森戈阿朗飯店(Seng Aroun Hotel)

As this was the first time to the Southern part of Laos, the beauty of the people and the land is enlightening BUT if you’re one from “Western” tempered expectations read others reviews carefully as this is a lesson learned the hard way. We stayed at another “hotel” at the recommendation of a family friend and so we ****** it up and decided for the next junket of our trip that we’d stay at another less noisy and pretentious location that totally failed my expectations. So coming to the Seng Aroun hotel.. the staff were friendly and helpful as we spoke Lao..the hotel is dated but prior to turning in for the night, I did a security check coming from a hoteliers background decades ago.. the windows is a must item to check and I’m happy that I did as none of the rooms that we booked had 100% operational locks on them.. only one side did so we asked if I could change rooms .. unfortunately they were supposedly full and wouldn’t move me to a room that had locking windows without having to pay for a slightly bigger room . Anyways I improvised asking for a stick that could act as a brace and it was secure enough for the night .. now onto the room.. only two operational plugs so if your gadgets need juice better bring along a battery pack.. to the shower/toilet again very dated and in one of the rooms there looked to be Excrement of some sort (mice..gecko?) Anyways all I can say is that this rating is “Extremely” generous and perhaps overly generous.. so do your research before booking and oh yeah.. bring your negotiating skills as one can bargain

Very bad service, don’t keep their promises, scams, the room smells mold, heavy stains on pillows case and bed sheets, mold and cracks paint around the room. Not recommend at all. Customer service terrible

Rooms and bedding are not clean and very damp. We saw 3 rooms - 1) had water coming out of the sink, flooding the bath, 2) holes in the ceiling and the rubble on the floor. 3) was dirty overall nothing special compared to 1 and 2. The staff was very friendly but could not speak English. Goggle translate did the job. The young lady tried as best as she could but was not able to resolve issues that where above her pay-grade.

I really enjoyed my stay at Sang Aroun Hotel! The hotel is very good overall, only minor deficiencies. Location of the hotel is prime - right in the centre of "downtown" Pakse (Pakse is exceptionally small), and within a stone's throw of many restaurants, mini markets, and tourist agencies. The large supermarkets like "V Market" and "Friendship Supermarket" are located only about 2 km by foot - I was able to walk to both in less than 30 mins to stock up on bigger supplies. The hotel is also less than 10 mins from the airport by Tuk Tuk, just over the bridge. Location is ideal! Rooms were large and spacious. Rooms were basic, with simple decoration, but clean. Staff were happy to provide basic amenities like an electric kettle, and two coffee mugs, upon request, so I could make coffee in the morning (I don't like 3-in-1 coffee)! The room also had working air conditioning, wifi (but very weak signal in the rooms - only strong in the reception area/ground level floor), and a working fridge. The fridge kept its cool throughout the day, so your drinks were cold when you returned from exploring! Basic toiletries were provided such as 2 little shampoo bottles, shower caps, and bar soap. This was fine for me, as I still had a supply of toiletries I was carrying from other hotels. The hotel also replenished two bottles of water every morning. Housekeeping was fantastic! The cleaning service was wonderful and they provided fresh towels every day. They had changed my linens halfway through my 4-night stay also. Rooms were cleaned thoroughly, and smelled fresh. My only minor complaints would be the shower pressure. It wasn't great, but it was manageable. The shower handle in my room also was broken, so it took awhile to finally shut off the water when I was finished showering. Water was very hot, however. The shower curtain doesn't really contain the water either - so the bathroom floor is filled with water after you take a shower. Common setup in these regions, even if not practical. And finally, the sink water drips onto the floor, leaving large pools of water. Otherwise, the bathroom was fairly clean! Just small pockets of mould and mildew, but I feel like this is due to the humid climate here, and staff do their best to keep it maintained/clean. Staff were just amazing here - from reception to cleaning staff. Very professional, welcoming, and friendly! Happy to help out with any additional requests. For example, one night, my door handle was stuck and I couldn't turn the key to get into my room - reception staff helped me out and then took care to fix the handle so I didn't have the same problems in future! Breakfast buffet was good, depending on your tastes. It's Laos, so they cater towards Asian tastes, which means white rice, hot mixed meat and vegetable dishes, rice stew, fried eggs, and chicken sausages were on offer. There were also some (but limited) Western options like toast with jams and fresh cut fruits (watermelon and dragon fruit). N