Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel

Rooms and decor

Picture waking up, sliding open your balcony door, and finding the wide Mekong stretched out in front of you, with the green tree-line of the Thai bank running off to the horizon. That is the draw of Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel. All of its roughly 200 rooms come with a large balcony, and the river-side rooms are the highlight reviewers agree on, because they face due west — so every evening you can nurse a drink and watch the sun sink toward Thailand while the river throws back orange and gold. Inside, the look is easy-on-the-eye contemporary: earth tones, warm wood, and panels of Lao woven textile worked into the cushions and bedding for a bit of Lao character that never gets loud. The beds are soft, the bathrooms practical, and the rooms run larger than most central Vientiane hotels — anyone who has stayed in a shoebox near Nam Phou will feel the difference straight away.

Food and amenities

The heart of the place is the large outdoor pool facing the Mekong, ringed by a wide deck and plenty of loungers, so a mid-morning swim followed by a drink from the pool bar becomes the kind of routine people repeat daily without tiring of it. Beside it runs a shaded riverside walk under big trees. For anyone who wants to train mid-trip, the 24-hour gym is a genuine plus — full, modern kit, open whenever you are. Food and drink run across three restaurants and bars: a main dining room for breakfast and dinner, a riverside restaurant that is at its most romantic at dusk, and a bar built for a post-swim drink. The upside is plain — on a day you are too worn out to leave, you can run the whole day here without eating elsewhere.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits on Souphanouvong Avenue, which runs along the Mekong some way west of central Vientiane. The Nam Phou fountain, the city's go-to meeting point, is about 4 km off, and Patuxai roughly 5 km; a car covers it in 10 to 15 minutes. That distance gives the place a different feel from the downtown blocks — quiet, a cool river breeze running through, no motorbike din — which suits anyone after a real resort stay over running around all day. To offset the out-of-centre address, the hotel runs a free shuttle into town on a schedule, sparing you a tuk-tuk charter every time you fancy the morning market or an old temple. Wattay Airport is just 7 km out, about 15 minutes by car, which is handy on your flight day. Stay here and you trade a little travel planning for the full river view.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, the out-of-centre location: walking to Nam Phou or the riverside walking street in the evening is genuinely not on. If your trip is built around wandering out to the morning market and eating at local spots every meal, this may not be your hotel — check the shuttle timetable and leave room in the budget for tuk-tuks. Second, some reviewers note that a few rooms and fittings are showing their age for a five-star badge — the odd piece of furniture, a power socket, or a shower head that is not as sharp as the international price tier implies. Anyone expecting the box-fresh feel of a just-opened international chain may read this as sitting between four and five stars, though in a Vientiane where true five-star options are still thin, that is fair enough. Last, garden-view versus river-view rooms differ sharply: land a garden-side room and you miss the sunset, which is the real selling point. Specify River View or Mekong View when you book — paying a touch more is well worth it.

Our take

Having read through a stack of real guest reviews, Landmark Mekong Riverside Hotel clearly sells one thing and sells it well: a Mekong view, a sunset, and a lot of room to relax. If the picture in your head of a Vientiane trip is sitting on your own balcony watching the sun drop into the river each evening, swimming in a big pool that faces the water, and having dinner at the riverside restaurant without going anywhere — this is the tidiest answer, with a free shuttle on hand when you want a change of scene. But if the heart of your trip is walking the small streets downtown each morning, finding your favourite Lao coffee, and being back in your room minutes later, the location here will cost you real travel time. Overall we give it 8.4/10 — best for couples and relaxers who value the view and the quiet over a central address.