Night Bus to Huay Xai, Chiang Rai, Thailand - Hotel pickup

I booked a bus ticket from Luang Prabang to Chiang Rai through Laos Group Tour for 900,000 LAK – an extremely overpriced ticket. The experience was not only disappointing but also deeply distressing. The scheduled departure time was 5 PM, but the bus didn’t leave until after 7 PM. The condition of the bus was appalling – a sleeper bus with hard, filthy seats, an unbearable stench, and garbage everywhere including egg cartons. It was overcrowded with people sitting on the floor, leaving no space to move – extremely suffocating. Around 11 PM, the bus broke down. We spent the entire night stuck without any communication from the staff. Only in the morning did they start attempting repairs. I contacted Laos Group Tour and explained that I had endured a horrible night and was wasting another day without updates. I requested a refund to book a taxi or reach the railway station. After hours of delay and back-and-forth, they refunded only 600,000 LAK, deducting 300,000, claiming it covered the broken bus ride. As my money was already partially deducted, and I had no other travel option by afternoon, I reluctantly decided to continue with the same bus to the border. But then, to my shock, the bus operator claimed I couldn’t board as I had received a refund. They violently pushed me off the bus and threw my luggage out. As a woman traveling solo, this was terrifying – I was manhandled, left crying by the roadside with no support. This has been the worst transportation experience of my entire travel journey across multiple countries. Laos Group Tour showed zero professionalism, no accountability, and complete disregard for safety and basic human decency. I urge fellow travelers to avoid this operator completely.

Everything was great! The owner is very friendly and helpful. He answered all our questions we had. Great experience.