JOANNA HARRIS INTRODUCES A QUARTET OF LUANG PRABANG’S MOST STYLISH PLACES TO STAY

THE APSARA The Apsara’s proprietor Ivan Sholte is – bar the name – the essence of the quintessential “Empire days” Englishman in Asia; elegantly eloquent, dressed in khakis and cotton flannel shirt, and sporting a funky pair of wire-framed specs (although I’m sure he has 20/20 vision really). He can be found at most times fixing drinks behind his bar, with a glass of champagne on the counter. Ivan worked for many years in Paris in the hospitality industry, followed by a stint as a wine merchant in Hong Kong before moving on to arrange tours in South-East Asia for wealthy Americans. Put this experience in a cocktail shaker and what do you get? Luang Prabang’s most stylish accommodation, with a restaurant that features a well-endowed wine list to complement possibly the best food on this side of Singapore. Treats on off er include the tamarind-basted fish for two, served with a fine Bordeaux and finished off with gloriously addictive profiteroles. The Apsara is a relatively new building in Luang Prabang. It was originally built in 1964 as a rice storage facility and then transformed into an English language school before it started its hospitality career. Ivan arrived in 2000 when it was a simple guesthouse by the name of Duang Champa (Laotian for “frangipani”), an expatriate institution where a small clan sipped on pastis in the simple bar of the French brasserie-style restaurant. Ivan then brought in Niki Fairchild, a Bangkok-based British designer, and together they created by far and away the funkiest, chicest spot in town. The Apsara is a style synthesis of all things Indochine. Burmese lacquer urns guard the entrance, while overhead, colourful lanterns sway in the breeze. The walls are dotted with abstract artwork that calls to mind images of strolls through temple-lined sois. Soft undulating jazz drift s from the stereo as one sits on the verandah overlooking the Nam Khan, the winding tributary to the Mekong that shapes the Luang Prabang peninsula. There is no more perfect place than this to contemplate days gone by. Vibe: Chic, modern Indochine living. Accommodation: 15 rooms, $55-$75. Kingkitsarath Road, Ban Wat Sene, tel +856 (0)71 212420, www.theapsara.com SALA PRABANG Sala Prabang is the Audrey Hepburn of hotels here. Standing on the banks of the Mekong, the former governor’s residence is a perfect mix of elegance and modesty. The capable and caring hands of its Laotian creator, Sinlasone Soumpholphakdy, ensured that the façade of the 12-year-old building was restored to its original design. Four massive grand columns that are made out of a rare Lao red wood rise from the foundation to the roof and welcome guests. Sinlasone left Laos at the age of 16 with a scholarship to study in Sydney. He graduated in architecture and joined a design atelier that has taken him from New York to Milan – and back to his homeland. Sinlasone is passionate about what he does and very keen on “independence”, a word that keeps cropping up in our conversation. He is clearly a free-minded man, which helps to explain why Sala Prabang is so diff erent compared to other buildings in Luang Prabang. Achieiving this level of individuality, however, has not been without its problems.

I wanted to create a space where people felt they were at home, so they could shut the door and be themselves

