Thailand forum

Bit hard that one.If you want to wake up surrounded by rice paddies you obviously have to stay out in the country and out in the country there is'nt too many hotels,guesthouses etc.Probably the best way to do this is to find a homestay.Stayed at a really good one at Sena,not far from Ayuttiah.It is situated on the river but there are rice paddies at the back of the house although they were flooded when we were there.There is an article on the home page of this site about the place.Failing this you can probably try a Travel agent in Thailand.

a homestay on the Mekong island Don Kho (Champasak Province, Laos) just might fit the bill, rice paddies everywhere:
www.travelfish.org/sights/laos/southern_laos/champasak/pakse

Fern Resort, near Mae Hong Son, Thailand, is in a very lovely setting, with bungalows built on rice paddies:
www.fernresort.info/rooms.php

I booked a tour from Hanoi. There were 4 of us and it was o'night train then bus to Sapa . 1 day trek into the valley and stopped o'night in a village organised by tour. There were other groups who stayed the night there as well. Next day was trek out of valley and back to Sapa via different route and old russian jeep. Not sure who it was booked through - it was also 2004. So not sure of latest info but I am sure it will be easy to book in Hanoi. Only thing I am sure of is the "waking up in the paddies" bit and no "critters" in room. I am from Oz, so a few critters are normal.

Rufus/CunningMcFar - We only have 10 days in Laos. Doing the slow boat to Luang Prabang, then maybe up to Nong Kiaow , flying out of LP to Hanoi.

Should I try and find someplace in Northern Laos (where I can sleep with the paddies) or skip Nong Kiaow and go down to Don Kho?

More important question... is the country pronounced Laos or Laos?

have not spent much time in Northern Laos, just a visit to LP a few yrs ago, so cannot directly speak to the rice paddy homestay question in the region. But I imagine it would not be difficult to find what you seek, perhaps post a question on the Laos board here on TravelFish.

we recently spent a couple of weeks around Champasak Province and loved it; homestays seemed easy to sort out and there are plenty of opportunities for day trips and overnight trekking.