Where to Sleep
Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel
Rue Chao Fa Ngum, Ban That Luang, Luang Prabang, (+856-71) 254-609 www.coloursofangsana.com
Boutique accommodation is just steps from the center of town. All rooms are decorated in a plush French style with a hint of Laotian in the details. It was on Conde Nast’s 2005 Hot List.
La Résidence Phou Vao
P.O. Box 50, Domaine Phou Vao, Luang Prabang, (856-71) 212-530 [email protected], www.pansea.com
Lush resort on the city’s outskirts that provide ample privacy, a beautiful pool and rooms combining Lan Chang and French colonial styles. Each room has its own private balcony.
Eats for the Ages
Luang Prabang is one of the best places in Southeast Asia to be if you are hungry but don’t have a fat wallet. The somtum, lap and sticky rice are markedly different from what you get in, say, Thailand, and are absolutely out of this world. Also, French cuisine has fused with Laos fare here to create a wealth of inexpensive and delicious dining options.
Somchan Restaurant
Soulingsvonsa Rd., near the Mekong River in Ban Vatthat, 071-252-021.
Refreshingly authentic Lao food served in an open-air dining room with views of the Mekong. Great atmosphere and food.
Malee Lao Food
Near the intersection of Phu Vao and Samsenthai, 071-252-013
Popular alfresco eatery outside city center. It has a stellar reputation among locals and backpackers thanks to its fantastic Lao classics like aulam, a bitter curry soup made from a local root.
Restaurant Brasserie L’Elephant
Ban Wat Nong, 071-252-482
Elegant French-Laos eatery with wooden floors, a spacious dining area, wide verandas and romantic lighting.
Villa Santi
Sakkarine St., in the Villa Santi Hotel, 071-212-267
Romantic spot for Thai and Lao classics gussied up with style, as well as Asian inspired Western fare. Yummy desserts, too (try the bananas flambed in Cointreau).
JOMA
52/6 Sisavangvong, 071-252-223
Chic French café popular for its fine coffee, muffins, delicious homemade cakes and desserts. THE spot for breakfast.
The Low-Down on Laos Etiquette
➔ Wear respectable clothes whenever you go to a religious shrine. So no shorts, miniskirts, halter necks or flip-flops.
➔ Take off your shoes when entering a shrine or a home.
➔ Buddhist monks are not to touch or be touched by a woman, nor are they allowed to accept anything from a woman’s hands.
➔ A "nop," or a prayer-like gesture, is how people in Laos greet each other. While handshakes are acceptable, backslapping or any loud greeting is not.
➔ Do not touch a Lao person’s head or point at their feet as the head is considered the most elevated part of the body and the feet the lowest.
➔ During the local New Year celebrations of April 13, white strings are tied around the wrists in three knots, a practice similar to writing greeting cards to people in western culture. The ceremony of tying such a knot is called “basi.”