Xuanmai Garden Resort — Hotel in Champasak Province

This place is great for relaxing in Pakse! The lady who runs this place, Ngoc, is a great host and speaks excellent English! You are truly well looked after at this resort and they can keep your luggage stored whilst going on the Bolaven Plateau Loop!

We arrived very early in the morning from Vientiane on the night bus, and we were so glad when Ngoc advised us via email that she would make our room ready (with no extra charge) for a 7am check in. This was heaven as it meant we could continue our sleep right after arriving.

Breakfast included is quite basic and good. The fruits offered every morning was a huge bonus! We had the omelet every morning and it was nice that they made it healthier adding some greens (kale?) in to it :)

As a vegetarian, they were able to accommodate my dietary and made a delicious vegan Vietnamese coconut milk based curry for me in the evenings! Please note that you need to place an order for the dinner on the same evening latest in the noon, so they know what to buy from the market :)

The resort also offers a variety of tours if you are interested on those. We purchased our bus tickets to Cambodia from there the day before departure!

Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations from Ngoc, she tipped us to go to this massage place in center where blind people massage you, and it was great! One of the best massages we have had in SE Asia, and we have had loads!!!

Now on to the minor negatives (at least for us). The WiFi signal (great speed) is not strong enough to carry a signal in the furthest rooms from the restaurants (which we were staying in) and the resort is located about 5-6km from the town centre. That being said, if you do not like driving a scooter, be prepared to pay for taxi/tuk tuk. A taxi from the resort to centre is 25000kips/person. You can get a tuk tuk back from centre with a price ranging from 15000-50000kips. Also, please note that during the dry season the garden is dry and there is no water in the pond.

I would stay here again, if...

I booked this place because of the glowing reviews but was very disappointed. So much so that I moved on after one night even though I had booked for three knowing that I couldn't get my money back. |I found my room (room 5) dreary and depressing, very tired and in need of decoration though they had made an effort with fresh flower petals on the bed.|I couldn't sleep as the aircon didn't work (it was repaired the next day but I still paid full price), there were windows at ceiling height with no curtains (all rooms have these) and dogs were barking. |The food was average in my opinion. You have to book the time of your meal and what you would like to eat in advance.|The owner was helpful and seemed genuinely concerned that I was moving on.|I just couldn't be comfortable there and it was incovenient for me to be so far out of town on a main road as I don't ride a motorbike.|I found a much better option in town (modern, clean, bright) for less than half the price which suited me much better.|I am surprised there aren't more reviews like mine for this place. I really think you can find much better...

Mrs. Ngoc, an extremely nice lady. Always with a smile on her face. Very responsive on WhatsApp. Very innocent and humble as well. She’d try to accommodate every request you make. You can book bus services, tours, scooters, tuk tuks airport pickup/drops and taxi services here. Tuk tuks are affordable and quite cheaper to travel here if you’re okay with the heat. There’re cooking classes done by Mrs Ngoc as well. I saw 3 European ladies engaging with that activity which seemed to be very interesting. Those cooking classes include pick up and drop off from your hotel, if you’re not staying here. ||||Rooms are very spacious, clean and comfortable. AC and fan available. Food is in big portions but for reasonable prices, (not expensive at all). I couldn’t even finish the portions they gave. So I had to request them for smaller portions. WiFi is good and great breakfast. Hospitality is 10/10. Currency exchange is also available which I’ve also used to get Laos kip.||||Stayed 2 nights with them. If you’re planning to visit Pakse, please support them,...