Find Hotels in Pakxong, Laos

from the moment we arrived, the resort put a new level of professionalism into laos accommodation. the reception was friendly and experienced, the bungalow was lovely, overlooking the massive valley carved by the falls over the centuries. neither fan nor a/c was available and - as advertised - wasn't necessary. the boardwalk/stone path between bungalows provided a wonderful touch of being in the wilderness. the sky was full of sparkling, clear stars as far as one could see through the trees from the darkness near the reception/dining facility. the food was not exceptional but was adequate but breakfast was better than most. the staff were obviously well-trained, from reception to kitchen to bar. they knew how to serve, were comfortable in their roles and outshone all other service staff we encountered after 3 weeks in laos.

Due to not being able to make the nearby Thai/Lao border crossing at Chong Mek/Vang Tao the day of my original booking, I called the Thai manager to let him know I would only be arriving the following day. This was accepted, although once I arrived, the manager claimed he would need to check if he can move the booking one day ahead, such that I keep all my 3 originally booked nights. I thought this was strange, especially since after the first night, I was the only guest in the entire resort for the remaining 2 nights. Given the somewhat isolated location out of town, the resort is practically speaking only accessible to those with their own transport and tour groups, most of which tend to be Thai. The villas were beautiful and just about perfect except they were missing the all-important desk to do your work on. Having a nice sofa was all good and well, but without a desk it was difficult to do any work and even the way the sofa was located perpendicular to the TV didn't make it very practical to watch TV from the sofa. The gardens were very nice, though perhaps a pool or something would attract more guests. Breakfast was basic, just a couple of Thai-Vietnamese choices, but given the lack of guests, I guess they can't justify having a buffet. Otherwise, definitely the best resort east of Pakse, and far better than anything located at nearby Ban I-tou or Paksong, where only very basic accommodation is offered. The resort, being located at lower elevation is also a bit warmer and therefore more pleasant to stay at than Paksong, which can get a bit chilly especially in winter.

We decided to splurge and stay here while doing the loop. Liked it so much that we stayed for a 2nd night (see 2nd review). The grounds are amongst the most beautiful we have stayed at in 9 months of travel. Absolutely gorgeous gardens, plantations and chalets. We requested to eat at the balcony overlooking the Red Creek and it wasn't a problem. Our room was very cool, the walls decorated with cross-hatched rattan and fully-furnished; the balcony with garden view was our favourite part. The food & beverages, though pricey as expected, was always delicious, especially the hot chocolate. They have a puppy, two dogs and a cat, all of which are incredibly friendly and a pleasure to play with. The only thing that did throw us off were some issues with the staff. The owner, Phillipe, is a highly educated and multilingual gentleman. He can be friendly, but at times was a bit disconnected from his customers. Upon check-in, he asked us where we're from, and when my Chinese-American girlfriend said America, he followed up by pulling his eyes at the corners to make them slanted (like Asian eyes) and asked where she was originally from. I was pretty appalled by this action since it's discriminatory behaviour that only very young children do to taunt their Asian counterparts, so I hope he never repeats it with any East Asians he meets in the future. As for the Lao staff, they were always courteous, however, they brought us a different breakfast than what we ordered and also forgot to serve us the fruit that was supposed to be included with it. We loved our stay at Sinouk and hope to return one day!