My son lives in Vientiane and we asked him to find us a hotel with a pool.... and the Villa Manoly was perfect. OK, it's not 5-star but we loved its old world,slightly run-down colonial charm, magical garden and overall quirkiness. Very simple breakfast - just french bread and jam and fruit, tea or coffee, so go elsewhere to eat if you're hungry in the morning. Tuk-tuk on demand outside the hotel, short walk to the river and beautiful temple across the road. All in all it suited us perfectly. Would most definitely recommend it.

My Fiancee and I stayed at Villa Manoly in mid-July 2010. We paid $35 for a room with AC on the first floor right off of the garden. Villa Manoly definitely has a quirky kind of charm to it. The exterior of the building is attractive and the garden is filled with beautiful flowers that attract a wide range of equally beautiful butterflies. The pool, while small, offers some much needed relief from the heat and was a highlight of the hotel. The staff was friendly, if not quirky, and was able to arrange transport to Luang Prabang at a competitive price. Its location could either be an asset or problem depending on what you are looking for. It is outside of the "downtown" area and is a 15-20 minute walk depending on how fast you are going, or a 30,000 kip ride. The location means that it is quite and peaceful, but if you are looking to be close to the little action Vientiane offers this place is not for you. The biggest problem is that it is simply not a good value. The room, while large and clean, was getting to be rundown and the breakfast verged on meager. You could easily spend less money on a place, although it will not have a pool. While we would probably not stay there again, if a quiet place with a pool is what you are looking for and $35 is in your price range you may want to consider Villa Manoly.

I stayed at Villa Manoly following the recommendation of a friend. First the nice parts: the hotel is nicely located with a temple in the direct nei ghborhood; the garden is quite large and the location rather calm - to the center it's a 20 minutes footwalk.

Now for the rest: the rooms are in dire need of renovation, and I found there was a lack in cleanliness (bathroom, sheets...). The breakfast consisted of old, stale baguette, some reddish blob - probably jam - and a small plate of fruit bar any flavour. The staff didn't speak any english (when I asked them for some lemon for the tea they brought milk) and didn't seem inclined to make any effort (except for the guy at the reception who is nice and helpful).

There is a small pool in the garden, but its greenish tinge put me off from even trying it.

Had I stayed more than 2 nights in Vientiane, I certainly would have changed hotel.

very welcoming and nicely situated slightly aside off the noisy area with a beautiful garden. the room on the second floor are better. the staff is very helpfull and funny as well. they make you feel like at home. the breakfast is not great