Ang Thong Hotel

Angthong hotel was pre-booked as part of an organised tour, it’s a good boutique style hotel consisting of 20 rooms. I’m unable to comment on the full amenities it offered and surrounding area as we were out on trips for majority of the day. However, the hotel served us well and met our expectations. Our afternoon arrival into Luang Prabang was a welcome relief, after a 17 hour flight from the UK. Our local guide Chan, greeted us and arranged for our mountain of luggage to be loaded onto the back of a rickety lorry which led the way to our hotel. We set off in the comfort of our mini bus in the sweltering heat as it chugged along dusty roads. We admired the scenery catching glimpses of locals going about their business. Palm trees, tropical flora and fauna lined the streets as we bobbed along pot holed roads, tired but excited and ready to embrace the adventures that lay ahead. The hotel is a 15 minute drive from the airport a convenient location for frequent travellers. Angthong’s main exterior is typical Lao-Thai style structure. Downside is the location away from the main town centre. The entrance has a set of steps leading to the main lobby, good outside space for vehicles, ambience is charming and relaxed giving a good first impression. Reception not massively huge, interior warm and inviting, neat display of tour information/leaflets and a few computer terminals for guest use. Front desk staff hospitable and ready to serve. An empty reception area very quickly became overwhelmed with a sea of boisterous bodies and luggage sprawled on top of each other. Staff had the arduous task of getting us checked-in, a slight delay, (no fault of the hotel) just that we had arrived ahead of time. Rooms allocated and it was nice to settle in and relax. Ours was a good size room on the ground floor and on the quieter side, nice tropical plants and flowers as you stepped out, the front side of the room had an adjourning balcony overlooking the pool and pleasant seating area. Limited cupboard space enough for one! Could be a problem for 2 people sharing, and if your stay is longer you may need to comprise for storage. Wasn’t an issue for us as we were living out a suitcase and our stay was brief. Beds were comfortable with fresh clean linen and we managed to get a good nights sleep, regardless of the noise from the crickets outside. In the centre of the room was a pillar odd layout, but I figured it was a slot for the tv, (not something that I’d come to watch, but it was there). The bathroom was slightly small but everything worked well, i.e. hairdryer, hot water, lights, rooms cleaned and toiletries replenished daily. The pool wasn’t huge could be a problem if there were many guests wanting to use it. Seating area comfortable with sun loungers. Nice landscape garden well kept and bar on the far end of the pool. Lovely tropical shrubs, trees, flowers great for photo opportunities, fake parrots perched on shrubs adding a fun twist to an exotic atmosphere. Some building works going on not sure if it was part of the hotel extension or a separate thing altogether, this was just an observation and not a negative remark. I understand the hotel is fairly new, staff were busy maintaining it in one way or another. The breakfast bar/lounge was satisfactory and hosted a range of fresh fruits and western style breakfast to suit individual palates. Staff always on hand and engaged well with guests, I had limited interaction with them but first impression of them was good, always smiling, and gentle in their manner. They accommodated a large group of people in a happy and pleasant way, considering large numbers of guests can sometimes be a bit challenging. Apart from a few negatives, I would recommend this hotel. Pros Spacious rooms good beds/bathroom space Safety deposit box Stationery Additional bedding i.e. blankets and pillows Peace and relaxation Staff attentive/good/warm/friendly Small hotel with 20 rooms Makes for a pleasant few days stay Clean with mod cons Computer access Tour information leaflets Free hotel shuttle service twice daily Good breakfast selection fresh tropical fruits and breads Cons Location away from main town centre Surrounding area lacking things to do If you miss the hotel shuttle service, you’ll need to pay for tuk tuk to get around Not recommend for young partying crowds Tight cupboard space Wifi a little patchy