Welcome to Villa Merry Lao Swiss in Luang Prabang, Laos

Owner-Mr. Samoraphouma Khoumphetsavong

After 7 years of Business Management education in Germany and a career in the construction business - accounting and cost control - Samoraphouma returned to Laos in 1996 and started a company called 'Lao-German Co. [Read more]

Caring for destination

This accommodation provider has taken action to address one or more issues (whether environmental, social or cultural) which will contribute positively to the long term viability of the destination and hence their site displays a Caring for the destination rating.

Detailed description of the Caring for the Destination Initiative:
In partnership with Villa Merry No 1, Villa Merry Lao Swiss has been working with several schools over the last 3-4 years to help improve the learning conditions and educational support available to young Lao students from villages outside of Luang Prabang city.

Currently they are trying to raise USD7,000 to pay for the refurbishment of an old school in Kialuang Village. This school was originally constructed by the US Embassy in 1974 but has since fallen into disrepair. Funds generated will allow for the replacement of the roof, windows, doors and a new coat of paint for the building. So far USD1500 has been raised. If you would like to help please speak to Mr Samor at the guesthouse.

Traveller Feedback on Destination

This rating is an aggregate score for "Caring for Destination" we survey the travellers
The Villa Merry Lao Swiss has an average rating of 2.50 (out of a possible 3)

The scores for each parameter are:
Traveller find the hotel to be "caring for the destination": 2.5
Traveller book this hotel because it was listed as "caring for the destination": 2.5

Traveller Comments:

"I considered it but after staying I realized what a great effort the owner is making in his country to help the rural disadvantaged people of his country."
Ms. Cindy Scanlon - Canada on 08/01/2009

"Yes, the Villa Merry Lao Swiss cares for the destination and we brought some small articles to assist the students which we left with the owner although we didn't stay there after all. We can also say that the LJB Swiss Hotel also is very concerned with matters concerning the environment."
Ms. Gail Tregear - Australia on 23/11/2008

"No idea what school or how they're supported."
Mr. Christopher Conyers - Australia on 21/04/2008

"The only thing I saw at the hotel was a brouchure laying on the reception desk.
Nobody told me anything about the program above.
Well... I didn't ask them either. You can't ask for something you don't know or aren't informed, I guess..."
Mr. Dohyung Lee - Korea Repof on 10/02/2008

"brreakfast could include some fruit as it is cheap and plentiful in the town and would feel healthy"
Mr. Tony Seigal - United Kingdom on 26/01/2007

"The breakfast was very limited, it would be good to expand your menu or improve the quality of the meals, there are some great food ideas on the main street, that it would be worth including."
Mr. Daniel Sharp - Australia on 23/01/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mr. David Lau-Kee - United Kingdom on 23/01/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mr. manus campbell - United States on 20/01/2007

"thanks for your service and thanks for the suggestion. Merry Lao-Swiss was not on my short list, so we would not have stayed there without your recommendation. And, thanks for the information regarding tours in the area. I hope you can successfully promote the guesthouses in Luang Prabang, since they are a nice niche between hotels and hostels."
Mrs. Janice Dyer - Japan on 10/01/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mr. Mihoko Kitamura - Japan on 10/01/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mr. Eli Schwartz - Israel on 09/12/2006

"No comment submitted"
Mr. Ivar Gammelmo - Norway on 23/11/2006

"I think you should start to take credit cards as all the other hotels do and so do the good restaurants.

I would recommend your hotel to anyone travelling to Luang Prabang"
Mrs. Elizabeth Franklin - Canada on 09/11/2006

"Your are doing a very fine job. Just sustain this kind of service and you will be successful."
Mr. John Holt - United States on 09/07/2006

"Len, You must change the Caring for the Destination not to popualte if there is o text. It is starting to look very odd the have " " " " repeatedly.

