Crowne Plaza Vientiane : My Hotel Gym Review

Vientiane, Laos Gym and Hotel Review

The Crown Plaza Vientiane might just be the best hotel gym I have found in South East Asia.

Vientiane is the laid-back riverside capital of Laos. It blends Buddhist temples and golden stupas with French colonial architecture and, located right across the border from Thailand, it is far less chaotic than many other Southeast Asian capitals.

If you are visiting Laos, you might stop in Vientiane on your way to some of the more popular destinations in the country.

Luang Prabang is known for its French-colonial architecture, centuries-old Buddhist temples and Kuang Si Waterfalls. Vang Vieng is framed by dramatic limestone karst mountains and known for outdoor activities and river tubing, while Pakse is the gateway to southern Laos.

And to be honest, Laos has much more to offer than its capital city, so a stopover in Vientiane might only be one or two days.

But if you’re looking for a stopover in Vientiane, or perhaps, like us, you’re living in Southeast Asia and looking for a little five-star luxury at a very good price – I highly recommend Crowne Plaza Vientiane.

A Luxury Stopover in Vientiane

Having already spent a month in Laos last year, this trip we were looking for a bit of luxury.

So we headed back to Vientiane and checked into Crowne Plaza Vientiane for two nights.

From Bangkok, it was a short 50-minute flight, and the hotel is around 10 minutes from the airport. Before we knew it, we were checked in and sitting by the rooftop pool.

The room was beautiful, with a queen-size bed, pillow options, large TV, free water, lovely bathroom amenities and a large bathtub.

The rooftop pool and tapas bar had pool towels, food and drinks, different lounger options and umbrellas for shade.

We dined at 3 Merchants multiple times and the food and service were spectacular. Prices were reasonable too.

Elephant Lounge on the ground floor was perfect for an evening cocktail in the outside garden area, and while we were there they had live music.

And then there was the international buffet breakfast at Mosaic Restaurant.

Every breakfast option you could desire and more.

So you might be reading this thinking… yeah, well that sounds like a standard five-star hotel to me.

But what sets this hotel apart is the fitness facility.

The Hotel Gym That Makes This Stay Worth Writing About

This was a fully equipped fitness centre and quite possibly the best hotel gym I have experienced.

What always bugs me when booking a hotel is the lack of information about the fitness centre.

If you’re lucky, the hotel website might have one photo, which never really shows enough of the room or what equipment is actually available.

And normally, you arrive to find a treadmill and an exercise bike.

This was very different.

There was a proper strength-training setup with a squat rack, Smith machine, full-size cable crossover, boxing bag, free-weight area and a really good selection of Life Fitness machines.

There was enough equipment to train every major body part without having to completely redesign your workout around the limitations of a hotel gym.

The cardio setup was just as impressive, with treadmills, ellipticals, a stepper, rowing machine and exercise bike.

There was even a separate studio-style room with full mirrors, marley flooring, medicine balls and mats.

But here is the important part.

You could actually train here.

Not just walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes and tell yourself you went to the gym. You could do a proper workout.

The only real downside for me was that the dumbbells only went up to 20 kg.

But seriously, have you ever seen a hotel gym with this much equipment?

I was impressed.

What It Felt Like to Train Here

Finding a gym with this level of equipment and facilities inside a hotel was such a nice surprise.

Everything was clean, well organised and there was enough variety that I could train properly rather than putting together one of those slightly random hotel-gym workouts based on whatever equipment happens to be available.

So impressed that I would rate this as one of the best hotel gyms I’ve experienced in Southeast Asia.

A Morning Run in Vientiane

And on your non-training day, perhaps you want to get outside for a morning run before attacking that buffet breakfast.

Like we did. From Crowne Plaza Vientiane, we ran to Patuxai Victory Monument, making it a 6.5 km loop from the hotel to the World Peace Gong at the other end of the monument and back.

We ran up Souphanouvong Avenue to Lane Xang Avenue and towards the monument and gong.

Take a selfie, then head back down Lane Xang Avenue to Rue Samsenthai, continue past Hilton DoubleTree, turn left into Sithane Road and then back onto Souphanouvong Avenue towards Crowne Plaza.

The footpaths and roads were in okay condition and we found it easy enough to stay on the footpath and use the road crossings.

A great start to the day.

And you can definitely enjoy the buffet breakfast afterwards.

Is Vientiane Safe to Walk Around?

This is something people have asked me about Vientiane.

From our experience, we felt safe walking around, particularly during the day in the central areas and around the Mekong Riverside.

Vientiane felt calm and easy to move around.

As with any city, use normal awareness while you’re out exploring.

What to See in Vientiane

To be honest, there isn’t a huge amount to see in Vientiane compared with other places in Laos, so I wouldn’t over-plan your time here.

Check out Patuxai Victory Monument, visit Pha That Luang Vientiane, or wander through the night market and morning market.

But besides that?

Enjoy the luxury of the hotel before heading off to explore the rest of Laos.

Use the gym. Sit by the rooftop pool. Have a cocktail. Enjoy the breakfast. Take the bath. Put on the robe. Order room service!

Sometimes that is exactly what a stopover is for.

Crowne Plaza Vientiane Gym Scorecard

Just for the record… five stars don’t come easy.

My Final Thoughts

Crowne Plaza Vientiane completely surprised me.

I expected a lovely hotel, good service and a relaxing rooftop pool.

I did not expect to find a hotel gym this well equipped.

The only thing stopping it from being a full five-star gym review was the free weights only going up to 20 kg. Other than that, this fitness centre had almost everything I could want from a hotel gym.

Would I stay again?

Absolutely.

If you are looking for a luxury hotel with a great gym in Laos, this is it.

And if you’ve stayed in a hotel in Southeast Asia with a fitness centre that is better than this — or even comes close — let me know. I’d love to check it out.

Message me if you have any questions or want to know more!

Stay strong, stay travelling, and keep the adventure alive 🏋️‍♀️✈️🌏

Travel, move, repeat.

Mi-Ree 🧡