Lonely Planet Review

One of the newest guesthouses in town, the Chanthasom has a prime location on the riverfront to the southeast of town. Rooms are smart, the price is right and the staff friendly. The only blot, quite literally, on the landscape is the 14-storey Don Chan Palace Hotel opposite.

The guesthouse has 18 rooms, all of which feature air-con, satellite TV and hot water showers. All the rooms are super clean and the management obviously aim to bring hotel standards to their guesthouse operation. Head to the upper floor for the expansive but inexpensive suites. Room 402 is huge, with extra trimmings like a fridge and sofa suite. There is also a big balcony up here, perfect for a sunset sundowner over the Mekong. Other tempters include free breakfast and Internet access, including Web telephone calls. The main problem in the short term is the new commercial plaza going up next to the Don Chan Palace, which might mean unwanted noise until construction is complete in 2007.