Forest Floor Lodge — Hotel in Xã Đắc Lua

I was a victim of Forest Floor Lodge which is located in the middle of Nam Cat Tien National Park. This is my 100% honest review about this place to whom are planning to book a stay at Forest Floor Lodge. We went in a group of 4 adults and 1 children for 1 night stay. On Agoda, this lodge is rated as 3.5 stars and it costed us a night for 1.500.000 vnd but a room quality could not compared as well as a normal lodge, be worst than a hostel.The room has fallen into a stage of disrepair. It seems not be cleaned for long times. There were a lot of cobwebs and insects everywhere you look, especially a frog appearance on a single bed. A restroom had an unexpectedly strong smell, every surface is dusty or mouldy, a wash basin was filthy. There were no amenities, no toothbrush, no trash can, no toilet paper, dirty towels, no kettle, no drinking water. Warm water just lasted for few minutes. The light source was weak, the electricity was unstable. There is an air conditioner but it could not work and we must use a fan instead. There was only one power outlet but it was very loose, very dangerous. No television but luckily it had wifi. Due to the location was quite far from Cat Tien Tourist Centre about 1.5 km, the lodge charged us 100.000 vnd for every single trip. There was only free electric car for checking in and checking out. It was unacceptable for this charge. We had already accepted for higher paid for being served nicely and for convenience but finally there was nothing at all. Due to our first experience, we asked Ms Mai (the owner) and her staff (Hanh) for activities in Cat Tien. Ms Hanh introduced us a short tour of watching animal at night. She told us a ticket price of 350.000 vnd per person. Moreover, she kept saying that the night tour would be late because many people had booked but she would ask them for a priority. We accepted it. The tour was taken place at 19:15 pm. When Ms Hanh drove us to the Centre , we came to the Tourist Center to ask for the ticket price and the information we got from them was only 180.000 vnd per ticket. At that time, there were many people coming to buy for tickets and surprisingly, they also were on a same tour with us. That means people would not need to book earlier for an early trip. All of us felt like being cheated. We called Ms Mai after the tour ended. She told us that she did not know what Ms Hanh said and we should work with Ms Hanh because she was not at the lodge that time. On the phone, Ms Mai also said why the lodge should be able to support us for transporting. It would be unfair for others at high season. She gave us a shock for this response. She might forget that she was standing nearby Ms Hanh while Ms Hanh was quoting us a price. She pushed all responsibility onto her staff. If you wanted for extra fee for booking service, you should tell us at the beginning. Don’t screw us over like that. On the next morning, we came to see Ms Hanh for this circumstance and she was reluctant in giving reasons. After that, she said the price of 350.000 vnd already included transporting fee and we would not need to pay 200.000 vnd. On breakfast, there were 2 eggs, 1 bread, 1 tomato, 3 pieces of roasted tomato, 1 piece of Laughing Cow Cheese and 1 glass of watermelon juice. However, the bread tasted sourdough. This is our first time and also the last time of staying here. We spent a pretty bad experience here which we will never forget. 2 star lodge costs 4 star price. We wish we should do more research before booking. Please consider it more if you want to have an experience at Forest Floor Lodge. Don’t be fooled by the website. I have seen many bad reviews from both foreign guests and even Vietnamese guests for many times ago. It seems like this lodge can not change the way it runs. I hope the local government and Nam Cat Tien National Forest Management Board have a plan to manage this problem of oppression and overcharging at Forest...

Where to begin... Previous reviews and articles of Forest Floor Lodge describe a lodge that was run by a British entomologist, nestled in the jungle, alongside rapids. Old photos show luxury rooms, clean linen, book rooms and a full restaurant. While the location is great (inside the National Park), the lodge has fallen into a state of disrepair. There is no clean linen, every surface is dusty or mouldy, and you will not see other guests (wiser than us I suppose). We booked a 'lodge' room. When we arrived, we were the only guests and were greeted by two chaps who couldn't speak any English. This was not a major issue, as they were hard workers. The problems arose once we saw the room. It was evident that people had not stayed in the room for weeks. Every surface was dusty, mosquito net had a thick layer of dead bugs, gecko poo and some mould. The bathroom lights did not work, and the doors did not seal. Offers of another room were made, but this was even worse. All communication with the owner (Mai) was via Whatsapp, as she was on holiday. We eventually moved to a tent room, which was marginally better. Such rooms would be acceptable if you were paying a rate that is lower than a hostel, but you are not. The rates are in line with premium accommodation and are certainly on the expensive side by Vietnamese standards. Clean, airconditioned rooms are available at the National Park headquarters for a fraction of the price. Cat Tien was a high priority site for us, so we stayed 4 nights. In this time, we saw numerous guests arrive, only to turn away when they saw the rooms. We should have done the same.

