A family-run hotel in a bucolic location on a lakeshore a few miles from the caves of Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park. It offers simple poolside rooms or more luxurious cabins, all with a view.

Location

The hotel manages to feel isolated while being less than five minutes’ drive from the extensive and varied caves that are increasingly making Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park a tourist-draw. All buildings overlook a large lake ringed by mountains. Phong Nha village – with its handful of shops and cafes is ten minutes’ walk away.

Style and Character

It’s all about the views and the personable home-away-from-home feel at the Lakehouse. Cabins and the large reception and bar-restaurant overlook the water and are flooded with natural light. Cabins have balconies and the bar opens onto a broad deck – with tables for dining al fresco. Both have 180-degree lake and mountain views.

There are only 16 rooms so the pool and public areas never feel crowded. Guests and the friendly owners Tony and Tham gather in the bar-restaurant at the end of the day to chat over drinks or dinner –  sharing anecdotes about Vietnam or the various Hollywood stars who have stayed at the hotel (Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park is an increasingly popular filming location).

Service and Facilities

The owners and their well-trained staff are eager to please. They are ever-present and attentive, respond to requests and questions quickly and efficiently and offer excellent insider tips on what to do and see in the national park – be you an adventure-seeking amateur speleologist or a family with toddlers. Check-ins and outs are swift. Food and drinks arrive within minutes.

•  Bar
•  Laundry
•  Parking
•  Pool
•  Restaurant
•  Room service
•  Wi-Fi

Rooms

The rooms, which are clustered around the pool are simple cubes with mosquito-net-covered queen-sizes, muted colours and en-suites with showers but no tubs. If people are using the pool, they can be a little noisy during the day. The cabins,  which spread along the lakeshore 40 metres or so from the main building are both more private and more comfortable — with private balconies, splashes of colour (from red floor-rugs and blue or green silk cushions), and ample natural light from large windows. There’s a dormitory for up to 16 backpackers.

Food and Drink

Breakfast, lunch and dinner menus feature the kind of comfort cooking you’ll find in backpacker restaurants throughout Vietnam — pancakes, spongey bread, tropical fruit, eggs and omelettes, stir-fries and soups. The bar serves minty mojitos and other cocktails and icy Vietnamese beer.