Vangvieng Guest House

The reception welcome was great, and our room was huge and very comfortable. We really enjoyed the pool and its beautiful mountain view. After our outdoor activities, the kind woman hosting at reception let us use a room to shower even though we’d already checked out. We had a great time here.

The pool was a pleasure, and our clean, bright room looked out toward the mountains. The staff were great. I recommend this place and will be back. Thanks so much.

We ended up spending 30 minutes arguing before the staff abandoned their plan to give us an extra free night. At first they said they were sorry and offered one free night after I reported the urine stain, but they meant an additional night, not a refund for sleeping in a stained bed. We’d already been through an unpleasant, humiliating experience, and I found the idea of staying longer completely unacceptable. We were moved for a second time and spent the remaining two nights in another room, thankfully without more problems. The stain was large and on both the mattress and protector, at head and chest level. We’d slept on top of the duvet because it was so hot and we didn’t want to run the AC overnight. The previous night we’d noticed a strong bad smell in the bedroom, but were tired and left it until morning. We also started out in the wrong room. We’d booked one with a separate shower area, as shown in the only bathroom photo, but ours didn’t have one. Reception called the VIP room they offered a special “upgrade,” even though it had exactly what the booking photos showed. That room had a bedroom, another room with a couch and TV, and a long, narrow balcony shared with the other VIP rooms. The furniture was worn but usable; the bathroom looked only superficially cleaned, below what I’d expect of a mid-range hotel. Breakfast wasn’t ready after we waited more than 30 minutes one morning, so we had to leave for a pre-booked outside tour. There was no real coffee anywhere, not even instant coffee in the room or at breakfast, just powdered creamer. Staff insisted it was coffee when I pointed this out several times. Also watch your step at the entrance when it’s wet. The tiles between the street and lobby were among the slipperiest I’ve walked on, and seem unsuitable for regular guest traffic. I was misled by the very good Booking.com and Google reviews. The reality was far from glamorous, and I’d suggest booking somewhere else. For anyone unsure because of the glowing feedback, compare the photos of APS Mountain View Hotel, next door on Google Maps and rated only 3.4. It looks almost exactly the same. Staff said ownership had changed, though APS Mountain View Hotel is still bookable on Booking.com at lower rates than Family Boutique Hotel. I reported the apparent duplication to Google, but they said it wasn’t enough to merge the listings. In my view it’s misleading and distorts customer perception, which is why I also left a corresponding review for APS Mountain View Hotel. I sincerely hope Google takes another look and considers correcting it.

I liked the clean, spacious room and its balcony overlooking the mountains. The pool was great and always clean, and breakfast on the terrace was good. The hotel is very well located and the staff were helpful. I liked it enough to extend my stay for several nights, and highly recommend it.