The Best Hotel Gym in Vientiane, Laos: Crowne Plaza Review
- reefaulkner
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
The best hotel gym I have found might just be in Vientiane, Laos.
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, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is known for its French-colonial architecture, centuries-old Buddhist temples and Kuang Si Waterfalls just outside the city. Vang Vieng, framed by dramatic limestone karst mountains, is a riverside town known for outdoor activities and river tubing. Pakse, the gateway to southern Laos, is famous for waterfalls, coffee plantations on the Bolaven Plateau and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Wat Phou.
And to be honest, Laos has much more to offer than its capital city Vientiane, so a stopover here might only be one or two days. But if you are looking for a stopover in Vientiane, or perhaps, like us, you are living in Southeast Asia and looking for a little five-star luxury vacation at a very good price, I highly recommend staying at Crowne Plaza Vientiane for a few days.
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 is 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.
This five-star hotel blends traditional Lao aesthetics with contemporary amenities and was the perfect getaway for us. The room was beautiful, with a queen-size bed, pillow options, a large TV, free water, lovely bathroom amenities and a large bathtub. The rooftop pool with tapas bar provided pool towels, food and drink options, different lounger options around the pool area and umbrellas for shade. The 3 Merchants restaurant features colonial-style décor and specialises in Indochina cuisine, with regional dishes and fusion options that combine local ingredients with Western influences. We dined here multiple times, and the food and service were spectacular. The prices were reasonable too. Elephant Lounge, located on the ground floor, was perfect for an evening cocktail in the outside garden area, and on the nights we were there, they had live music. The international buffet breakfast served every morning at Mosaic Restaurant had every breakfast option you could desire and more.
So you might be reading this and 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 the most when booking a hotel for your next trip is the lack of information on the hotel website about the fitness centre. If you are lucky, they might have one photo, which never really shows enough of the room or the equipment available. And normally, it is just a treadmill or an exercise bike. This hotel fitness centre was extraordinary.
Yes, it contained cardio equipment such as ellipticals, a stepper, rowing machine and exercise bike, as well as five treadmills.
But here is the exciting part.
It also had a squat rack with Powerline T-Bar row attachment, smith machine, full-size cable crossover unit, boxing bag and Life Fitness machines for every body part.
There was a seated leg press, leg curl, leg extension, fly machine, pulldown, shoulder press, chest press and vertical knee raise unit.
There was also a free weight area with adjustable benches, hip extension machine and decline bench. And as well as all of this, there was a ballet studio-style room with full mirrors, marley floor, medicine balls and mats.
The only negative to this wonderful gym was that the free weights only went up to 20kg, so for those heavy lift days, you might just have to wait.
But seriously, have you ever seen a hotel gym with this much equipment?
I was impressed.
So impressed that I would rate this hotel gym as one of the best hotel gyms in Southeast Asia. This hotel gym would suit travellers who actually want to train while they travel. Not just walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes, but do a proper workout.
A Morning Run in Vientiane
And on your non-training day while staying at this hotel, perhaps you would like to take a morning run before that buffet breakfast, like we did. It is a great way to check out the city early in the morning and get your steps in before retiring to the rooftop pool for the rest of the day. From Crowne Plaza Vientiane, take a run to Patuxai Victory Monument. It is the perfect 6.5km loop from the hotel to the World Peace Gong at the other end of the monument.
Run up Souphanouvong Avenue to Lane Xang Avenue and then towards the monument and gong. Take a selfie before running back down Lane Xang Avenue all the way to Rue Samsenthai. Continue down this street past Hilton DoubleTree before turning left into Sithane Road, then back onto Souphanouvong Avenue towards Crowne Plaza Hotel.
It is a great start to the day, and you can definitely enjoy the buffet breakfast guilt-free afterwards. And if you are concerned about the roads or footpaths, they are in okay condition. It is easy to stay on a footpath and use the road crossings with ease.
Is Vientiane Safe to Walk Around?
Lastly, a question many people ask me about Vientiane: is it safe to walk around?
Yes, Vientiane is generally very safe to walk around, especially during the day in central tourist areas like the historic district and the Mekong Riverside.
Violent crime is extremely rare, but you should still practise standard urban vigilance to avoid common, localised annoyances. Vientiane feels very calm and easy to move around.
What to See in Vientiane
To be honest, there is not a huge amount to see in Vientiane compared with other places in Laos, so I would not over-plan your time here.
Check out Patuxai Victory Monument on a morning run, visit Pha That Luang Vientiane, the historic 44-metre gold Buddhist stupa with multiple levels, a walled enclosure and a grassy courtyard. The night market is very local but good to pick up some tourist gifts if that is your thing. You could also check out the morning market.
But besides that, I would recommend you just enjoy the luxury of this hotel and its amenities before visiting 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.
Practical Takeaways
Best for: fitness-focused travellers, digital nomads, expats, active travellers and anyone wanting a luxury hotel stopover in Vientiane.
Gym highlights: squat rack, smith machine, cable crossover, Life Fitness machines, cardio equipment, boxing bag, free weights area and separate studio room.
Only downside: free weights only went up to 20kg during my stay.
Overall vibe: luxury, calm, comfortable and surprisingly fitness-friendly.
Would I stay again? Yes, absolutely.
Scorecard
Just for the record… 5 stars don’t come easy.
First Impressions ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Space ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Equipment ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Vibe ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pricing N/A — included with hotel stay
Final Thought ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
Crowne Plaza Vientiane completely surprised me. I expected a lovely hotel, good service and a relaxing rooftop pool, but 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 20kg. Other than that, this fitness centre had almost everything you could want from a hotel gym.
FAQ
Here are a few quick answers to questions you might have if you are thinking about staying at Crowne Plaza Vientiane or visiting Vientiane as a short stopover.
Does Crowne Plaza Vientiane have a good hotel gym?
Yes. In my experience, Crowne Plaza Vientiane has one of the best hotel gyms I have found in Southeast Asia.
Is the hotel gym good for strength training?
Yes. The gym had a squat rack, smith machine, full-size cable crossover, Life Fitness machines, leg machines, upper body machines and free weights. The only downside was that the free weights only went up to 20kg.
Is Vientiane worth visiting?
Vientiane is worth visiting as a short stopover, especially if you are travelling through Laos. I would recommend one or two days here before heading to places like Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng or Pakse.
Can you run in Vientiane?
Yes. We did a 6.5km morning loop from Crowne Plaza Vientiane to Patuxai Victory Monument and back. The footpaths and crossings were easy enough to use on this route.
Is Vientiane safe to walk around?
From my experience, yes. Vientiane felt generally safe to walk around during the day in central areas, although you should still use normal city awareness.
Conclusion
Crowne Plaza Vientiane was a wonderful little luxury stopover, but the fitness centre was the biggest surprise. The service, dining options, room, rooftop pool and buffet breakfast all made the stay feel special, but the hotel gym is what made it worth writing about for GTB.
If you are looking for a luxury hotel with a great gym in Laos, this is it.
And if you have stayed in a hotel in Southeast Asia with a fitness centre that is better than this, or even comes close, let me know. I would love to check it out.
For more honest gym reviews, active travel experiences and destination guides, explore more from Gym Travel Blog - GTB.
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Stay strong, stay travelling, and keep the adventure alive 🏋️♀️✈️🌏
Travel, move, repeat
Mi-Ree 💙