Happened upon this beautiful small hotel in the growing town of NongKhai en route to Vientiane. It is newly opened and after having stayed in several other places in Thailand during this holiday with tired furnishings and staff the Sofa Gallery Hotel was a very pleasant change. Much love has obviously gone into the decoration and design of the place and we enjoyed sitting in the garden with our feet dipping in the various koi ponds and watching the majestic river flow by just out back of the hotel. The owner said that at certain times of the year the water level drops and there is a beach from where you can swim but that wasn't the case when we were there in late January. We stayed in one of the rooms upstairs which had a romantic secluded outdoor bathroom. With the place being new the staff were keen to show us the different rooms and they all looked comfortable with artistic touches. Since leaving we have spoken about how we would have loved to have spent more time relaxing in the garden amid the vegetation but unfortunately had to get back to catch a flight from Bangkok. Have stayed in other hotels in the area before but we have now found a beautiful home from home should we get the chance to return to this part of SE Asia. Our only regret was that our time there was too short to relax in the hotel and explore the surrounding area. We didn't eat in the hotel in the evening but did have breakfast which was generous and well presented. The owner spoke excellent English and told us various places of interest and restaurants to visit and see in the area but our time was too short. Likewise didn't get to try one of the on-site massages on offer. Recommended.
Trip Advisor 7/2/2011

Very Unique, We love the place. A small hotel with intimate atmosphere, all rooms have private balconies and beautiful view of the MeaKhong River, perfect for family or couple getaway. I love the rooms that each of them has its own theme and they were as beautiful as we expected. Staffs are friendly and helpful as we had our children with us. We cerebrated my wife's birthday there. The owner offered us a birthday cake as a complementary. Food was great and the party of ten people came out perfectly. We definitely will come back again.
Google map 4 /2/2011

We LOVED our stay at your little paradise. You have a beautiful hotel and the children thought they were in a magic garden. We were not at all inconvenienced and look forward to staying again. I was worried about your other guests waking up too early because our children are early risers, I hope they did not mind too much. Breakfast was delicious (the girls especially like the mango icecream treat)
Thank you email 21/2/2011

Great little hotel in NongKhai. We spotted it last time we were in the town but had already booked elsewhere. We were most happy for the peace and quiet of this hotel after the visa run to Laos. The garden and views of the river are beautiful and then we walked into town for a meal at a Vietnamese restaurant on the river which seemed popular with local residents. The staff were friendly and the fact that the hotel and all furnishings are new and clean (we’ve had some nightmares before in Nongkhai and Udon) we’ll try and stay here next time. We stayed in the garden room but next time would like to stay in the river front rooms because we saw they have balconies and bathrooms that look out onto the river. Really nice. Hotel Feature Tip : Set aside a few hours in the late afternoon to laze in the hotel garden with a book and let the river flow by.
philippa M. United Kingdom Couple / Agoda : April 05, 2011

Feeling like home with friendly atmosphere. very friendly staffs, delicious food. i stayed here with my family. everything's very good. interior is really ethnic and natural. it is located along the river, across the river is laos. i will visit again if i have a chance.
inhan Y. South Korea Family with older children / Agoda : March 27, 2011

brings the term personable to a new level! The staff and management, the facility and the general warm feel of the experience. occasionally in my travels i find things that make an entire journey worthwhile. the sofa gallery is such a place. i went up to nongkhai for other reasons, but will return for the chance to stay and experence this wonderful little place. nothing in the world suits everybodys taste entirely, but if you like comfort and calming ambience along with exemplary food and service this is the place. i found its location to be quite good for me, as i was driving a car. but i have no doubt the management can help out those on foot with getting around comfortably. their recomendations for places to visit was spot on for us! i am looking forward to bring family and guest to visit them again soon! thank you mr viset and max! you are first class! i am happy to have met you! Restaurant Tip : Eat at the Sofa Gallery! try some of the recommended resturants during your stay, but the dining and company at the Sofa had us driving back to eat if we were anywhere near by. But, their recomendations for other facilities was excellent too.
john B. United States of America Couple / Agoda : March 25, 2011