Liberty Guesthouse – Luang Prabang, Laos
Location
The location of this guesthouse was perfect, although it’s hard for the location of your accommodations to not be in Luang Prabang. The town is very small and you can walk from one side to another pretty quickly. The guesthouse was off the main road, in a side neighborhood. You did need to walk to get to restaurants on the main street but it didn’t take long at all. You could hire a tuk tuk, but the hostel staff basically would joke with you about hiring one when you could walk everywhere.
Room
Our room was a private room with one big bed. We read many reviews about this guesthouse in advancethat complained about the washrooms and the room being dirty but for what we were paying we felt the room was nice and clean. The bathrooms were a typical style you’ll find anywhere, where you can basically go to the washroom and have a shower at the same time, but we had warm water, and they were clean. The room was also very dark because we didn’t really have a window, which really wasn’t a big deal since you hardly spend any time in the room anyway.
Hostel Staff, Common Areas, Information, etc.
There was one lady working there the entire time we were there. We kind of felt bad because it seemed like she never slept since she was always there! She was super friendly and helpful. She recommended some great, cheap restaurants to try, and top places to go. She was always there to answer our questions and also arranged for our airport taxi, and for our laundry to get done.
The common area was a nice outside patio area with tables, which was great but the hostel itself wasn’t super social. It was more family oriented and people weren’t staying there to meet people. You also got free breakfast with your room and could choose from a great menu.
I would definitely stay here again. It was relaxing, clean and inexpensive.
Little Hanoi Hostel – Hanoi, Vietnam
Location
I would hardly call this hostel a hostel; it was more like a hotel. The location was right on a main street, and close to many restaurants and shops. Basically all main attractions were walking distance, and if you didn’t want to walk a lot, the hotel would arrange for you to safely get a taxi.
Room
Our room was similar to a hotel room. We had a cupboard that locked if you wanted to keep valuables, as well as 2 single beds, and our own bathroom. The shower was our one and only shower that had a full bathtub but the water still blew all over the place like most showers in Southeast Asia. The room was clean, and they even left cookies for you as snacks. The only complaint was that the noise really echoed through the hallways when people were going up and down the stairs, but this wasn’t a make or break problem.
Hostel Staff, Common Areas, Information, etc.
The hostel staff were overwhelmingly friendly. They remembered us by name and were always there to recommend places for us to eat and visit. The one guy new the exact addresses of places off the top of his head when you asked for recommendations. It was impressive. They were always offering us helpful tips and willing to go above and beyond, which was surprising, since we found most people around Hanoi rude to tourists.
The common area was set up sort of like a restaurant with tables and you could buy drinks and water right in the hostel. Breakfast was included and you could choose from about 6 items off a menu which was great. They also had unlimited tea, coffee and occasionally fruit for you to have at any time of the day.
You could choose to book any tours through them, and the airport shuttle or taxi as well. They were really an all-around place with great customer service. I would highly recommend staying here, for the price, the location and service, it can’t be beat.
Mad Monkey Hostel – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Location
The location of Mad Monkey was excellent. Siem Reap is pretty walkable and you can get around easily by walking. This hostel was in close proximity to corner stores, Pub Street, restaurants, a mall, everything you may need while in Siem Reap.
Room
Our room was a private room, which since this is kind of a party hostel, if you aren’t in to partying, I’d suggest paying slightly more for a private room with your own bathroom. Our room was on the ground floor which was good because it was the furthest away from the fourth floor rooftop bar, but also you could hear all the people coming home late at night in the hallways, since you had to walk through our hall to get to most other rooms. The room was clean, with two single beds and we even had windows.
Hostel Staff, Common Areas, Information, etc.
The hostel staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. They could give you recommendations, book tours for you, and book tuk tuks for you as well. Don’t feel like you need to book any of these things, including Angkor Wat in advance, as they can help you. The hostel owns their own tuk tuks and they will be in the alley way for you to use when you need one, this way you don’t have to worry about getting ripped off on the street.
The common areas were by far the best we had on the whole trip. The decor was fun, cheeky and made you laugh at the signage and art around the hostel. There was a rooftop bar with a sand floor upstairs that served food, had beer pong, several events, and was a lot of fun! The food was a bit more expensive here but good, and convenient. Downstairs there was a pool and giant beanbag chairs for you to lounge in. On the second floor there were cabanas you could also lay in. There were several areas to hang out and meet people, and it was definitely a social hostel. Just beware; it’s easy to just end up never leaving this place and seeing Siem Reap!
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