You MUST do some serious usability testing on this section as at the moment any comments are unrealted so it is not working, and as your profile gets raised you need to have good (by which I mena relevant not necessarily positive) feedback in there asap"
Ms. Lloyd-Williams Kate - Vietnam on 26/06/2006

"WHL was great. They worked with me, produced a booking with no advance payment that was actually waiting for me when I arrived, and represented the choices on the website thoroughly and, in the case of my hotel, accurately. I appreciated corresponding with Lee, who I began to think I knew personally. Thanks for such excellent service!"
Ms. Flora Katz - United States on 05/05/2006

"See previous comments on other surveys."
Mr. Barry Leigh - Australia on 27/03/2006

"It's OK."
Mr. Michael Hoeffer - Germany on 19/02/2006

Traveller Feedback on Customer

This rating is an aggregate score for the six parameters we survey (Cleanliness, Check in/Welcome, Service, Charm/Experience, Overall Impression/Value)
The Villa Merry Lao Swiss has an average rating of 4.03 (out of a possible 5)

The scores for each parameter are:

Cleanliness	4.03
Check in/Welcome	4.03
Service	4.1
Charm/Experience	4.07
Overall Impression/Value	3.87

Traveller Comments:

"Twin rooms are not all equal! Some were amazing. One was a broome closet! And I am a
six ft tall giant. But the exception to the rule. Very friendly place in a great location .opp terrifi. Hive bar"
Ms. maree o'connor - Australia on 28/12/2009

"The hotel was nice and the owner very friendly. The hotel a little bit far after walk a lot but get a good exercise. The hotel was nice and quiet at night by the river."
Ms. Rattiya Khotmanee - Thailand on 08/12/2009

"We were looked after amazingly well. The team at Villa Merry Laos Swiss were wonderful, very friendly and helpful and made our stay very enjoyable."
Ms. Melissa Hatty - Australia on 03/05/2009

"Excellent experience. Very charmning hotel, great service, very helpful and polite. Definitely would recommend it."
Ms. Cindy Scanlon - Canada on 08/01/2009

"Please note that we did not stay at the Villa Merry Lao Swiss although the owner was very helpful. We stayed at the LJB Smooth Hotel and the comments above apply to that hotel, which we would highly recommend."
Ms. Gail Tregear - Australia on 23/11/2008

"Good family-run guesthouse.
Helpful and pleasant staff.
Noisy guests quickly dealt with by owner.
Very enjoyable stay for four nights."
Mr. Frank Trainor - United Kingdom on 22/07/2008

"Our airport pickup did not appear. When we rang they said they had no record of our booking. Luckily, when we arrived (in a taxi) our rooms were ready."
Mr. Christopher Conyers - Australia on 21/04/2008

"The owner and his staff provided a warm welcome and excellent service in this small friendly well-situated hotel. We were made to feel part of the family and they provided excellent advice on places to eat and visit - all in all a very happy experience. "
Ms. Jennifer Cox - Australia on 05/03/2008

"Very impressed and pleased with the level of personal service provided by the owner. "
Ms. Melanie Chong - New Zealand on 12/02/2008

"I and my wife booked two nights at villa Merry Lao Swiss through this site.
Despite the specific request (and pre-paid) for the airport pick up, there was no one waiting for us at the airport.
I had to make several calls and finally a taxi was arranged.
When I got to the hotel, the taxi driver asked me to pay for the ride, and yet again, I had to go through difficult explanation with both the taxi driver and the reception guy at the hotel (later the reception guy told me that the travel agency (this site?) did not informed him about the request for a taxi...)
Although it was only for two nights, I would not recommand the hotel to anybody at all as there was a very nozy bar in front of the hotel.
You won't be able to sleep until 2 AM with not only the very noizy music from the bar but also the crazy motor bikers making serious noize...
I was just happy that I didn't make the reservation for only two nights (of the one-week schedule)...
After two days, I moved to a cheaper and much nicer guest house a little bit further up to the main street.
Then... I could enjoy the true Luang Prabang..."
Mr. Dohyung Lee - Korea Repof on 10/02/2008

" Management and staff at the Merry Laos-Swisse were excellent, good location and value for money."
Mrs. Helen Dougall - Australia on 04/02/2008

"Very friendly owner and staff! To be recommended. Nice breakfast included. "
Mr. Christoph Pittius - United States on 01/01/2008

"I was told to pay the deluxe twin room as the standard were not available.

