We stayed at the Sanctuary as we had stayed in the sister hotel in Luang Prabang and loved it. We found this one not to be as polished but still an enjoyable stay.
Pakbeng is a 'stop-over' place as the boat cruise along the Mekong stops here meaning there was very little around in the local vicinity meaning we didn't leave the complex. We were upgraded to a 'deluxe' room but felt it lacked that prestige feel e.g. bed wasn't as comfortable as we've had previously and only 1 pillow.
The staff were very attentive, including the manager who welcomed us personally. The food was delicious and we enjoyed a bottle of red wine in the room as well as with dinner as it was so good. The view is exquisite along the Mekong and we even saw elephants bathing in the water on the opposite bank at 7am as we left. Amazing.
The hotel has it's own private pier to the river so our cruise picked us up there which was a real perk. The team helped us with our bags to the river making the whole process very easy.
We requested a breakfast box as we were leaving so early and were spoilt! We had an omelette each, crepes, toast with butter/jam and fresh fruit. Excellent.