The Nong Kiau River Side is located on the east bank of the Nam Ou River, in what is more properly called Ban Sop Houn, across the river from Nong Khiaw proper.
The rooms are detached bungalows with river views, positioned high up on the bank. They are good sized, with large glass doors opening onto decent-sized balconies. The bathrooms are attached, with Western toilets flushed by manually-poured pails of water, and the shower in the same water closet space. There is no air conditioning, but there is a fridge and a ceiling fan. The electricity is 24-hours-a-day, although we experienced a few interruptions in service. Overall, the bungalows are nicely done and clean.
The only gripes we had with the bungalows were the lack of bug screens on the windows and balcony doors (which keeps you from leaving the windows open at night, which is nice when there’s no air conditioning), and the lack of a table on the balcony suitable for playing cards.
There is a restaurant in the complex. We had breakfast there (included with the room); which consisted of coffee, fruit, juice, baguette, and a handful of selections like fried or scrambled eggs – pretty much the standard Laotian hotel breakfast we have encountered so far. We did not eat dinner here, so we cannot comment on quality; although prices were noticeably a bit higher than elsewhere.
There is wi-fi Internet access at the restaurant area, but not in the rooms (although any Internet access is a luxury in these parts).
We paid 290,000 Kip a night for a bungalow, which is a king’s ransom outside of Nong Khiaw. We also got quoted 200,000 Kip per night for a lesser place, and for the extra ten bucks the Nong Kiau River Side was worth it.
The guy working behind the counter was a European who spoke both English and Laotian. That can be a help, although he wasn’t exactly a walking travel guide.
