Sada Hotel

The best part was the upstairs street balcony, a lovely spot for people watching and taking in the city vibe. The rooms had beautiful dark wood, were clean, and had nice little design touches. Good value for the price. The buffet was average, but there was something to find each morning. It’s away from the hustle and bustle, but you can still walk or take a motorbike to the center. The food and neighborhood prices were great, away from the tourist trap. The alms walking was right outside our place at 7am on a Wednesday. We’d stay again.

The hotel is close to the street and not soundproof, so it was really noisy at night, with motorcycles and bar music. They had too many guests and gave us a poor, broken room instead of the one we originally booked. They should have let us know the room was full and adjusted the room, but they didn’t agree to any refund for checking out later. I don’t recommend staying here.

We stayed in September 2025 with a 14-person tour group. Cash was taken from the locked room safes of five of us in neighboring rooms, and we had documented exactly what was missing. A sixth person also lost money but didn’t want to file a police report. The owner first said nobody had access to master keys. Then we saw the keys sitting in an open box at reception, and he accused us of making the story up. The hotel denied responsibility and deflected; a camera was installed suspiciously soon after we reported the theft. The Tourist Police called us “senile,” refused to give us a copy of the report unless we signed a gag order in Lao, and tried to silence us. The hotel eventually donated money to our tour company’s charity fund, but there was no refund or accountability. This felt like an organized scheme and deliberate cover-up. If you value your belongings, stay somewhere else.

I want fellow travelers to stay diligent. They say there is very little crime, but in my opinion that’s not true. My partner and I had been discussing a scholarship for village students, and we’d been charmed by the Laos people. Our group of 14 stayed at the Sada Hotel from September 2-5, 2025. Money was taken from six of our locked room safes. Five of us reported it to the Tourism Police, but nothing was resolved, and we weren’t treated respectfully or seriously. The police required silence in return for a charitable donation, but we refused. The hotel said it would donate an amount equal to half the loss as a gesture, which I appreciate. The hotel installed a security camera the day after we reported the theft. They still say no hotel employee could have done it. I disagree. No one was fired or arrested over what I see as systemic theft. Stay diligent.