Don Som Riverside Guesthouse

If you want to get away from the tourist trail and find genuine Laos village life a few days on don som will be perfect. There are some great walks on the island, there are no roads but well marked paths. As you walk around the island buffalo and cattle will move out of your way. You can see people working in the fields and living a very simple village life. The hut was clean, spacious and the bed very comfortable. You can lie in a hammock and watch the fishermen and listen to the sounds of the river and their boats. It is not commercialised like don det and don khone. you can visit those islands for a day trip with ease. The fishing trip at sunset is highly recommended. The guesthouse has mopeds available for rent. Getting to Riverside guest house is straightforward. If you're coming from pakse, get the mini bus to drop you at ban khinak on route 13, which is a short tuktuk ride to the ferry. The ferry takes you to within a few hundred metres of Riverside guest house. Communication with the hosts is easy through messaging on WhatsApp and booking.com. They kindly organised our departure from the island. Sander, Tanoi and their staff are great hosts! You will feel more like you have been invited to their home than just staying at a guest house. They are really trying to make a difference to the local for the young people on the island, with community projects.

Nothing.

The place is a good value for money. It's nicely decorated and has private bungalows. The owners are friendly.

Difficult access to other islands. If you are planning not to visit the other islands, it's a good option.

We absolutely loved staying at the Don Som Riverside Guesthouse, best place to stay and eat in the 4000 islands. Our little bungalow was super confortable and the shared bathroom was spacious and always clean. We had the view on the Mekong and we spend a crazy amount of time in the hammocks in front of the bungalow. It's a bit further from the rest of the 4000 islands but definitely worth it, the owners are adorable and will do anything to help you and make your stay an awesome experience. Also the island itself is very pretty and only locals live there so if you looking to get away from touristic places, this is your spot! The food is delicious there, breakfast, mango shake and my favorite: their pad thai. Water is free and they have plenty of activities. We went fishing in the Mekong and rented their scooter to visit the different islands. We would have stayed at least a week there if we could. Highly recommend!!

Tanoi and Sander were such kind hosts, and they made my stay absolutely amazing. Don Som is a very cute little island, and the paths around it are very good for walking and taking photos :) The food was also really good, and the property itself was beautiful. I ended up extending my stay, and I would definitely stay there again! Thank you so much for an amazing experience!!

Nothing! It was amazing :)

I spent several days at Sander’s and Tanoi’s guesthouse and really enjoyed the vibe, place, view, food, communication! Everything was just great. Would recommend to anyone who wants to enjoy sound of nature and sight of starry nights.

SANDERS & TANOI are The Most Perfect guesthouse owners ever !!! Don Som Riverside location is really breathtaking, and the bungalows face some of the most fascinating views to Mekong River !!! And the dinner was really delicious !!! The gave me the very best tips to continue my travel through Mekong River on my way to Laos !!! The also organized my trip and checked the boat and tuc tuc for me. THANKS SO MANY FOR EVERYTHING & ALL THE VERY BEST FOR YOUR HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS !!!

Great location, amazing food, and the owner is an awesome guy