Crazy Gecko
The best flashpacker option on Don Dhet
More on Don Dhet
The craziest thing about Crazy Gecko is the excellent value for the price—this isn’t your typical Don Dhet hovel and flashpackers will be pleased with these clean, smart rooms.
Travelfish says:
There are four rooms, all upstairs, the entrances accessed by one oversized terrace that has hammocks galore and a partial river view. The wooden rooms have been done up with thoughtful details that make the backpacking experience a more civilised affair: a shelf, a stool that doubles as a bedside table, a bathroom with a towel rack, shelf, mirror and hot shower (though you will probably switch off the water heater in Don Dhet’s steamy temperatures). A mosquito net, good, clean bed linens and fans complete the deal. You can take the standing fan out onto the terrace and park it in front of your hammock.
There are some minor quibbles like the glass doors and sheer curtains not offering much privacy or solace from morning sunlight. Water pressure is meagre and it’s still quite a rustic affair, not impermeable to things like geckos—better get used to those because you’ll see them all over Laos.
Their restaurant on the river is a very comfortable, pleasant spot to hang out and use the slow WiFi. There’s also a pay-to-play pool table. English and German spoken.
Crazy Gecko is located 1,000 m south of the boat landing on the sunrise side. Call them when you arrive and they may be able to pick you up by boat.
Contact details for Crazy Gecko
Address: Don Dhet, 1 km from boat landing
Email: info@crazygecko.ch
Web: http://www.crazygecko.ch/en/
Coordinates (for GPS): 105º55'19.52" E, 13º58'59.34" N
See position in Apple or Google Maps: Apple Maps | Google Maps
Room rates: Under US$10
Room rates
What we were quoted as a walk-in.
| Dbl fan private bathroom | 80,000 kip | 80,000 kip |
Reviewed by
Cindy Fan
Cindy Fan is a Canadian writer/photographer and author of So Many Miles, a website that chronicles the love of adventure, food and culture. After falling in love with sticky rice and Mekong sunsets, in 2011 she uprooted her life in Toronto to live la vida Laos. She’s travelled to over 40 countries and harbours a deep affection for Africa and Southeast Asia. In between jaunts around the world, she calls Laos and Vietnam home where you’ll find her traipsing through rice paddies, standing beside broken-down buses and in villages laughing with the locals.