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Phoxay Ngam Resort

Vang Vieng

The property was out of no where. Too much mosquitos and bugs. The shower had no hot water.

The property is pretty and unique but it's loud at night because of all the cars and truck coming from the street.

This was probably the worst hotel experience we've ever had.

It took us more than an hour to find, as it is 20 minutes out of town on a busy, dusty road, there is no sign and the Google maps location is not accurate. We were stranded with our luggage in the dark, trucks thundering past and no hotel. We called and called the number on booking.com, no answer. We eventually found it with the help of some kind passers by who spoke Lao - it was locked up behind some ramshackle metal gates with a big 'for sale' sign in Chinese... We literally had to shout over the gate until someone came out and turned on the lights and let us in!

The only people there did their best but spoke zero English. A sign in the room said we had to communicate with the hotel via their Facebook page - we did eventually get through to the owner via WhatsApp, but she was in Bangkok and didn't give a rat's ass that we had been stranded for over an hour in the dark. The rooms were fine but so, so noisy - there is a railway line being built along the road outside and the trucks just trundle past all night long. We changed to a room further away but it was still impossible to sleep.

Breakfast was literally a piece of bread and some scrambled eggs and a banana. No milk for tea or (instant) coffee. It was a hostel breakfast at boutique prices. The view from the breakfast area was beautiful but the trucks still roared past and there was a massive wasps nest nearby so we beat a quick retreat. While we were eating, the hotel's cat came up to us - it had a horrible eye infection and was clearly in a lot of pain. The owner really needs to do something about the poor creature.

What really topped it off was that when we contacted booking.com, they told us we couldn't complain or even leave a review because they had a 'special contract' with the owner that prevented us from doing this! Which explains why mine is the first review in months.

This place was probably nice enough before the road became busy. Clearly, the owner has realised that it is no longer a viable business and is selling up, but has left it in the care of the cleaners so she can squeeze as much money out of it as possible while it's on the market. So, so dodgy.

AVOID - Property being sold

Wooden cabins. Amazing view of mountains and rice fields. About 15 minutes drive outside town, but they will take you back and forth by car. Only 7 cabins. Quiet. Hammocks made from bamboo. Cats and dogs friendly. Breakfast simple. Check in at sister hotel in town and then they take you to your hotel outside town. Telephone number on Expedia didn’t work. Call when you arrive at bus station and they pick you up. Try this number 02055018501. Very little English spoken. Good air conditioner. Hot water shower. Much prettier than the town, but more mosquitoes. They have big windows for the view.

Basic service but nicely priced and amazing views. Private bungalow and deck, tasty breakfast and cold beer. Outdoor bathroom is always nice touch. Complimentary shuttles to town which is a great addition. Nice place to not be seen. My kinda style and recommended. Only downfall... hard pillows and bed (which some travellers prefer).

Hammock Hanging over Rice Fields, Basic Service but Lovely Escape.

It’s a small boutique resort almost 10Kms outside Vang Viang on the way to Luang Prabang. They provide free shuttle service to the town from 8Am to 11PM which is very good. 

It’s clean,  gives you very authentic experience of Lao hospitality. Best for couples and family. 

Best place to stay away from the crowd and loudness of vang viang

Beautiful resortVery friendly staffNice outdoor bathroom/shower

The Phoxay Ngam is a brand new (opened in late 2016) and small (only 7 bungalows) resort about 10min north of Vang Vieng. We stayed for two nights, and in our trip of 4 weeks in total, this was probably our favourite accomodation.

The resort is located about 10min by car north of Vang Vieng, right on the main street to Luang Prabang (highway 13). But don't get put off by the term "highway": this is just a normal road, and we weren't bothered by traffic at all. For us, the location was simply marvellous: surrounded by rice paddies, close to the river, with a stunning view of the mountains from the hammock (!) on our bungalow's veranda. However, if you're looking for a party place, or simply a place to crash into drunk and stoned in the middle of Vang Vieng (as unfortunately many people around there seem to do), this is not the thing for you.

The seven bungalows are dotted around the property which is a small organic farm at the same time – so you'll walk across low bamboo bridges between tomatoes, gurd and fruit trees when going around between the reception/restaurants and the rooms. Our bungalow was very nice, with a great comfortable bed, two large windows looking out over the rice fields and towards the karst mountains (we've been to few places where you can wake up to such a view!). The bathroom is open air, and very large. Each bungalow has an attached veranda with a very comfortable hammock. Indeed, we were sorry to only have two nights, as it seemed very tempting to just relax around the resort for an entire day, doing nothing.

The owners of the resort run another place in downtown Vang Vieng, and they are still training their staff for the Phoxay Ngam. While we were there, the staff didn't speak English, and food/breakfast was quite basic but still very nice. However, the (English-speaking) owners were always available via phone and extremely forthcoming, so that all questions could be settled almost immediately. WiFi was surprisingly good, as all guests get a small, battery-powered 3G WiFi unit (which you can even carry around all day outside the hotel).

The resort's owners offer a free shuttle service to the city during daytime (8am to 11pm); tuk tuk drivers in Vang Vieng will try to rip you off and quote that the place is "very far", even though it's only 10 minutes. An appropriate rate for a one-way tuk tuk from down town is probably 20.000 kip, even though it will be hard to find a driver willing to the "long" trip to this "very far away" place (welcome to Laos...). The owners of the resort were also very helpful in organising bus tickets and day tours and really made an effort to make our stay as nice as possible.

Vang Vieng is a place torn between the resilient crowd of drunk/stoned youngsters tubing down the river and raving to loud electronic music, and an increasing number of tourists who come here for the landscape and outdoor activities, rather than to party. For the latter group, the Phoxay Ngam is a marvellous option, as you're sufficiently far away to not be bothered by the crowds, but still close enough to comfortably join all the activities and tours starting from Vang Vieng.

All in all, our stay here was wonderful, and we can wholeheartedly recommend this place.

Phoxay Ngam Resort

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