Where We Slept is our hotel roundup from our time on the road. We hope it helps budget travelers see how far their dollar can go--even though sometimes, it's not far enough!
We spent around 10 days in Northern Laos, and we think it was our favorite part of the country.
Crossing over from Thailand, the border town of Huay Xai has a lot of cheap guesthouses and one unique one: Dauuw Home. Located on a dirt road above the main strip (turn left halfway up the stairs leading to the monastery), Dauuw provides bungalows that actually make you feel like you're in Laos. At 80,000K, they're far from the cheapest place in town, but all proceeds go to the nonprofit that runs the place and allows them to continue providing education, housing, and adequate healthcare to local tribal women.
In Luang Nam Tha, we stayed at Khamking Guesthouse. It was nothing special and one of our showers didn't have working hot water, but it was fairly clean and cost only 70,000K.
In Muang Sing, we opted for Adima Guesthouse outside of town. The bungalows were beautiful and we watched grazing water buffalo from our balcony. We paid 55,000K per night for two nights. The tofu here was some of the best I've ever had. The woman who owns the place is the cook and honestly, I might go back there just for the tofu. Unreal!
TIP: Staying more than one night? Ask for a (slight) discount
Most likely, you'll get it.
There are some upmarket places to stay in Nong Khiaw, but because we were only there for one night, we chose a simple bungalow at Bamboo Paradise. It was 50,000K and had a river view, though it wouldn't have been the view we chose if we stayed for an extended time.
Our bungalow in Muang Ngoi may have had a name, but we never learned what it was. Regardless, it looked over the river and had a nice sized balcony, though there wasn't a hammock and the showers were cold water. It was fine for 50,000K/night and the bed was comfortable.
More Northern Laos
Interested in seeing Muang Sing and Nong Khiaw without paying for a plane ticket? Check out our Northern Laos photo tour.
If you have any tips for backpacking Northern Laos, please leave a comment!
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