My room number was 24. I had a chance to see other rooms, therfore I think #24 is a standard room only but I had to pay for the Deluxe. Did they trick me? Or is it a high season rise?

Can you proove that?
"
Mr. Herbert Ruisinger - Germany on 30/12/2007

"The Villa Merry Lao Swiss is a reasonable choice for visitors to Luang Prabang - but note that it is opposite the Hive bar, the noise from which guests in rooms at the front of the hotel may find obtrusive, though the volume is far lower than at bars in other cities. If you want to sleep before 11.30, earplugs might help."
Mr. Paul Buck - United Kingdom on 04/12/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mrs. Maree Edwards - Australia on 26/04/2007

"Outstanding stay, wonderful property, exceptionally great staff including the owner/manager."
Ms. kathleen orth - United States on 05/04/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mr. Clive Cushen - United Kingdom on 27/02/2007

"I was quite happy with a spacious comfortable room with a bath tub. Quiet location just a few minutes walk from the town center is also nice. It would be nicer if they also had some juice at breakfast. But overall, we were so lucky to find Villa Merry Lao-Swiss at the last-minute research!"
Ms. Akiko MacKenzie - Japan on 26/02/2007

"Beautiful little hotel with a friendly helpful staff and an excellent location. I would definitely go back."
Mr. Robert Gehringer - United States on 25/02/2007

"The 'suite' was large though not necessarily value for money- the tiny TV in the corner of the huge room was a little odd. The furnishings look fine but the seating wasn't very comfortable. The noise from the bar opposite resulted in a move after two nights. The staff was friendly."
Ms. Maree Raeburn - China on 25/02/2007

"unfortunately it was very loud, inspite of the new windows, so we did not ge to sleep much."
Mrs. Margarete Biallas on 23/02/2007

"Although this was not an expensive hotel the the value for money spent was somewhat less than that available at other hotels in Laos, Cambodia and Thailand that we spent time at."
Mr. John Steele - Canada on 02/02/2007

"location was good. Staff, owner helpful, welcoming."
Mr. Tony Seigal - United Kingdom on 26/01/2007

"A lovely hotel, in a quiet street, but still close to the main street. Opposite the hive bar which is great for people who like a few drinks at night. The owner is very kind and helpful, you will enjoy staying here."
Mr. Daniel Sharp - Australia on 23/01/2007

"Very comfortable bed and bedding. Great shower (powerful and hot). it's opposite one of the few bars in town, so can be a bit noisy, but since there's an 11.30 (ish) curfew this isn't too much of an issue. Located not in the middle of town, but just a few minutes walk away. Two rooms are downstairs opening off the main reception area - I wouldn't want to have either of those.

We stayed for 4 nights, and would have stayed another 2 if the room had been free."
Mr. David Lau-Kee - United Kingdom on 23/01/2007

"The hotel is across from a bar that plays loud music till 1130pm and then the noisy exit of patrons. I lost some items from laundry. Another guest took my bag of laundry. Hotel negotiated a fair price. They need a better system where they hold laundry and mark by room # and make sure of correct pick up."
Mr. manus campbell - United States on 20/01/2007

"We enjoyed our stay at Merry Lao-Swiss; the staff was quite kind to us and very helpful. Warm baguettes for breakfast gave a good start to the cool morning. I've also already written directly to the owner about this problem: his neighbor's rooster ...... he's an overachiever, starting well before sunrise ! The owner has said that the windows have been replaced to reduce the impact of the noise from the Hive Bar across the street; we could faintly hear the music, but it was not a bother."
Mrs. Janice Dyer - Japan on 10/01/2007

"No comment submitted"
Mr. Mihoko Kitamura - Japan on 10/01/2007

"It is relatively expensive guest house in relation to its style."
Mr. Eli Schwartz - Israel on 09/12/2006

"No comment submitted"
Mr. Ivar Gammelmo - Norway on 23/11/2006

Villa Merry Lao Swiss

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