The story goes like this. In 1995, Luang Prabang was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Since then, the French bank ADF has provided ongoing funding to a project called La Maison du Patrimoine (The Heritage House). The project is responsible for overseeing development within the “heritage zone” and has produced a set of regulations that preside over construction and renovation. These regulations are very much needed, saving some buildings from ruinous fates, but the downside is that they can limit creativity. In attempting to retain his own vision for the hotel, Sinlasone’s argument has centred on the question of “What is Laos?”. “Who is to say what this is? Each of us has diff erent influences. For example, the governor who built this was influenced by the French,” he says. “I wanted to create a space where people felt they were at home, so they could shut the door to their room and feel completely themselves.” “Every design has a spirit,” Sinlasone states – and if this is true, the spirit of Sala Prabang is one of tranquillity. The rooms feature cool open stonework, natural wooden beams, and the original tiles on the floor. Opposite the main building is a leafy terrace, hidden away on the Mekong bank with vistas of the river and mountains beyond. This al fresco space off ers the perfect place to sit back and relax with the sun dipping just behind Phu Th ao Phu Nang or Lovers Mountain. Vibe: Laid-back, unpretentious originality. Accommodation: 22 rooms, $60-$150. 10/6 Ounkham Road, Ban Xieng Mouane, tel +856 (0)71 252 460, www.salalao.com SATRI HOUSE Laotian-born Lamphoun Voravongsa returned to her home country aft er spending her formative years in Paris. French flair and Parisian elegance are deeply embedded in her personality and character, if one can judge a person by the way she has so beautifully restored a former royal residence.The building resembles an Aix-en-Provence barnhouse more than any royal palace that springs to mind, all wooden shutters and tiled floors. Visiting Satri House compares to living an excerpt from a certain famous CS Lewis book, recently brought to the big screen. Behind a plain but somehow grandiose wooden door is a small path that meanders through a lush tropical garden, where everything has been overgrown to precision. The exotic flora and foliage gives way to a charming bricked terrace by a poolside, decorated with randomly arranged open salas that are draped with inviting hammocks. Overlooking this decadent little gathering is the “majestic” barnhouse. You get the feeling that you are standing in your own personal dream property. Stepping inside is another experience altogether – that of time travel. Madame Voravongsa evidently has a penchant for fascinating Asian antiques that she is keen to share; the house is simply dripping with her extremely eclectic collection. The sitting room glows a deep red from silk sculpted lamps, and standing Buddhas cast intriguing shadows on the deep green walls. This is a total throwback to French Indochina so, yes, guests might want to pack the feather boa for evenings spent swapping scandalous gossip over Gaulloises and martinis. One would have to stay a week to truly get the full Satri House experience, as each of the air-conditioned rooms is completely diff erent. My favourite isn’t the suite with its own private staircase leading to a private sitting room, but the cute cosy one at the end of the hessian-floored corridor that boasts a four-poster bed and pool view. Breakfast here is also reputed to be the best in town, with homemade croissants and mulberry jam served by the poolside or in the comfort of your room. Vibe: Exquisite and unique decadence. Accommodation: 7 rooms, from $125 (including breakfast). 57 Phothisarath Road, Ban Th at Luang, tel +856 (0)71 253491, www.satrihouse.com 3 NAGAS If anyone has swallowed the Luang Prabang construction regulations handbook, it must be French Canadian architect Pascal Tehan. His quaint boutique hotel, 3 Nagas, oozes the classical French colonial look that La Maison du Patrimoine is fighting to preserve. Trained as an architect in Quebec (which coincidentally has also been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site), Pascal’s architectural roots made him the ideal candidate for the restoration of the two 100-year-old buildings that comprise the property. Pascal arrived in Luang Prabang seven years ago to help with the design of a hospital, but the project never got off the ground and he found himself working for the French-funded Maison du Patrimoine. “Luang Prabang is the perfect place for the creative, for the artist,” Pascal purrs in his Quebecquios cadence. “There’s nothing to do here, so we are challenged to create something from nothing.” Since then, Pascal has renovated or designed a number of buildings – from the Mailek Pub to the latest hip hotel Villa Mai Du, meaning “rosewood” in Laotian. 3 Nagas is a minimalist UNESCO exemplar. The fine attention to detail is tremendously rewarding as one explores the air-conditioned room, acquainting oneself with the temporary quarters. This is pure sublime luxury. The heavy wood floorboards are polished to perfection, making it a pedicure treat to pad around. Probably the toughest decision I had to make during my stay was whether I could bear to leave my mattress made for dreams one morning just to peer down from my balcony and witness the slow silent stream of saff ron-robed monks collecting alms. Such is the ideal location of 3 Nagas, right in the heart of heritage homeland. Probably the toughest decision I had to make during my stay was whether I could bear to leave my mattress made for dreams Vibe: Peaceful colonial classic.

Accommodation: 15 rooms with mini-bar and telephone, including a junior and executive suite, $105-$180.

Sakkaline Road, Ban Vat Nong, tel +856 (0)71 253888, www.3nagas.com

Bookmark This Post     Print This Post    Email This Post

Other recent features: