Laos forum

I was there 2 weeks ago and found the places that were highly recomended were full. the budget places on the other hand were ok. we stayed at the elephant crossing which we liked.

We stayed in the Grand View Guest House. (ph 856 23511474 grandviewguest_house@gmail.com )
Right on the water in the middle of town, stunning views, right next to a really chilled out restaurant.
Really nice clean place, King size beds, aircon, tv, private bathroom, balcony, hot water for 80,000K a night, not exactly budget, but we were spoiling our selves.

hahah yeah, to western standards that is cheap as hell, considering a room like that in a location like that at home would be $200-300 a night, but that's the beauty of Laos as an un-thrashed out tourist destination, everything is cheap. the first place we looked at in VV was $4 a night! We were there in Dec though, things aparently get more expensive end of Dec to Jan-Feb.

I think it is interesting that Rufus said Laos is generally more expensive than Thailand, because I've always thought that too, particularly if you are comparing the same level of comfort and quality in both places. I've watched that price gap close a bit over the past decade or so, but even so, with the wonderful exception of a glass of wine or bottle of Beer Lao, I typically pay more for food, accommodation, motorbike rental, and transportation in Laos that I would in Thailand. The values in Thailand are even better the more remote you get. Both places are still a bargain compared to Europe or North America however, and even considering airfare, I'll still only spend about as much in Thailand/Laos for a two-three week holiday than I will in Mexico for that same number of days. Cheers.