Resort Maison de Nongkhiaw♡

great resort

10.0

a great resort by the river with an amazing view, spacious and calm rooms and excellent service. great value for money. there’s a free shuttle boat to get into nongkhiaw. when my minivan for my onward journey was cancelled last minute, the staff was very helpful and organized an alternative for me.

− -

Genial para relajarse

9.0

Nos encantó, estábamos solos y pudimos disfrutar de la tranquilidad y descansar. El personal es muy atento

Excellent, beautiful paradise

10.0

Everything it’s paradise

− Nothing

The nicest property in the area, but with huge gaps in hygiene and management

6.0

Pros and Potential: The hotel looks magnificent visually and, in terms of architecture, it is probably the nicest property in the entire region, mainly due to the pool, the balcony view, and the space. Rooms and Terrace: Very large, comfortable room area and a wonderful terrace with a potentially beautiful view (which, unfortunately, we did not experience due to the smog). Infrastructure: Nicely designed grounds, garden, and the availability of a pool, which is a rarity in this town. Logistics: A big plus for the boat transfer to town – given the hotel's remote location, this is essential. Summary: Would we return? Yes, because quality-wise this hotel still fares best compared to other available properties (mainly due to the pool). However, the hotel lacks a manager to "push the staff to work." It wouldn't take much for this place to become number one in the region, but currently, this huge potential is being wasted.

− Cons and Glaring Deficiencies: Unfortunately, the property lacks a competent manager to oversee the staff. The service is friendly but completely "clueless" and untrained: Lack of Room Service: Rooms were not cleaned throughout our 3-night stay. While we declined cleaning on the first day, nobody asked us about it on the following days and the service never appeared. On the first day, we asked for a towel exchange – they were not replaced until the end of our stay. Restaurant Hygiene: It is unacceptable for a staff member to use their finger to remove something that fell into a guest's plate! This is a lack of basic sanitary principles. Neglected Pool and Equipment: The pool water was not very clean, and the pool basin is not washed. Filters were only turned on "for show" when guests entered the water. The kayaks were very dirty, and the entire pier looked like a junk yard – despite two requests to prepare the kayaks (the day before and during breakfast on the day), they only dumped out the leaves; they remained dirty with mud. At the end, it turned out they were paid, which we were not informed about beforehand. Information Chaos: There is no information sheet in the room (basic information available in other hotels: breakfast hours, minibar prices, kayak rental price list, safe instructions...). Throughout the entire stay, the batteries in the safe were never replaced, nor did we receive the promised key, even though we emphasized that we needed the safe. Gastronomy: When only 4 people remained in the hotel, the buffet was eliminated. We were served only fruit, croissants, and pancakes – no one asked if we wanted vegetables or warm dishes that were available previously. Last thing – UNACCEPTABLE!!! Aggressive Driver: The boat driver was aggressive; he demanded a return time, which we couldn't provide because we didn't know it ourselves. He made stupid faces and smirks.

Would have been a 10, if not for a couple of annoyances that could/should have been avoided.

8.0

All the staff were fabulous, the views were amazing and the room was lovely. The free boat shuttle service was a great addition too. The team and the views were the key highlights.

− What I didn't like can be split between the accommodation itself and Booking.com. Accommodation dislikes: 1) We lost power for several hours on the last day, which we were told was due to a big storm that had passed through. However, even when the power returned, it didn't include everything. So we may have sockets and lights, but no air con or fan. Or they started working then we lost the lights and sockets. What genuinely frustrated me about this is that I wouldn't expect a small guesthouse or homestay to have a back up generator, but I would've hoped that a hotel that advertises itself as the most luxurious accommodation in Nong Khiaw, would've had a back up generator. Further to this, I was maybe hoping that the accommodation would've offered a small discount on the check out bill for the inconvenience of having no air con, fan, power or lights for several hours during the stay, but no. 2) I understand and accept that large hotels and airports always charge more for the identical thing just a few miles away from a local independent provider. But due to the power cut, we decided to eat at the hotel on the final night and just my main course on its own, was more expensive than I paid for an entire meal for 3 (including drinks) just the night before, which was far more superior in quality. I expect to get inflated prices and almost ripped off at some places, but when using the saying, 'You get what you pay for,' this certainly wasn't the case here when it came to the evening meal. Booking.com dislikes: I hate the way that Booking.com has become so big, that they can't even be bothered to provide accurate and up to date information. About 30-40% of the amenities/facilities that were supposed to included in this room were simply missing. But they do this all the time with every single property and it's very annoying and frustrating.