Affordable & Safe Place to Stay in Laos

3 hotel 3 city in Laos in my experience, let’s start! So far all of these place safe for woman and solo traveler! 

📍Vientiane, Sailomyen Hotel

If you check google review, you’ll see high rating on Sailomyen, like people said for the first timer Vientiane its the best try. Also I found a travel contributor that I followed recommend it so here I am. They have dormitory room & private room. I choose private one for around 4xxK IDR. It’s very nice like clean bedsheet & bathroom and delicious breakfast include, comfortable lobby area and also have cafe so you no need to worry if there any heavy rain and hungry. 

But the minus point is : stairs to the 3rd floor, the window is very visible from outside even you have the shade on its not 100% cover so, girl, be careful. Also the bfast start at 8 so if you catch morning train and be pick-up at 8 actually unable to get the bfast.

There are 2-3 food stall in front of it too that already open since 8 in the morning, I try a vietnamese noodle for 50,000 Kip and it a lot. 

Chicken broth noodle

📍Luang Prabang, Villa Champa

It’s the most value booking during my Laos trip guys! I really like it. Can you feel that 160K IDR per night I got this private room with balcony? OMG. 

Already feel homey since touch down the lobby

You can directly see the alms giving right from the window

Also you got free breakfast, free flow tea coffee with hot water on the lobby, and the most important is the alms giving just in front of the hotel. 

They have various kind of bfast you can order in the receptionist every morning

It’s clean enough really! A bit old building but well clean like you feel homey at all. 

📍Vang Vieng, Annecy Hotel 

I don’t really recommend it if you don’t have any needed why need to book here. In my case because it’s just beside the van for me to back to Vientiane (Sarah Transport), so I want to convenience to be able to get to the van on time. This the only reason I book this hotel. 

Overall it’s not too clean, it feels like a hotel that almost close forever 😂 When I come in the lobby is like no living, only 1 friendly reception. And the bedsheet also not really clean luckily I have my sleeping bag with me. 

Vang Vieng iconic view with my wet shoes haha

Got free buffet breakfast too but overall I don’t recommend it unless you also want to catch the van on time like me without more effort hehe. I booked for 349K IDR per night. 

Overall I have pleasant stay in Laos! Thank you Laos for having me and treat me well. By the way you know when I arrive at Luang Prabang it’s raining impact from typhoon in North Vietnam then I took the shared van then they drop me on a road and tell me that one is your hotel Villa Champa that one with tuk tuk and I go straight according to his direction but I didn’t see any tuktuk and I stop and see a lady in receptionist in front of me and ask : Excuse me, which one is Villa Champa?

And that one is Villa Champa! First attempt and on the target haha. 

How to transit in HCMC Vietnam - Tan Son Nhat Airport by Vietjet Air

Well, I think it worth a post for my not really good or bad experience this time when I have international transit in Ho Chi Minh - Tan Son Nhat Airport during my way to Laos. Thank me later ✌️

This is for international transit only passenger, means you come from outside Vietnam and go to outside Vietnam again, in one booking. So your baggage will directly goes to your destination airport and you will get 2 boarding pass on your first leg check-in. 

Vietjet also have rule when you buy round-trip ticket it should be use by sort so if you miss one of it the rest can’t be use. For example my trip : Jakarta - Ho Chi Minh - Vientiane ; Vientiane - Ho Chi Minh - Jakarta —- these need to be use in order otherwise you may be force to give up the next trip or have additional fees. 

If you are eligible for that rule, keep reading! 

After touch down Ho Chi Minh - Tan Son Nhat airport, you can follow the Transfer way and find a small door in front-of the “after security check” for the new coming passenger called International Transfer. 

Please be mind once you cross thru this International Transfer then you unable to get out imigration to the city because it cut the way directly to the departing area. I do this on my first attempt and spend 1 hour to finally successfully go out to the city. 

You able to get 2 of USD 10 voucher from Vietjet that can be redeem in Gate 8 with both your boarding pass & paspor. Ridecoulusly they mention on the plane for the voucher information also written on the website but it feels like hidden gem only, when you know you find them, they will give with like : Well, you know, so I will give, wait ha — Kinda not 心甘情願

The voucher useful or not it depends actually. Since you only can redeem the voucher in sleeping zone and CIAS resto. 

For CIAS resto available at near tax refund area in Gate 9 (if not wrong) and another one in Gate 25. What you can get like any food maximum USD 10 and for me the taste is just not mine hehe. But if you hungry enough and why not get a free one here at least to full your tummy. 

Too oily & wet and its 10 USD

So so not really good tho 10 USD too

For sleeping zone, you need to go to the Gate 25 but level 2, there are a little kiosk with small paper written for sleeping zone and for USD 10 you only can get 1 hour 15 mins use of sleeping box 😂 

I didn’t try the sleeping box since I don’t think it’s worth so I change both of mine for food in CIAS and sleep in open area directly. 

