“Beautiful, quiet location, great owners and staff.”

Leaving

“Supurb location and owners / staff”

Great, great owners.. a Lao / Dutch couple. They put a lot of effort to initiate/help with community projects over last 2o years. The accommodation restaurant / bar - only one on Don Som Island , has an incredible view of the activities of Mekong. You can just relax on hammocks, have a beer, bait trip, beach swim, cooking class !!, hire scooters to see island ( awesome and cheap!!). Don som Island is a rural place- 17 x3 k Approx .. mainly farmers., very friendly …it’s something special., Ive been to 68 countries and 1000,s of stays. Go there!

Beautiful location, great staff, relaxing, chill vibe. If you’re looking for somewhere to go and just forget the world, you will be hard pressed to find somewhere better. Sander and Ben are two of the nicest people you could wish to meet, polite and very helpful.

this is the sort of place where you could really spend an infinite amount of time with some good books and going for wanders. the place is truly wonderful, incredibly peaceful with views of the river and watching the world go by, chilling in the hammocks and enjoying lovely meals made in the restaurant. also a huge mention to the free water refills, so important so always makes a place a winner the island is a beautiful place to walk or bike around, with amazing views, friendly people and all aspects of life on the island to see the people who run this place also run some excellent community projects and are really interesting to speak to practically, this place was super easy to access even relying on public transport, especially with very helpful instructions from the owners on how to get here. they were also really helpful with organising a boat to our next stop in don det, which was by far the most practical way of getting there and even rolled the boat trip and necessary transport into one! the room is spacious, with a mosquito net and very comfy bed and pillows. we also really appreciated the kettle and fridge in the room so glad we found this place and i cannot recommend enough,i’m sure this won’t be our last visit here🍀

The staff are very helpful and kind. And the island of Don Som is great if you want to stay away from the crowd of tourists

I had a wonderful time at Don Som Riverside It was my last stop before leaving Laos and I couldn’t think of a better place to enjoy Laos before leaving. The owners are so nice and will help you with any questions. I had a great time talking with them and learned a lot about the country and its people. The food is very good and the rooms are comfortable! I definitely recommend this place :)

“Calm , tranquil simplicity”

Thank you Sander and Tanoi for making us so welcome, for the absolutely delicious food and a unique experience of staying in a beautiful , tranquil un touristy location We were so impressed by your dedication to trying to benefit the nearby villages with all your creative solutions to make lives better Inspirational. Thank you too for giving us insights into the heart of the Lao people Walking through the villages and encountering the warmth of the locals was so special Thank k you also for all your help organising our onward travel - very kind and much appreciated.

“Fantastic place off the beaten track to learn about Laos and hear firsthand from the owners about the long and sometimes”

Submerge ourselves for couple of days in Lao rural life. The sharing of knowledge and experiences by owners Sander and Tanoi further complements that. And their efforts and energy to sustainably improve things for the community in small steps are fantastic.

“A lovely place to stay on an amazing Island with brilliant hosts!”

A lovely place on an amazing island with fantastic hosts. The place felt like it was loved and cared for very well. The beds were comfy, hammocks outside were fun to chill in and the communal areas were very clean. The food was incredible too, highly recommend the yellow curry! In addition to the stay, we had the opportunity to see the Don Som Project and spend time with the local kids playing Football & Badminton. Highly recommend checking this out before you come and stay and support this brilliant project in any way you can. Finally, Tanoi & Sander, thank you so much for having us, keep being awesome and hopefully see you again in the future :).

“Bliss.”

We were so lucky to find this place. Don Som is so peaceful and the guesthouse faces the sunrise over the Mekong. Bliss. Tanoi and Sander are wonderful hosts, thoughtful, informative and great to talk to. Thank you so much, we hope to come back some day!

Lovely place on the quiet island of Don Som with cute cabins, a really nice garden, hammocks and delicious food. In the mornings you can watch the sunrise from the garden or even your cabin. The owners are really nice and helped me a lot when I was in need. The common area is a great place to talk to other travelers and enjoy their homemade food. Overall the island is awesome for relaxing and exploring rural life or playing (football) with the kids from the village. My favorite place in Laos!

Simple, but wounderful little Guesthouse, direktly in front of little rapids on Mekong. Extremly peaceful and relaxed, excellent food, very committed staff and owner couple. Doing a lot of projects for the community and especially for the kids on the island. Big recommendation!

“One of the best spots of Mekong”

The place is paradise. Super room with a view towards the sunrise. The owners are absolutely adorable. A very nice couple who runs this business with passion and love. The food is more than fantastic. I recommend it 100%. Thank you and see you again!

The very helpful and kind owners and staff. The beautiful and quiet location. The wonderful home cooked and homegrown food.

“Good things in life are simple”

Don Som Riverside is off the beaten tracks. It is the only guesthouse on Don Som and therefore the absolute contrast to the side by side guesthouses on the neigbouring island Don Det. We liked it a lot as the countryside is still very rural & original, while you can also do a lot of activities like a fishing trip, a cooking class, a Lao language course, or simply relax in your hammock on the balcony of your bungalow. You can also rent a motorbike, but you should be a good rider as no paved ways exist. Furthermore, boat trips can be organized. The bungalows are mostly basic with a shared bathroom, but also a bungalow with own bathroom exists. The food is great and Sander and Tanoi share another passion besides the guesthouse: a non-profit organisation supporting the education/development of the local kids with a newly bulit activity center. Highly recommended!

“Relaxing stay”

I can't fault the host, she was lovely. If you want a remote relaxing place, this is perfect. It was just a bit too remote for me to stay longer than 2 nights. I'd avoid rainy season as it was too muddy getting there unless you can get a boat directly there. The food was amazing and the best I've eaten in a long time. So so relaxing and quiet. It was a lovely bungalow with hammocks and a sunrise view across the Mekong River.

“Great place. Stayed far-longer than anticipated, just so relaxing.”

Tranquil,peaceful location. Great food. Friendly and engaging hosts.

“More than a guesthouse!”

Don Som Riverside Guesthouse is a little gem of a place on the banks of the river Mekong. Down-to earth accommodation on an island unspoilt by tourism. Owners Sander and Tanoi will give you the warmest of welcomes and make sure you’re always well fed, watered and bedded. They speak English, Dutch, Lao and German. Bungalows (twin, double, single) with comfy beds and mozzie nets available, camping is also possible on the premises. The on-site restaurant has Lao, Thai and Western foods and drinks - the yellow curry and the barbecue are super delicious, as are the breakfast choices! Motorbike rental, cooking classes, fishing trips and travel advice all available. There are shops in the nearby village. The guesthouse can be easily accessed by ferry from the mainland - Sander and Tanoi will help to arrange this. They also run an activity center to support the children of the local village and you can volunteer there. If you’d like to come and stay and have questions, get in touch with Sander on What’s App (+8562097921099) or email [email protected]

Staying on Don Som was truly an interesting experience — I highly recommend it if you want to see local life untouched by tourism, and (unlike Don Det) enjoy lush green rice fields. The house itself is quite cozy, and it’s clear that the hosts are genuinely trying to create a comfortable and welcoming environment for their guests. There’s no Wi-Fi in the house, but I had a stable mobile internet connection, so just make sure you have enough data in advance. And be sure to bring a bicycle with you from Don Det!

“What an amazing piece of paradise. So relaxing. The hosts are lovely with a beautiful vision realised. I would return in”

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