Services we offer
We offer various services to make your stay easier. We provide a laundry service, sell some souvenirs, money exchange, sell tickets to other places in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, can assist with boat transport, offer various activities (cooking classes, boat trips, and fishing trips, among others), motorbike rental, a mini-library, a free map of the island, and information books where you can read more about the activities, background information on Don Som and other areas in Laos, etc.
More information about our services
We are a small guesthouse and do our best to make your stay enjoyable. However, sometimes things go wrong, and since we are human, we make mistakes too. We hope for your understanding and do our best to limit the number of errors. Should something go wrong, please discuss it with us, and we will likely work it out. The two ladies who work for us (Ning and Sing, two sisters) speak little to no English (Sing can take orders and is still learning), but they are friendly, and if there are any questions and/or comments, they will ask us (Tanoi and Sander) to come over. We speak/understand English, limited German, Dutch, Afrikaans (because it is very similar to Dutch), Lao, and Thai.
Laundry service & Money Exchange
We can do your laundry (washed in cold water using a washing machine) and exchange money (if we have enough cash on hand). For payment of our rooms (and food & drinks etc.), we accept payment in various currencies: Lao Kip, Euros, US Dollars, Thai Baht, Cambodian Riel, Vietnamese Dong, Chinese Renminbi, Swiss Francs, Australian Dollars, New Zealand Dollars, Singapore Dollars and Malaysian Ringgit.
Motorbike Rental & Free Maps
We have a free map of Don Som for you and several maps in our information books so that you have a better idea of what you can visit. We also have motorbikes for rent (from morning to evening, so not 24 hours a day). For motorbike rentals, we require a passport or the value of the motorbike in cash as collateral. With a motorbike, you can take amazing day trips on Don Som, but also to Don Det, Don Khone, Don Khong, the Khone Phapheng Falls, and more.
Boat Trips & Bus Tickets
We can organize boat trips for you (see more about this in the 'Activities' section of this website) and sell tickets for buses or minivans to other places in Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. We are always happy to help you plan and make your trip as pleasant as possible.
Souvenirs
At the moment, we sell few souvenirs, but we would like to expand this in the near future. We currently sell a shirt featuring the flag and map of Laos, among other things, for 199,000 Kip per shirt (that is approximately €7.50). 100% of the profit from that shirt goes to the projects of Don Som Project (read more about the project via this link).
Restaurant
Food is one of our passions (travel is another...). Tanoi, Sing, and Ning are excellent cooks and prepare your dishes with love. We try to use organic products as much as possible, and in our garden (everything organic), we are growing more and more for our own use (bananas, chili peppers, spring onions, tomatoes, etc.). We also use eggs from our own chickens as much as possible (in the high season, the demand for eggs is often greater than what the hens can lay, so we have to buy extra). Because we consider it important to use as many products as possible that do not have to come from far away, and because we want to promote delicious Laotian food, most of our dishes are Laotian, although you can also find Thai and a few Western dishes, and we also have some of our own creations that we love to serve. We no longer sell Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and related products because we disagree with what is happening in the country (and what is being done elsewhere) where those companies come from. We have delicious fruit shakes, Beerlao, homemade lemonade, etc., if you would like a refreshment. We do not sell water to help protect the environment (plastic waste is a huge problem, even in Laos), and you can refill your water bottle with us for free. For this reason, we also do not sell plastic bottles with other drinks and use reusable plastic or metal straws. If you would like to learn more about Laotian cooking and food culture, consider joining our 4000 Islands Cooking Class. Enjoy your meal!
Information Books & Mini Library
We have a small 'mini library' containing books primarily in English, French, German, and Dutch. You are welcome to read the books during your stay. Of course, you can also leave books for other guests. We also have information folders with details about Don Som, the 4000 Islands, Laos in general, the Don Som Project, and more. We aim to keep you well-informed with these folders, but are naturally always willing to provide more information should you have any questions.
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