Vang Vieng Garden Villa

All was good. The staff could not speak or understand english so a bit comedy of errors. But the staff was very welcoming.

A limitless far out from centre but to be honest this can also be a good thing

Mattress was old. No table and at least 1 chair

These points are aimed to help other travellers and to provide feedback to the accommodation.

There is no shuttle as it says in the listing. Prior to our arrival, we checked with the accommodation about how best to get to the property from the train station. We were told that we should get a tuk tuk at a cost of 80,000for two people, which would be paid by the accommodation when we arrived. On our arrival the tuk tuk drivers did not accept this and wanted 180,000 stating that the accommodation is too far away from town. As we didn’t have enough money, we had to walk with our rucksacks using google maps to find the place. Others who had booked accommodation in the town centre, were able to get tuk tuks easily for 40,000 per person. The roads are very dark and busy, with no paths and it took around 25 minutes. When I fed this back via message on booking. com we were offered a free return trip to the train station when we left. This was kind but we would have preferred to have had proper advice on our arrival as the walk was not easy with our large backpacks.

The garden villas have no actual view and there are no gardens. In front of the villas, there are brick built troughs that are empty or full of dead leaves.

The member of staff that was present most of the time spoke no Lao or English so communication was difficult even using google translate. We could not organise anything through the accommodation so had to go to town to organise activities.

There was no cleaning service during our 5 day stay, or any offer of clean towels/ bedding, toilet roll etc. Whilst this place is advertised as having relaxing gardens, there is nowhere to sit outside apart from a hard bench on the porch. Some comfortable chairs would have made such a difference and a more relaxing environment especially given as it is so far out of town.

The biggest issue was lack of accessible transport.

Slight ant problem but being out next to the open fields it’s expected!

The property is getting run down. The room was clean but didn’t have a chair of any sort or table or anything. A nice porch but no chairs on it. Pool is run down too. Felt very lonely there.

It’s a bit far out of town so if you don’t ride a moped you’re a bit stuck. Moped rental from here is more expensive than in town.
WiFi didn’t work in bungalows 5 and 6 as they are under maintenance but the WiFi at the other bungalows would be fine

in the middle of nowhere

The room was very damp. There was mold on the ceiling and in the bed. We had to remove the cobwebs before we could use the shower. The rooms themselves were quite dark and spartan. The garden and grounds were unfortunately very neglected and it has lost its charm. The breakfast was very meager. We broke off our stay early as we couldn't relax in this environment.

A bit difficult to communicate with the staff. They were a bit passive.

The accommodation fell short of expectations:
Food:
- Far from town with no nearby restaurants or shops, requiring a scooter rental or taxi.
- Despite booking.com listing dinner options, none were available during our stay.
- Breakfast, available from 07:30-10:00, couldn't be ordered in advance. The meal was decent but not as exceptional as advertised.
Room:
- Clean, comfortable, and spacious, but lacked a fridge.
- No complimentary bottled water; only overpriced options in the fridge or warm water.
Staff:
- Staff were lackluster, often sleeping and reluctant to provide services like breakfast.
- One night, we returned at 11:00 pm to find the gate locked with no response until after 20 minutes of calling.
Shuttle service:
- No pickup from the station, despite limited transportation options.
Overall, a disappointing stay due to distance from town, food and water limitations, and unresponsive staff.