Luang Prabang River Lodge — Attraction in Luang Prabang

I have been to LP on many occasions over the past years and stayed at several different hotels. I stayed at this hotel for a only few days only. I selected the lodge on the basis of reviews and location. I was met at the airport as promised and taken to the hotel. The lady at the check-in counter greeted me and took me and my luggage to my room. In a very short time I was presented with a refreshing, cold drink. It should be noticed that I never signed in.||A quick review of the room found it to be acceptable. However, after looking at the room more closely I noticed many things out of order, such as no glasses (except for the one the free drink came in); there was a hot water kettle and two coffee cups but no coffee/tea; the refrigerator was cool, not cold, but empty and did not contain a minibar as reported in some reviews; there were 2 free small bottles of mineral water but they were never replaced during my stay; and there was a non-working telephone (later told there were no telephones in the rooms). The bathroom was very cramped with a huge bathtub that made it difficult to use the toilet as my knees touched the tub when using it! The shower was very good with hot water but when used it sprayed water all over the bathroom. The double bed was “dead” as I could actually feel the springs in the bed punching into my body making it rather difficult to sleep and rest. There was no chair in the room. It should be noted that my room was not cleaned, or water replaced during my entire stay.||On the good side, the staff were very helpful and cheerful. The free breakfast was excellent and there was a good selection of foods to choose from, including vegetarian. The view of the mighty Mekong was very good. Upon check out I paid for my stay in cash and was not given a receipt, so I guess I never actually stayed there! I was transported to the airport as promised. It should be noted that there is a small restaurant across form the lodge that sells inexpensive Lao food and cold beer. In addition, I purchased a UNITEL SIM card on arrival and after passing Immigration. The card supposedly was usable for both data and telephone however, when I tried to call my home in Thailand on my first night I found it impossible as I was informed there was not enough money left on the card to make an international call.||Would I stay at this lodge again or recommend the lodge my answer is "no"! In addition, my review does not agree with many reviews of this lodge and grading it...

Pros: |1. LP river lodge 2 as the other reviews mentioned is located right on the Mekong River allowing their guests to have VERY nice views of the sunset. |2. This seems to be a family run and owned guesthouse. The main couple have ok english and are able to communicate well. The man is specially friendly and helpful. The people assisting this main couple cannot communicate. |3. Just like many of the other guest houses breakfast is included and it is pretty tasty. Guests choose from a menu. ||Cons:|1. The room could be cleaner. I’m a clean freak! Under the bed and behind the tv was quite dusty. There were cob webs and dust on the ceiling and the vents. |2. Bathroom drains had strong unpleasant odor. I could easily notice the smell. We kept the bathroom door closed so the bedroom wouldn’t be contaminated with the smell. We also lit candles to attempt to disguise the odor. The shower head was also broken before we checked in and never got fixed.|3. Room I stayed at was quite outdated and lacked space. The room had a king bed and a single bed. While it did fit 3 people, my husband and I didn’t have a lot of space to place our bags or move around. I think if they got rid of the single bed it would be considerably better (more spacious). ||Bottom line: you are paying for the view! If your objective is to appreciate the balcony and just lounge (and you don’t mind guesthouses not being super duper clean)- perhaps this is a good fit for you. I stayed in a nearby guesthouse (villa meuang) that didn’t provide a stunning view, but it was considerably more spacious and SPOTLESS clean and it included breakfast. This other guesthouse is a newer construction and much more comfortable...

We went to the Luang Prabang River Lodge 2 for an extended weekend trip. We warmly can recommend this Lodge as the complete staff is very friendly and very care taking. We had been welcomed with a tasty fruit welcome drink and a local fruit plate which had been served at our room. The room (T6) is on the first floor and was clean and quiet. You will find a shower and a bathtub as well. The shower is a bit weak but if you are getting used to the shower absolutely ok. The bed and mattress are ok and comfortable. During our visit in the beginning of October there had been no mosquitoe net. We did not need one as the room had been completely mosquito and vermin free. There had been a scented candle against mosquitoes which had been lighted when we entered the room first. This candle had been working obviously very good :) For the breakfast you had the choice between 6 different dishes which are served together with a fruit plate (Omelette, banana pancake, toast aso.) but no muesli. Coming to the points which might be improved we only noticed smaller issues like the bath which will need to be renovated in the next time. It looks beside the bathtub a bit older. No problem for us as it was clean. One day we ordered Omelette and pancake. I get the pancake and it tastes a bit like the omelet which might be done in the same device. Please note that there are 2 lodges named "Luang Prabang river lodge" in the city. So you need to check in which river lodge you are booked. Having said this we are happy to be guests and would be very happy to come back. Thank you very much for your hospitality and see...