I have stayed in a lot of hostels and dorms in the past 5 months of my South East Asia backpacking trip and this hostel ranks somewhere in the bottom three. They charged more or less the same as the other hostels and hotels on the street, but I would say have the shoddiest service. I stayed here for one night and there was no way I could stay any longer at the Vientiane Backpacker Hostel. This review is based on my recent experience of staying here.
1) Here is the situation: There are 16 people in the dorm without any windows and the hostel folks come and switch off the AC (air-conditioner) at 5 AM. Not only does it get really hot in a matter of minutes, but it also gets very suffocating in the room. Some of the people couldn’t take it and left the dorm at 5:30 in the morning, while the really tired others struggled to sleep in tough conditions. This was one instance that ensured that I would never stay here again.
2) The hostel has close to 40 or 50 beds, I guess and for all of them, they have 2 toilets and 4 shower rooms. How in the world can that be enough for so many people…this is something I fail to understand. All through the morning, there was a big line of queue for the toilet and shower.
3) They have free wi-fi, but the speed is moderate, but good enough for checking email.
4) The hostel offers tour and ticket booking services, but are much more expensive than all the other hotels, hostels, tickets booking agencies and companies nearby.
5) They offer free breakfast, but that includes 2 slices of bread, a banana and some coffee/tea. You have to pay extra for your eggs. They also offer free vodka after 9 pm every night, but I am not sure who took up that freebie.
6) Like with all backpacker hostels, this place allows you to meet a great set of like minded travelers, who make for a fantastic conversation.
Anyone in their right frame of mind would never stay here for more than a night. I met so many people like me, who decided that they needed to move badly to another place after the first night. They charge 40,000 kip per night, but so does the other hotels and dorms nearby. Personally, I would not recommend this place and would never stay there again.
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