Our personal thoughts and recommendations on spaces we’ve stayed in while traveling around the globe. We highlight biggest pros and cons, and rate each space. This list will be expanded as we write about our adventures in different countries.
Ratings Guide:
* – Place where nightmares come from.
** – We would not recommend.
*** – Meh, would do as a place to sleep, but probably not hang.
**** – Pretty good, would be back.
***** – You will not need to venture outside of grounds to make the trip worth it.
france
paris
Hotel Notre Dame Saint Michele *****
+ very central location, amazing view of Notre Dame from the room, big windows and a balcony, unusual and very beautiful decor, modern finishes, very comfortable bed, tv, bathrobes (cause we love them!)
– wifi connection only ok & need a pw for every device every time want to use wifi, bathroom tiny and no tub, no breakfast included
234 EURO/night; aircon w/ en-suite bathroom, September 2011
Read our post about Hotel Notre Dame Saint Michele
LAOS
Luangprabang
Villa Philaylack ***½
856 20 77 775 655
+ central location, comfortable bed, wood paneled room with 2 windows, wifi slow but consistent, tv w/ english language news, HBO
– wifi slow, case of attacking shower, room is dark during daytime
$12.5/night; aircon w/ en-suite bathroom, April 2014
Xaychaleuang *****
http://xaychaleuanggh.jimdo.com/
+ central location, amazing interior design, comfortable bed, tons of natural light plus balcony, new and modern bathroom, super clean, wifi good speed for Laos, free snacks / water / coffee
– no aircon
$15/night, negotiated; Dragon room – fan w/ balcony and en-suite bathroom, April-May 2014
See our video of Xaychaleuang guesthouse.
Phonsavan
Namchai Guesthouse ***½
+ nice views of rolling hills, comfortable bed with comforter and nice sheets, tv with CNN, free water and coffee
– wifi patchy, could do better on cleanliness.
$10/night; room #10 – fan w/balcony and en-suite bathroom, May 2014
See our video from the balcony of Namchai Guesthouse
Lieupi Mixay ***
(030) 9902 798, (020) 9777 5819
+ excellent wifi – could use skype, very clean, tv with HBO
– mattress springs very uncomfortable, room is dark
$10/night; fan w/ en-suite bathroom, May 2014
Savannakhet
Sala Thongyon ****
856 20 5426 8955
+ new, clean, great bathroom, nice design, amazing garden, nice veranda, bikes provided, price to value
– location a bit out of main drag in town, slow wifi, no aircon, a bit of a tight squeeze in the bungalow
$7.5/night; fan w/ en-suite bathroom, April 2014
Thakaek
Inthira ***½
+ amazing shower, nice bathroom, boutique design, soft bed and soft pillows, good wifi, tasty breakfast, central location
– standard rooms only come with twin beds, some standard rooms feature windows that open into hallway rather than outside, aircon wasn’t powerful enough on 2nd floor, price to value ratio
$27 in person for 1 night, $24 via Agoda.com for another night; standard aircon w/ en-suite bathroom, April 2014
Thakaek Loop – Thala Tong
Phosy ****
+ awesome deck with a hammock and sunset view, clean, hot shower, price to value
– no aircon, sheets and towels a bit worn, on site restaurant expensive for what it is
$6.25/ night; fan bungalow w/en suite bathroom, April 2014
See our hammock time video shot on Phosy deck
Thakaek Loop – Kong Lor
XangXay Guesthouse ***½
+ absolutely breathtaking surroundings, cute room, price to value
– cold shower, no aircon, no wifi
$7.5/ night; fan w/ en suite bathroom, April 2014
Vang Vieng
D’Rose Resort ***
+ individual bungalows with great views, nice garden, pool in high season, secluded from town
– no wifi in bungalows – only at reception, little daylight in the bungalow, rock-hard bed, loud karaoke party by the pool forced our move at 9 pm.
$12.5/ night; aircon w/ en-suite bathroom, April 2014
Nam Song Garden ****
+ really cute room with tons of natural light — windows on three walls, amazing view, private balcony where we could hang the hammock, great guys managing the place
– wifi intermittent, cold shower – switch broken, no aircon, smell from kitchen can waft up, B+ on cleanliness, lots of mosquitoes
$8.75/ night; fan room #7 on top of the restaurant w/ en-suite, April 2014.
See our video from Nam Song Garden balcony and puppies (!)
Vieng Xay
Xailomeyn **
+ the building is built on stilts over a small, man made lake with nice scenery around, seems to be the only functional guest house in low season, full of other travelers
– hard bed, bathroom floor always wet, pretty worn and spartan, on site restaurant is overpriced
$7.5/ night, fan w/ ensuite.
see our video from the common room / restaurant at Xailomeyn.