Sleeping bag is enough for me to be comfort here hehe

Another hidden gems, there are shower room near gate 25. Bring your towel and etc because its real only shower & soap, nothing. 

Don’t know why I think staff here like don’t really helpful, at least in my current experience these are the cases :

1. When I ask to the Vietjet staff where is CIAS she said : I don’t know. Hey, the voucher is coming from you guys and you tell me I don’t know…..

2. When I ask for the shower room where is it to airport staff they said : No more shower room 

3. It’s same when I ask for where is the sleeping zone : No more sleeping zone here 

4. When I want to go outside to the city since my first transit around 24 hours, they told me I can’t get out because I already passed the international transfer — so wasting my time go here and there asking and questioning why I can’t get out since I don’t need any visa and eligible to go to city 

So, for transit purpose in Ho Chi Minh better to research before you arrive otherwise you lost your right (example for the voucher) and waste your time. 

Have a good transit time there! 

Where to Stay in Ho Chi Minh | 3 Recommended Price Worthy Hotel

 Xin Chao! So I’m very glad to share this post because I found a price worthy hotel in Ho Chi Minh which push me to leave a very high five star hotel for them yeay! So if people like me whose lazy to leave review could be like this its only 2 possibility : very good or very worst haha 

Let’s start! 

Odys Boutique Hotel 

Well, it’s really a beautiful small hotel with contemporary design and great ambience. The staff was so nice, they will help your luggage until the room and provide the information with great knowledge and communication skill. You will get a snack bar on the rooftop and able to choose various type of pillow. Also when you order grabfood they will send to your room, usually the hotel just ask you to put on the lobby. They service is so thoughtful anyway. 

The ambience and cleanliness is thumbs up. I really like this hotel. 

The Hammock

It just beside Odys. For the room ambience, I like Odys more but but but here you have free flow snack & free washing machine + dryer. So I think this is the big plus point especially if you come from nomaden trip also that need to wash your clothes. They provide the detergent ball also, really helpful. I think I wash like whole my clothes in my luggage haha. 

They also provide the breakfast and you can choose 1 of their variants. 

Triple E  

Around 30-50 meter from Hammock you will found this little hotel on the line of many food stall & durian pie shop. Compare with Odys & Hammock it’s more compact. No breakfast only a cup of coffee or tea on the morning. The elevator also bit tiny and the room is the cleaniest among these 3 but it’s really compact. 

Stay tune for the other hotel recommendation ❤️

Bobobox Semarang Kota Lama | Jawa Tengah, Indonesia

Finally the time is coming yeay! It was on my bucket list to try out Bobobox since months back. Bobobox have 2 type actually, Bobocabin (cabin build in the middle of nature) and Bobobox which is a capsule backpacker hostel. 

Why I want to try this out actually 2 reasons : I try The Pod Singapore in 2015 and its convenience enough but at that time Indo not yet have this kind of capsule hostel, so when Bobobox here I wanna give a try. Another reason is the location very convenience, Semarang one is in the heart of Kota Lama. What a good deal. 

Read : The Pod Singapore Review

Read : Work Inn Taipei Backpacker Hostel Review

Parking area

I booked through Agoda for IDR 200K per night - its a bit high due to long weekend usually for single pod its around 1xx. 

You will be asked to download Bobobox app, it use to verify your identity, open the door (both public space & pod door use QR code on the app to open), contact the receptionist through chat on the app, set pod lamp color. 

Bobobox has 2 pods type : sky pod (upper deck) & earth pod (bottom deck) that you can choose when book. And it feels better than usual capsule pod, it has the door and more privacy as you can lock the door through the app and have little space to put your belongings. 

Inside the pod you will have this panel with speaker that can play forest & river ASMR... OMG so tempting for healing I really enjoy this speaker. Also to switch the lamp and check the clock. A next level of backpacker hostel I think.  

Also you will have this mini blind to cover the mini window. Ahh and the charger in this picture I borrow it from the receptionist bcs I just realize I forget to bring the charger and its FREE. Very helpful Bobobox.

Shared bathroom separate within woman & man also shower room separate with toilet. 3 of each in each bathroom with 2in1 shampoo & soap also hairdryer.

You will get towel on the pod & toothbrush kit upon check in with slippers also. Slippers is a single use slipper that very thin and not comfortable for me, but they rule is to put your shoes on the locker in front of receptionist and wear that slippers inside Bobobox. This slippers is the minus point during my stay. 

Reception also have sanitary napkin (pembalut), ready-to-eat meal, and other amenities that in general people need, they sell it. What a convenience thing. 

And the happiest thing is they have dispenser to refill water yeay! Ohh they didn't provide any cup or water bottle so bring your own and refill here. 

In the public area also have little kitchen comes with sink, microwave, and other few kitchen stuff. 

Overall I enjoy my stay and worth the money as its less effort to commute & what you need is all here and very simple one. Thanks Bobobox and thanks for borrow me charger haha.