La Residence Phou Vao

Rooms

The hallmark here is an impeccable simplicity (don’t come looking for clutter). You’ll find whitewashed walls, contemporary four-posters kitted out in crisp white linen, shiny teak floors and a wall of glass opening onto shaded balconies or terraces. Here you get 2 opium-bed loungers embedded in wooden frames. In between, there’s a small coffee table with sparkling tea pots, so sip your Earl Grey, read your book, snooze through the afternoon.

All suites at La Residence are gorgeously airy and spacious, and come in the same cool style. They are categorised by their view (prices rise as the views get better), so choose from Garden View, Mountain View, Mountain Pool View or top-of-the-range Phou Vao Suite. We had a Garden View Suite and loved it, but Mountain View rooms are not much more expensive, so you may want to splash out on one of these. We felt the Mountain Pool View Suites were a little less private, and thought that the 2 Phou Vao Suites would be best suited to those staying long periods of time due to their separate sitting areas.

Inside, you get cushioned sofas, good lighting, TVs and mini-bars that are hidden away in pretty wooden cabinets. There are bowls of fruit, too. Big airy bathrooms are equally wonderful and come with polished rosewood surfaces, huge wall mirrors and terrazzo baths in green with overhead showers; all come with robes, slippers and soothing oils.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Safe box

Eating

A fabulous breakfast is served in the Phou Savanh restaurant and is accompanied by a newssheet that brings you up to date. You help yourself to a huge buffet breakfast. Dig into fruit salads and freshly-sliced fruits, assorted jugs of freshly-squeezed juice, cold plates of cheese and ham, hot plates of bacon and eggs (and even baked beans!), then a raft of patisserie, all of which is baked in the kitchen: pain au chocolat, croissants, baguette, brioche, even chocolate cake.

Throughout the day a menu of light snacks offers pasta and salads, sandwiches and burgers, onion tarts, spring rolls and home-made potato chips. If you want something more substantial for lunch the dinner menu is available, too. You eat either in the airy dining room, where glass doors retract and open the room up to views of distant mountains, or out on the terrace, which is lit by candle lanterns at night; if the temperature cools, they light coal fires to keep you warm. Try stuffed bamboo shoots or foie gras, wok-fried Mekong perch or magret de canard, tropical fruits or tarte au chocolat. It’s all delicious and there’s a good wine list to enjoy. All meals can be brought to your room, or you can opt to dine amongst 500 candles or in a secluded pagoda upon request. Unwind with a sundowner in the Doc Champa Bar, which overlooks the pool and has an impressive wine and cocktail list.

Luang Prabang has some of the best food in Indochina with a clutch of excellent cafés and restaurants from which to choose; the streets at night are alive with tourists and locals. Staff are more than happy to recommend restaurants and make table reservations.

Features include:

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service

Activities

• Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason: this sleepy city on the banks of the Mekong is one of the loveliest in Asia. It is a perfect spot to while away a quiet week and has enough lovely diversions to fill many a morning
  
• Take a boat 25 km up the Mekong to the Pak Ou Caves. You’ll find Buddha statues jostling for space and the cruise up the river is spectacular
  
• Drive or cycle up to Kuang Si waterfalls and check out its impressive 150m drop that tumbles from the sky over four ledges (at its best in November-January, after the rains); there are swimming holes downstream, but remember that Laotians bathe fully clothed. The journey south through the countryside is equally enjoyable.
  
• Ride an elephant, trek in the hills, bike through the mountains, take to the rivers in a kayak. There are several tour companies; try Tiger Trail on the High Street
  
• Cross the Mekong and climb up the hill to Wat Chom Phet, a ruined temple with great views of Luang Prabang across the Mekong
  
• Don’t miss the Royal Palace (not that you can, it’s in the middle of town). An hour here is well spent; outlandish interiors with fine murals and interesting curios
  
• Phu Si, the temple on top of the only hill in town: come up for sunset and meet every other tourist in town. Tacky - well, yes, a little, but the views of forest and the Mekong are great, and you can see the wood smoke settling above the tree-line at dusk, one of the loveliest sights we saw in Laos
  
• Play pétanque by the banks of the river. Luang Prabangers seem to love this game and there are pitches all over the place
  
• Check out the markets: Phu Si market, away from the old town, is where locals do their shopping. The night market sprawls through the side streets around the Royal Palace and its pretty lights make it a lovely evening stroll
  
• Chill out at the Residence with a Lao massage in the spa, or a cookery lesson

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Shopping / markets
• Traditional cultures

Kids

The hotel is child-friendly, with extra beds and children's menus available, but the pool is not supervised. Under 2s go free; 2-12 year olds pay 50% for food and beverages; over 12s pay normal rates.

Family friendly accommodation:

All rooms can fit an extra bed or baby cot, but we'd recommend the Phou Vao Suite as it comes with a sitting room that features a single sofabed as well as being able to fit an additional bed or baby cot.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

La Residence Phou Vao is in the town of Luang Prabang in Laos (also called Lao PDR). It's on the Phou Vao hill (Hill of Kites) about 1 mile/2km outside the centre - there's a free transfer service by tuk-tuk (taxi).

By Air:
There are no long-haul flights into Luang Prabang, but there are connections from neighbouring countries including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Siem Reap and Hanoi, as well as Laos' capital, Vientiane. Follow the links below for more info. In rainy season dense cloud can cause delays, so leave time for connections, especially if moving on to an expensive long-haul flight.

From the airport
The hotel can arrange an airport transfer to pick you up, or tuk-tuks will take you for a few dollars.

Overland from Thailand
From Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, you can travel by bus or car to Chiang Khong on the Mekong river (the border), and then take a boat across to Houei Xai in Laos. From Houei Xai there are boats down river to Luang Prabang (1-2 days), but there are no schedules or safety enforcements, so you should be prepared for an adventure.

Overland from Vientiane
This is a bus journey of 8-9 hours, and not to be underestimated.

More on getting to Laos and getting around