(This is a personal and self-initiated hotel review (not sponsored) in order to help or guide you while looking for your perfect accommodation in Vientiane, Laos.)
Our accommodations can make or break our travels, regardless of the purpose. Hence, I want to reach out to the travel community by sharing my honest experiences regarding the accommodations I stayed in. With that, you will have a prior information on whether or not to choose the hotels I reviewed. In fact, I wrote a very comprehensive mini-review of ALL the hotels I stayed in OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES, which you can view here:
For this particular hotel review, I am happy to share my experience during my stay at Mini S Hotel in Vientiane, Laos.
What on earth is Sherlyn doing in Vientiane, Laos?
My avid readers (if I have some haha!) would know that I travel very frequently both for business and pleasure. This year was a record-breaker for me in terms of travel. I’ve flown to Bandar Seri Begawan, Bali, Singapore, Macau, Bangkok, and Vientiane, and I still have cities in the pipeline! I kinda got used to staying in different types of accommodations, and therefore I know how to judge an accommodation very well.
I went to Bangkok for a conference, and since Vientiane is only an hour away from Bangkok and I had some time to spare after the conference, I decided to buy a ticket and fly to Vientiane. Also, traveling to Laos will complete my ASEAN travel bucket list! I got torn between choosing to fly in Vientiane and Luang Prabang, and I ended up choosing the former. I could always go back to see the rest of Laos, right?
So after booking my flight ticket, I hurriedly went to check the hotels in Vientiane. The factors I always account for in choosing accommodations are (1) hotel’s age, (2) price, and (3) Instagrammable-ness. 😀 I am happy to say that Mini S Hotel satisfied these conditions.
Mini S Hotel: Fast Facts
Mini S Hotel is just 7 minutes away from the Wattay International Airport!
Mini S Hotel has its own cafe named Blue Pin Cafe.
Mini S Hotel is a newly-built hotel, built only last 2018!
Agoda.com indicates that this hotel was just built last year, and I was too eager to check it out. Upon doing more research, I saw Mini S Hotel website and they just had a soft opening less than a year ago!
Mini S Hotel has a set of very friendly and accommodating staff.
I really appreciate how the staff has been very kind to me! They were not perfect in terms of service, but it was all a breeze. But hold on, let me explain that! 🙂
The hotel reception area is also the counter area of the Blue Pin Cafe, so I entered the cafe. I asked the attending receptionist that time if that was the hotel reception and he coldly answered “Yes.”. I was heartbroken. Kidding, I’m not sensitive! 🙂 I waited for my check-in to be processed and they gave me the key for the wrong room number and I opened a room currently occupied by someone, but thank God no one was inside. I did not get mad at all, instead we found that incident funny. Haha!
The other staff were patient enough to understand my accent and my English while trying to listen to my questions and concerns. I could see that they were trying to hide their frustrations and struggles of understanding my accent and I think that’s admirable. Also, when I asked one of them if they offer or know someone who offer a day tour and he happened to not know anyone, he went the extra mile trying to contact his friends who could show me around. I think that’s thoughtful! 🙂
One of the staff also helped me out to take photos of me around the lobby!
I don’t really wanna leave after checkout because they were so kind and warm to me huhu! Too bad I wasn’t able to take a photo with them.
My Room at Mini S Hotel
I stayed in a Deluxe Room at the Ground Floor which was a beautiful and clean room! I had a wonderful me time there because it was spacious and very tidy. I always make sure to book the room closest to the reception area (this is my personal preference) so I was given Room 3. I actually made a mistake of booking a room for 2 people but I believe it doesn’t make any difference at all. I love how big the bed was! Aside from I can move a lot, I can throw away my stuff all over haha! It has a lock from the inside, a television, a hanging coffee table (love it!), a telephone, a dresser, and a small fridge.
The comfort room was spacious and clean. Caveat though, it does not have a door and they don’t provide toiletries except for a hand soap.
Going Around Mini S Hotel
Mini S Hotel is very near the Souphanouvong Avenue which is a major road and from there you can access almost everything you want on a walking distance: grocery stores, shops, restaurants and bars, and even the strip of al fresco bars and restaurants along the Mekong River. If you are a person who likes to walk a lot, you can also access the city proper from there.
How to further enjoy your stay at Mini S Hotel: Amenities
I am happy to share that Mini S Hotel has a lot of amenities that can make your Vientiane trip a more enjoyable one:
Swimming Pool
Mini S Hotel has a small but beautiful outdoor pool just beside the Blue Pin Cafe. Even if you don’t want to swim, you can just chill by the Blue Pin Cafe or by the pool side to adore the beauty of the pool.
Free Wi-Fi
Most hotels have free wi-fi, and I must say that Mini S Hotel’s wi-fi is very reliable and fast. Of course, tips are not required but highly appreciated.
Free Shuttle Service to the City Center
Mini S Hotel has regular shuttle services going to the city center. You just have to inform the front desk at least an hour before your desired schedule so that they can have enough lead time to contact and prepare the driver.
The Verdict
I might be overreacting, but my Vientiane trip was really made better by my experience at Mini S Hotel. Beautifully-deigned hotels are really my thing, not only for Instagram and content purposes, and to me it’s also an indicator that that the hotel is making sure that its clients will be happy. I also feel like I received more than I paid for because I could get a hotel with the same quality elsewhere but three times the price of Mini S Hotel. I also appreciate its good location and very helpful staff. I definitely recommend this and will stay here again when I have the chance to go back to Vientiane.
Mini S Hotel Contact Information
Mini S Hotel
Nakham Village (Nakham Church)
Dongnasok Road, Sikhottavong District
Vientiane Capital, Laos
+856-21-256345
rsvn@minishotel.com
www.minishotel.com
https://web.facebook.com/Mini-S-hotel-%E0%BB%82%E0%BA%AE%E0%BA%87%E0%BB%80%E0%BB%80%E0%BA%AE%E0%BA%A1-%E0%BA%A1%E0%BA%B4%E0%BA%99%E0%BA%B4-%E0%BB%80%E0%BA%AD%E0%BA%B1%E0%BA%AA-243461522956877/
For other travel articles on Laos, click on the banner below:
