Sala Hinboun

We stayed here for Christmas in the river view residence, their nicest rooms directly on the river with a balcony, room is large with ok bed, clean bathroom and hot shower. All teak and natural materials. Food was home made and good. Recommend the fish in banana leave. Good size portions. It's away from the main road and peaceful with great views. See picture.

While travelling around Laos with a group of friends, our guide informed us the day before arrival that Sala Konglor Lodge (see separate review) where we had been booked into for 2 nights, had contacted him to say there had been a mix up with the booking but not to worry, they had booked us into Sala Hin Boun for the 1st night and on the 2nd we would go to our original guesthouse. What a disappointment on arrival, the guesthouse is very run down; tiles missing on the roof, grounds needed some attention because of long grass everywhere, just an overall impression of neglect. My husband and I had lucked out and been given the better of the available rooms but it was full of dead insects all over the floor, toilet seat and washbasin in the bathroom, did not look as though it had been swept or cleaned before our arrival. The sheets had holes in them as I discovered when my foot got caught in them overnight. One other couple refused to sleep in the one they had been allocated, small, dark with no window; another was found - slightly better but with no shower facilities that worked. On the plus side our dinner which we needed to pre order on arrival (this is the norm in some guesthouses in Laos) was wonderful, breakfast offerings though small was also good with refills of fruit and coffee readily given. We all agreed that with a bit of a general tidy up, some repairs and better cleanliness, Sala Hin Boun would be a nicer place to stay, especially given the views because of its position on the river.

Stayed one night after booking at Sanhak Guesthouse fell through ( do not book this accomodation with Agoda, Sanhak does not deal with them) Nice quite spot on the river, owner has good english and food cooked from scratch was very tasty. Free wifi in bar/restaurant, good speed.