Pullman Luang Prabang 5 stars

The Pullman is well situated in a quiet setting in Luang Prabang. The rooms and hotel are well taken care of. The pools were refreshing and kids room and gym were well equipped. The Spa staff was highly professional and experienced, the Lao massage was outstanding and reasonably priced. The restaurant breakfast was very good. We had the buffet one day and a la carte the other 2 days, and the food was very fresh and cooked to order. Service the 3rd day was excellent and attentive. The first couple days there was very few guests and we had to be more proactive with asking for service. The staff is outstanding! The level of service and attention are are excellent. Wendy at the front desk was very accommodating and helpful during check-in, out, as well as the entire stay! She is amazing! David at the front entrance went above and beyond consistently! We had an issue with our debit card getting kept by the ATM machine, and he called the bank and the next day he was able to have them retreive it and even took me to go get it. WOW, where do you get that service!!

The F&B leader chinese he dont know how he response the need of there guest.. and also he dont know how to delegate the work to his team. The good thing there is his staff know how to handle there guest and the staff they are verry good in service..

In reflection about a month since my two-night stay at the Pullman, I’ve realized just how the sheer uniqueness of this property causes (can’t just be me) to reminisce and yearn to come back. There were flaws and faults, but as a whole, I couldn’t have had a better time. - Location: The resort is just to the west of downtown Luang Prabang, a painless, 8-10 minute taxi drive if you’re not carpooling with others going other places. Since even the busiest parts of Luang Prabang are peaceful, it was obvious that this place would be, too, to the nth degree. Yet even still, the property is right off a national road and is extremely accessible to anywhere you might wish to explore. - Atmosphere: Where was everyone?! My stay in March seemed to yield literally nobody else anywhere in the hotel. I saw a few older couples and small groups at the on-site restaurant one lunchtime, but that was pretty much it. It felt like I had the entire place to myself. It was incredible. Because of how vast the property is with its low-rise, low-density villa format, I really felt it. - Amenities: Talk about unique…what other resort has its own rice terraces and water buffalo and produce garden and livestock?? Maybe a bit utilitarian in terms of aesthetics, but remember, we’re in rural Northern Laos. A lovely buggy driver took me on a tour of the property upon my eager request, and I was amazed at how much was there to see and admire. In the center of the figure-eight-like villa arrangement is the pool, pool bar, and gorgeous landscaped greenery (including rice terraces with local farmers hard at work). At the southern tip of the grounds lies the spa. Near the open-air lobby is the restaurant, which is open all day and serves delicious Lao and international food. And despite all these diverse amenities, still I saw absolutely no one except some hotel workers. Wow!!! - Service: I observed service here to be top-notch; everyone at reception and driving the buggies and working the restaurant were kind and hospitable. Now, this was definitely a language and cultural barrier issue, but some of the restaurant staff felt a little awkward or shy when serving me…their English was very basic, but they came off as a bit disengaged at times. It was also challenging to order my lunch on the first day of my stay, because the kitchen was clearly out of the dish I wanted, but the staff still gave me a dish I wouldn’t have enjoyed instead. It took some gentle back and forth and finger-pointing to finally make my revised request understood. I’m a picky eater which is why I cared in this particular case, but if I was adventurous like most people, I’d have most likely been just fine with the plate they delivered to me first. The service chapter of this review would NOT be complete without shouting out Mr. Phailath Homsin, who worked closely with me throughout my stay to book an area tour (Kuang Si Falls, Manifa Elephant Camp, and downtown LP) and ensure my resort experience was relaxing. He was able to negotiate a fantastic deal on a tour package that fit my needs as a reduced-mobility traveler. And he let me borrow a resort wheelchair for me to take on said tour. Phailath was an integral part of my stay at the Pullman and a huge reason for my happiness there! Kudos to you! - Room: At first I was assigned a second-floor room with stairs, which I told the front desk was not possible for me because of my disability (plus I usually use an electric wheelchair, but I decided to store it in Bangkok until I returned there at the end of my trip). So they put me in a ground-floor quarters that had a barrier-free entry, so for any wheelchair users out there, this hotel does have options (although the buggies that shuttle guests around are not equipped with lifts or ramps or any wheelchair space, of course). Inside my room, I marveled at how modern and spacious it was…a true oasis in northern Laos. The bed was comfy, the patio was a great touch, and every inch of the room was incredibly clean. Plus it was very quiet (but not utterly silent). Two glaring downsides: 1) I simply could not determine which room control buttons I pressed at any given time, because none of the buttons had lights or any curvature to indicate an on or off position. It was obviously easy to tell for master lights and the ceiling fan and things, but some of the controls for, for instance, “do not disturb” and “exhaust fan” and “nightlight” were highly ambiguous. On one occasion I didn’t realize a hotel worker was at my door who I requested to come to help with something, because he was adhering to my “do not disturb” status request on the outside wall of my room. And many of the various lights couldn’t turn off when I was getting ready for bed because I didn’t know which buttons to push for them. 2) The WiFi was iffy. The first night of my stay was semi-strong, but the second was spotty at best and non-functional at worst. The resort did seem to be aware of the issue as it was affecting other rooms as well, but it didn’t ever get resolved until I checked out the next morning. On the bright side, I forcibly got some digital detox time! - Value: There’s no question that the Pullman is affordable for the average traveler (who isn’t a stingy backpacker). The experience you get is just amazing for the low price you pay. Which is very telling, of course, as the wonderful people of Laos often struggle to support their families…but knowing that staying at a place like this gives jobs to a large number of people is really important. Sure there were downsides to the room, WiFi, and restaurant service, but the overall nature of this elegant place will prompt my return many more times in the future. Thanks to all who make stays here unique and memorable!

The overall experience has declined from when we last stayed here in 2022. The water hose for the slide in the fun pool was broken during our entire stay over four nights. Breakfast options declined. No soy or oat milk -- I had to ask them to re-make my latte as it was served Luke warm. The Junction bar was unattended at 4 pm. No pool towels one afternoon at 3 pm. The upsides: connecting rooms, housekeeping was on top of it, shuttle accommodated us to the best they could during Pimai road blocks.

Facilities are well-equipped, room is clean and comfortable for a peaceful stay