Vientiane
Vientiane Star Hotel ***
+ central location, nice bathroom, nice inner courtyard, breakfast included, management is awesome
– really hard bed, weak wifi, window faces wall so almost no natural light, price to value ratio
$19/ night via Agoda.come; aircon w/ ensuite, April 2014
Haysoke Guesthouse ***
+ central location, window with good light
– weak wifi, shared bathroom, price to value ratio
$12.5/ night; aircon w/o ensuite, April 2014
united States
lost river city, wV
Modern Cabin *****
http://www.vrbo.com/615517
+ newly built cabin with top notch decor, modern bathrooms and kitchen, super comfortable bed, amazing double deck, great views, close to cute town but no neighbors in sight
– wifi can be a bit slow
$185/ night; aircon w/ ensuite, March 2015;
Read our post about the modern cabin
VIETNAM
Dien Chau
Minh Binh ***
+ by far the superior option for any stay near the water, nice and clean bathroom, elevator in the hotel, wifi in the hotel, very nice staff
– carpeted room, tired, rock solid bed, poor wifi in the room
$12.5/ night; aircon w/ ensuite, May 2014
Hanoi
Hanoi Culture Hostel *****
+beautiful room, modern and tasteful fittings, balcony, A/C works really well, fridge, kettle, hairdryer, flat screen tv w/BBC, CNN, modern bathroom, room cleaned every day, breakfast included, amazing price to value
– wifi can be fickle
$15/ night; aircon w/ ensuite and balcony, view of the old quarter, May 2014
see our video of Hanoi Culture Hostel
Rising Dragon Cathedral ****½
– amazing balcony – huge, wrap around with full view of cathedral, huge room, very comfortable bed, tv w/BBC, CNN, bathtub and stand-alone shower, fridge, kettle, fast wifi, price to value, room cleaned every day
– A/C takes a bit to cool down the room, furnishings and towels worn a bit, breakfast is not good
$30/ night; honeymoon suite, aircon w/ balcony view of the Cathedral, May 2014
*negotiated rate
see our video of Rising Dragon Cathedral hotel
Note — we switched from Hanoi Culture Hostel to Rising Dragon because we absolutely loved the area around St Joseph’s Cathedral. The location difference is reflected in the price. If you are in Hanoi for only 2-3 days, either location is central and works well for sightseeing.
Hatien
Viet Toan Hotel ***½
+ super nice lady with some english runs the place, wifi, clean, price to value, rent of motorbike and bus ticket purchase available at fair prices
– hard bed
$6/ night, fan w/ ensuite, March 2014
Hoi An
Kiman Hotel ****½
– new hotel, great staff, infinity pool, comfortable bed, great bathroom w/ bathtub, nice minimalistic design, tv/ fridge/ hairdryer, price to value
– view from balcony nothing special, walk from town 10 minutes, river / walking area 20 minutes
$20/ night, aircon w/ balcony, ensuite, May 2014
*negotiated rate based on Agoda pricing
See our video of Kiman Hotel room and pool
Hue
Four Seasons Hotel ****½
+ nice views from top floors, fridge, balcony, lightening fast wifi, staff are super, breakfast delicious, room cleaned every day, pick up from train station, when we came back to Hue we tried to stay here, but hotel was full – so owner Michael found us another hotel in our budget range (see below)
– bathroom was good, not great for this price range
$21/ night; top floor room, aircon w/balcony, April 2014
see our video of balcony view from Four Season Hotel
Canary Boutique Hotel *****
+ new, very clean, modern bathroom with a bathtub, hair dryer, tv, fridge, fast wifi, nice staff, breakfast included, price to value ratio, room cleaned every day
– nothing!
$15/ night; aircon w/ensuite, May 2014
see our video of Canary Boutique Hotel
Mai Chau
Nha Nghi Phuong ***
+ clean
– patchy wifi, bed sheets have seen better days
$10/ night fan w/ensuite, May 2014
Valley View *****
+ stunning view from the room, modern bathroom with glassed-in (!) shower, nice decor, comfortable bed, fridge, hair dryer, tv, wifi, breakfast included
– pricey
$30/ night, aircon w/ ensuite, balcony, May 2014
* negotiated rate
Phong Nha
Nha Tam Hotel ***
+ really nice view from shared balcony, cheery room, nice bathroom, new hotel, wifi works well in the room
– had to ask to change the sheets, cleanliness isn’t top notch, no side table in the room, we saw a cockroach, they forgot to return our passports in the morning so we had to come back
$15/ night, aircon w/ensuite, May 2014
See our video of the view from Valley View balcony
Phong Nha Farmstay ***
+ full star for the pool, very nice bed with awesome sheets and mattress, aircon works well, nice view from the two balconies on either side of the room
– no wifi in the room – only downstairs in reception, only food option is the restaurant downstairs – everything we tried was mediocre at best, price to value is non-existent
$42.5/ night, aircon w/ensuite, May 2014
*try Saigon Tourist – they offered us a $20 room that I wish we took, or Tiger Hostel for dorm beds
Phu Yen (Son la province, northern vietnam)
Hong Long Hotel ****
+ balcony with awesome views of rice paddies, clean and new, comfy bed, very nice shower, elevator in the hotel
– balcony view hard to see from the room, wifi very weak in the room, room with one double bed costs more than room with two twin beds
$15/ night aircon w/ensuite, May 2014
Saigon
Huong Trinh Hotel ****½
+ really cute room, nice shower, lots of storage, fridge, breakfast served in the room, excellent wifi
– room dark, ask for daylight room!
$21/ night aircon w/ensuite, April 2014
