Karst Villas Phong Nha — Hotel in Quảng Bình Province

This is a superb homestay, without a doubt the best lodging you can get in Phong Nha. I stayed here for seven nights, and everything was perfect: even some of the imperfections that some people noted in their reviews were, in my view, part of the charm of the place, such as the occasional electricity weaknesses that caused my room to feel a bit warm or the fact that the pool was not sparkling clean. It felt all part of being a guest in someone’s home, so that everything worked as they would if you were in a friend’s house and not a luxury hotel. I considered extending my stay in Phong Nha, but Karst Villas was all booked on the day of my scheduled departure, so I went out to check a few places in town, and none of them felt nearly as good as what Karst offered: a great swimming pool, plenty of public spaces to roam around, and thoughtful owners who made sure you always get what you need during your stay, including booking your tours and providing amazing meals, which was the golden prize of the place. After seven days, I ate all my meals here because nothing looked good in the central part of town, which is about 2 km away. You can bicycle there along a beautiful path amidst rice fields or rent scooters from the owners, Hung and Ngan. I did both, and both were pleasant. The center of town, which is the backpackers’ scene was not attractive at all, and there were no lodging that came close to the charm of Karst so I didn’t bother to extend my stay and instead moved to Dong Hoi town. The staff, especially Xuan, Thuy, Nghi, and Can were all terrific: they are the women in the back making your meals, cleaning your room, and getting anything you need. Please tip them! You can request special dishes even if they are not on the menu, so ask them about possibilities. The organic farm chicken were the best I’ve had, grilled, steamed, and braised in lemongrass, all of which I had during my stay. Ngan and Hung have a special...

Absolute robbery to pay 918,000 VND (£30) a night for this place, I feel ashamed to pay for my stay here. Although, having seen the room description before we arrived and the pictures it seemed a steal - don’t fall for the same trap we did. Firstly, we purchased food for our stay as it said there was an oven, stovetop & BBQ in our rooms facilities page. This was not the case. There is nothing around the area, you have to eat their food which takes minimum 40 minutes to arrive. Is it worth the wait? Depends if you like grey chicken, rubbery pancakes or dirty straws which looks like they’re tried your drinks! The TV in our room was broken, the hot water filled up 3cm of our bath before running out, the Wi-Fi is terrible (this was rated a 9.5 so one of the main reasons we stayed!), the pool looks like it hasn’t been cleaned for months so we couldn’t take in the great views that they offer from the pool. We ordered our breakfast the night before so that our food could be on time for once, we ordered it for 8:30am and when we went down (bearing in mind no one else was there and it’s quiet) they gave us a menu and I had to remind them we already ordered so we still waited 25 minutes for pancakes. I must admit, the staff did help with our problems such as brining hot water for our bath & changing our tv asap, unfortunately that doesn’t rectify all the problems with this overpriced stay. Had this cost us 600,000VND a night I could somewhat get on with it with some disappointment but the price we paid for what we got is absolutely unacceptable. They also tried to overcharge us at...

First and foremost, my husband was very eager to visit Phong Nha for its famous caves and stunning countryside. Personally, I prefer cities and luxurious hotels, so this destination was a bit outside my comfort zone.||Karst Villa is a 3-star hotel and, by comparison, the least luxurious accommodation we’ve stayed at during our time in Vietnam. However, it was by far the best option available in this area—and it exceeded our expectations in many ways. The owner and all the staff were incredibly warm and welcoming.||The food was a highlight—especially the grilled chicken meal served with sticky rice (xôi) and soup, which was absolutely delicious. Be sure to order in advance, as everything is prepared fresh using local ingredients: chicken from the family farm, fish from a nearby river, and vegetables grown in the field right in front of the villa.||Breakfast is included, but instead of a buffet, you select from a small menu—different from what you’d find at larger hotels, but thoughtfully prepared and satisfying.||Even though I’m not a countryside person and have a bit of a fear of butterflies, we had a very enjoyable stay. If you love nature and scenic views, this town is definitely for you. The owner mentioned the entire population is only around 12,000 people, which adds to its peaceful charm.||The two caves we visited were absolutely incredible—massive in scale and truly awe-inspiring. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’m so glad we...