Sala Done Khone

There are better places to stay for the price. The hotel seems badly overdue for maintenance, which is a real shame because it must have been beautiful once. The pool was dirty, with deflated balls floating in it and months of leaves clogging the filter. In our room, sockets were coming out of the wall, and both the toilet and sink leaked.

The Mekong in front of the terrace smelled awful, and rubbish, both organic and plastic, floated past. I saw the neighbors and owners dump waste into the river, then watched a woman wash vegetables in that same water while children bathed there. We booked four nights but left after two. The owner seemed more like a businessman than a friendly host, though he was okay, and didn't ask why we were leaving early as long as we paid for the full booking. In my view, tourism seems taken for granted around the 4000 Islands. People were less friendly and smiley than in other parts of Laos. I’d call it the “Ballermann” of Laos, just my personal conclusion. The room itself wasn't very clean. I took photos, but don't want to make too much of a threat out of it. The river view comes with that smell and litter. The location wasn't nice, and the restaurant next door kept us awake with loud conversations until 2 a.m.; the floating containers have no sound insulation. The beds were clean and comfortable, and breakfast was okay. We rented bicycles for 30.000 kip each per day, which seemed fair. But the rooms badly need renovation: the air conditioning worked only about 20% of the time and was terribly loud when it did cool. The safe wouldn't lock properly, and there was nowhere to hang or store our things. The pool also looked pretty dirty. WiFi never worked; even with a signal, there was no connection. For what you get, it's too expensive.

The food was exceptionally good, and we loved the amazing pool. We had such a lovely, peaceful time on this little island and hope it stays relaxed and uncrowded. The hotel has a charming, authentic colonial style, and the staff were excellent, especially the reception managers and restaurant team. They helped us arrange everything we needed, from motorbikes and tours to boats.

The floating bungalow on the Mekong was clean, though rustic, and had a fridge, bathroom, toiletries, and coffee machine. We had a very nice night there. The manager was extremely helpful, and breakfast was good. There are two pools to choose from. We would have stayed a second night if we had the time. Don Det is a lovely island with a laid-back feel, so rent bikes and have a look around.