The Best of Cambodia & Laos

218
VIENTIANE
11
WHERE TO STAY
and airy. The service is relaxed but efficient. There is a restaurant serving breakfast only,
which gets very good reviews.
Khun Bulom Rd. & 021/218-415. Fax 021/223-257. 26 units. $25 single; $30 double. MC, V. Amenities:
Restaurant; room service. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, minibar.
Inter City Hotel This hotel is quirky beyond belief. It looks as if it was decorated
by a slightly color-blind grandmother. In short, it is great fun if you are in the mood
for the eccentric. It is in an old French riverside villa, and rooms are aged and feel very
“lived in” but they are not ragged at all. It has original wooden floors and big windows.
The furnishings are dark wood and silk and along the corridors are rustic looking pillars
painted in purple and gold reminiscent of a Buddhist temple. The river-view deluxe
rooms are simply superb. The walls of reception are an exhibit in themselves, lined with
real pebbles seemingly picked up from the gray beaches of the English Channel. If you
like your accommodations on the wacky side, the Inter City will not disappoint. It is a
hotel with genuine charm and character.
24–25 Fa Ngum. & 021/242-843. 47 units. $35 standard; $55 deluxe; $75 suite. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant;
room service. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, minibar.
KP Hotel This hotel is modern, well equipped, and very central. The rooms are a little
bit pokey, but not claustrophobically so. It is beautifully furnished with silk bedspreads,
muted lighting, and enough boutique touches to be pleasant without being cloying. The
management has obviously thought about providing a businesslike efficiency with a casual
atmosphere, and they appear to have succeeded. In its price range it is one of the most
comprehensively equipped hotels in town, including car rental and traditional massage.
59 Hangboun Rd. & 021/241-616. Fax 021/241-616. 27 units. $35 double. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant;
bar; Internet; room service. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, minibar.
Lani Guest House This hotel stands out from the crowd simply because they are
doing something quite different from everyone else. It is down a shaded lane in a slightly
rambling old villa. The place is filled with atmosphere, with statues and handicrafts scattered
artfully around both the rooms and the communal areas. The rooms in the house
are large, airy, and pleasant. Those in an adjoining annex are bit dark. It is a lovely place
but somewhat overpriced. They have, however, done very well to create something special
for a niche market. The Lani inspires real enthusiasm among those who stay there often
and gets a lot of repeat customers. In keeping with its pleasant but slightly snooty outlook,
the Lani Guest House does not have TVs, but it does have wireless Internet
throughout.
281 Setthathirath. & 021/214-919. www.laniguesthouse.com. $40 double; $25 single. MC, V. Amenities:
Internet. In room: A/C.
Mali Namphu Guest House In the center of Vientiane lies this beautiful
French villa. They have gotten the renovation in old Indochina style exactly right
and at $25, this place is a steal. Rooms are tastefully furnished. The atmospheric ocher
building is constructed around a shaded courtyard with a very Parisian-looking terrace
on which you can sit and enjoy your very Parisian-looking coffee. The staff is very
friendly. They also have an unusually efficient website operation if you wish to book in
advance.
114 Pangkham Rd. & 021/215-093. Fax 021/263-297. www.malinamphu.com. 40 units. $25 double. MC,
V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; Internet; executive-level rooms; room service. In room: A/C, TV, fridge,
minibar.