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Real Backpackers Hostel Vang Vieng has a swimming pool, but that is pretty much the only thing going for it. The dorms are extremely basic and unattractive, the decoration is infantile with random paintings of Asian cartoon characters, and the bathrooms are only one step away from being too rundown to be suitable for use.
The Location
The hostel is located right in the heart of Vang Vieng town centre. This is not such a huge added bonus, as most of the backpackers are within a five-hundred-meter radius anyway, but if you are looking for a place right in the middle of where everything is happening, look no further! The street of the hostel is extremely touristy; you will find an abundance of Western-type restaurants, Korean supermarkets, and souvenir shops here. The only toll-free bridge into the national park is only five minutes from here; getting to the bus stop should also not take you more than ten minutes, even if the hostel normally arranges pickup from its door so you won't even have to walk this far.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The place has a weird atmosphere, partly thanks to a number of young children who are present, as well as the fact that the owner and a huge number of employees like chilling on the premises. It feels strange when there is free whiskey tasting at 7 and you have two-year-olds running around or when your partying is disrupted by infants crying. The guests rooms are at the back along a long corridor and are mostly dorm style. Depending on how much you are into partying, you might want to be as far away from the common area as possible. In the rooms, you have bunk beds and absolutely nothing else. The top bunks don"t have any kind of fence around them, so it feels quite uncomfortable to climb up and might not be safe if you turn around a lot at night. There is air conditioning for cooling the room, but it is only turned on for the night. The bathrooms are definitely below the standard of what you might realistically expect; they are dirty, full of graffiti, and in bad shape. Moreover, the water pressure is really low, and often the water stops altogether.
Common Spaces
As you enter the hostel, the first thing you will see is a swimming pool with a sitting area and a pool table. This looks quite attractive, but this is pretty much the nicest part of the hostel. The swimming pool is big but it is not deep; you can basically walk through it with the water not going above your shoulders. This area turns into a crazy party place at night. Between 7 and 8, there is free whiskey tasting, and after that, loud music and dancing. In the mornings, you are served free breakfast here, which is an egg-based dish and fruit.
Summary
Unless you insist on having a swimming pool on the premises, you can find much better places for this kind of money. Moreover, if you are not the party type, you will definitely be annoyed by the loud music and amount of alcohol consumed.
Photos taken by the Hostelz.com reviewer — Genuine photos you can trust.
+4
JudyM
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Published on Oct 16, 2019
Location and Contact
Location
Real Vang Vieng Backpackers Hostel is located directly in the center of Vang Vieng, you can walk to there from all bus stations or take a cheap tuktuk, located in the same street as the famous sakura bar and right accross the street from Kangaroo Bar.