Mad Monkey Luang Prabang, Luang Prabang

How is Mad Monkey Luang Prabang rated?

Mad Monkey Luang Prabang Reviews

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Sabai Sabai Hostel is a small hostel with several air-conditioned dorm rooms with inclusive breakfast, a swimming pool, and free Wi-Fi throughout. Towels are available for rent.

The Location

The hostel's location is not ideal, being a twenty-minute walk from the night market area, however they do offer a free tuk tuk to the town centre twice per day -- one in the morning, one in the evening. There are a couple of small restaurants within a ten-minute walk, or they serve food from the hostel bar, however it is Western and at tourist prices. From the airport, you would need to take a tuk tuk; the south bus terminal takes about twenty minutes to walk to.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The dorms have large bunk beds, with shelf space, light, and power points. They are partitioned by concrete walls and each compartment is large enough to have your backpack in it. The mattresses are reasonably comfortable. The dorms are spacious and clean, though the lockers are big enough only for your valuables. The door does not lock.

The bathrooms appear to be designed well, though in fact they are lacking in facilities. There are eight shower cubicles, but only four have shower heads, of which only three have brackets to actually hold the heads. They do not have any shelves for your toiletries or hooks for your clothes, which is inconvenient. They have separate toilets, which could use more regular cleaning. The shower pressure is fine, they are heated and there is free body wash in some of them. The sinks are without hand wash. There are two hairdryers in the shower room, however they quickly overheat and stop working. There are two further toilet cubicles next to the bar area.

Common Spaces

At the entrance to the hostel, you will find the reception/bar with a row of tables and benches, which does make for a good social space. Breakfast is served here in the morning; it changes daily and could be eggs with bread or a pancake. Near to this area, there is another room with tables and chairs and space to leave your backpack after check out, though it is not secure. In addition, there is the swimming pool, which has a few wooden loungers next to it; it is really quite lovely. The pool is small but deep and the water is rather chilly but suitably refreshing on a hot day. This hostel attracts a backpacker crowd and has a peaceful atmosphere, even though it has a bar.

The hostel has a travel office, though the ticket prices for the buses are considerably higher than purchasing directly at the bus station.

Summary

If your priority is to relax, this hostel is a good choice. Whilst the facilities could certainly use improving and you can get more for your money in a better location, the swimming pool is really a key selling point. If your priority is security, this is not the best option.

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