month available. Houses can be rented too.
