Vansana Plain of Jars Hotel

The view from the breakfast room is amazing, but the breakfast was very poor compared with the impressive spreads I’ve had at much cheaper places. There was very little fruit and no yogurt, the sausages were hot dogs, and the strawberry jam came from Thailand. With passion fruit, oranges, and local produce around, where was any of that? The room was clean, but the bath plugs didn’t work. They leave just one tiny bottle of water in the room each day, maybe 200 ml. It feels very overpriced. You’re basically paying for the view.

It’s in a quiet, almost bucolic part of town. The room is perfectly adequate since you probably won’t spend much time in it. The shower has good pressure and plenty of hot water. The bed is comfortable, though a bit harder than I prefer. Breakfast choices are limited, but they do those options well.

We expected the hotel to be below par after reading the internet reviews, but we loved our stay and it exceeded our expectations. The rooms are spacious and well equipped, and there are beautiful views over the rolling hills. The restaurant is simple, with friendly, helpful staff. Definitely the one to choose in this area. Ignore any negative reviews.

The room was clean and the bathroom had hot water, which was the best part. We arrived late after booking on Agoda, and the receptionist seemed surprised to see us. The restaurant had few options and the food was pretty poor. The bar was pathetic, and breakfast was abysmal, especially with so much fresh fruit available at the market. They market this as an international quality hotel, but it didn’t deliver. A triumph of style over substance. The manager needs training or replacing sharpish.