In addition to overcharging for filthy rooms that are not fit to be described as accommodation, Mai will attempt to overcharge you for a long list of additional items. Here are some that we encountered: tours. One of her tours is priced at US$120 per couple to visit the national park museum. You can do this yourself and spend about US$10. Just go to the visitor centre. Presumably she will make the arrangement and pocket the difference. bikes. The bikes provided are old and barely operate. Mai will charge twice what the national park charges for hire, and their bikes are new. entrance fees. We were advised that we can pay Forest Floor Lodge for the walk to Crocodile Lake, but when we got to the trail head, we still had to pay. On the off chance that no-one is at the trail head, you could walk down for free, with Mai pocketing the fee.

Fortunately, we did not pay for the tour, but did visit the museum ourselves. We also refused to pay for bike hire due to the quality. We also did not pay Mai for the trail fee. There was no resistance, which suggests Mai is well aware of what she is doing and will only take the money if no questions are asked.

In short, this is among the worst accommodation we've stayed at in southeast Asia - even worse when you consider the premium price. Save yourself the trouble (and money!) and consider a new room near the National Park headquarters, or stay over the river. The boat trip over and short ride is no reason to put yourself through a stay at Forest Floor Lodge.

As noted before, the two staff that she had working there were very hard workers, cooked good meals and did the best that they could with an employer who does not provide a pleasant working environment - nor is she present. I only hope they find work elsewhere, as their talents are wasted working in such a place.

A side note: many of the five star reviews seem to be from people who stop in for a cold drink. The small number of reviews of people who have stayed further bolster the view that this is no longer a popular place to visit. Do not make the same mistake we did. You'll have a far more pleasant...

Where to begin... Previous reviews and articles of Forest Floor Lodge describe a lodge that was run by a British entomologist, nestled in the jungle, alongside rapids. Old photos show luxury rooms, clean linen, book rooms and a full restaurant. While the location is great (inside the National Park), the lodge has fallen into a state of disrepair. There is no clean linen, every surface is dusty or mouldy, and you will not see other guests (wiser than us I suppose).|We booked a 'lodge' room. When we arrived, we were the only guests and were greeted by two chaps who couldn't speak any English. This was not a major issue, as they were hard workers. The problems arose once we saw the room. It was evident that people had not stayed in the room for weeks. Every surface was dusty, mosquito net had a thick layer of dead bugs, gecko poo and some mould. The bathroom lights did not work, and the doors did not seal. Offers of another room were made, but this was even worse.|All communication with the owner (Mai) was via Whatsapp, as she was on holiday. We eventually moved to a tent room, which was marginally better.|Such rooms would be acceptable if you were paying a rate that is lower than a hostel, but you are not. The rates are in line with premium accommodation and are certainly on the expensive side by Vietnamese standards. Clean, airconditioned rooms are available at the National Park headquarters for a fraction of the price.|Cat Tien was a high priority site for us, so we stayed 4 nights. In this time, we saw numerous guests arrive, only to turn away when they saw the rooms. We should have done the same.|In addition to overcharging for filthy rooms that are not fit to be described as accommodation, Mai will attempt to overcharge you for a long list of additional items. Here are some that we encountered:|- tours. One of her tours is priced at US$120 per couple to visit the national park museum. You can do this yourself and spend about US$10. Just go to the visitor centre. Presumably she will make the arrangement and pocket the difference.|- bikes. The bikes provided are old and barely operate. Mai will charge twice what the national park charges for hire, and their bikes are new.|- entrance fees. We were advised that we can pay Forest Floor Lodge for the walk to Crocodile Lake, but when we got to the trail head, we still had to pay. On the off chance that no-one is at the trail head, you could walk down for free, with Mai pocketing the fee.|Fortunately, we did not pay for the tour, but did visit the museum ourselves. We also refused to pay for bike hire due to the quality. We also did not pay Mai for the trail fee. There was no resistance, which suggests Mai is well aware of what she is doing and will only take the money if no questions are asked.|In short, this is among the worst accommodation we've stayed at in southeast Asia - even worse when you consider the premium price. Save yourself the trouble (and money!) and consider a new room near the National Park headquarters, or stay over the river. The boat trip over and short ride is no reason to put yourself through a stay at Forest Floor Lodge.|As noted before, the two staff that she had working there were very hard workers, cooked good meals and did the best that they could with an employer who does not provide a pleasant working environment - nor is she present. I only hope they find work elsewhere, as their talents are wasted working in such a place.|A side note: many of the five star reviews seem to be from people who stop in for a cold drink. The small number of reviews of people who have stayed further bolster the view that this is no longer a popular place to visit. Do not make the same mistake we did. You'll have a far more pleasant...