Mixay Paradise

Mixay Paradise in Vientiane is very close to the city center drop off point of tuk tuks driving passengers from the Northern Bus Station where buses from Vang Vieng to Vientiane stop. Located on Francois Ngin just off of Setthathilath Road by Wat Mixay, it's a short walk to the Night Market along the Mekong River and other attractions. A currency exchange place is just around the corner. There are many cafes and restaurants to choose from, although the restaurant in the lobby offers many main dishes at 15,000 kip. The food is not amazing but it's acceptable. Booking through email ( laomixayparadise@yahoo.com ), we got an air-con double room with an ensuite bathroom for 120,000 kip a night.

Our room is naturally lit and clean but very small, with barely any space to walk. Equipped with both a fan and an air-conditioner, the room is cool and comfortable. Although you can hear street noises outside, it's fairly quiet most of the time. It's a smoke-free building and many house rules apply. Despite the stated hours when wifi's available (9 am-11:30 pm), wifi actually works all the time, although it's painfully slow most of the time - nearby cafes tend to have a faster connection.

The shower's strong and hot, something pretty hard to come by in this part of the world. Also, liquid soap is provided. Free orange drink, tea, and coffee are available in the lobby from 10 am to 5 pm. Same-day laundry is 10,000 kip per kilo.

Bus tickets to Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand are sold at reception. Reception also arranges cars with drivers - they carged us 165,000 kip for a return trip to Buddha Park in a new private air-conditioned sedan. Minivan to the airport takes 10 minutes and costs 45,000 kip per car. There are bicycles for rent for 10,000 kip a day down the street but you need to leave your passport as a deposit. Motorcycles for rent are also available for 60,000 kip a day just down the street.