Budget
Cold River Guesthouse
Run by a local family and you meet often a lot of travellers. it's directly on the khan river. off peak times, it costs 80,000 kip. free filtered water and bananas are available. on saturdays they'll serve free home-cooked dinner.
Levady Guesthouse
In a lovely side street 50m off the main street. nice family, wooden rooms and floor, bike rental, absolutely tidy. double rooms with fan and private bathroom us$7, no wifi.
Merry Guesthouse
Has rooms for us$3 with bathroom outside. free filtered water and bananas are available. not so merry though, the options further down the alley cold river and sysomphone are more appealing.
VannaPhone Guest House
Located 10 minutes away from the airport and about 4 minutes from the city. ranging from $us10-$us15 depending on what room you choose. acceptably sized rooms with fairly small bathrooms. noisy if you choose the rooms located close to the street but if you choose one of the new backrooms it is ok.
Vongphachanh Guesthouse
In a sidestreet off wisunalat rd near wat wisunalat. nicely decorated clean rooms at a decent price, free wifi, pretty quiet.
Xayana Guesthouse and X³ Capsule Hotel
(http://www.mylaohome.com). guesthouse in a lao-style villa in the protected zone. dorms from $us4 or 30,000 kip, rooms from $us8. clean dorms with bathroom/showers inside. movies are shown in the evening. extra services are quite expensive. valuable storage in safety box for 20,000 kip, laundry service 18,000 kip. there are cheaper laundry services nearby though.
Midrange
Hotel De Lyon
Out of town near the airport, (http://www.mylaohome.com). new 24-room hotel built in "lao-colonial" style. free airport and city shuttles. $us45-60.
Jade Hotel
Phu vao rd, (http://www.mylaohome.com). modern hotel in an old protected chinese-style building. flat-screen tvs, free airport transfers. $us30-70.
Manichan Guesthouse
(http://www.manichanguesth...). near the night market, centrally located, new and clean in green, peaceful environment. "lao-colonial" style house with wooden floors and homey feel rooms. private and shared bathrooms with hot, separated showers. free coffee corner. has a balcony with city view. belgian-lao management. low season: us$7â15, high season: us$12â30 including breakfast buffet. air-con an optional extra us$4.
New Daraphet Villa
(http://www.mylaohome.com). traditional lao villa in the heritage zone which has been turned into a boutique hotel. large terraces and lots of flowers. airport transfer included. $us30-60.
Rama Hotel
A recently renovated higher end guesthouse. hot water shower and air con if you need it. rooms in february 2008 were $us30 per night and included a decent breakfast. this hotel was fairly quiet with a little bit of traffic noise until about 11pm.
Sabaidee Guest House
(http://www.sabaidee-hotel.com), 70 thammikarat road. there are lots of good guest houses along here this one is good value around $us25 for a double en-suite room with breakfast included. there's a good laundrette just opposite the entrance.
Thony 1 Guesthouse
This converted family villa located along the banks of the nam khan river. only 10 minutes walk to the night market and historic centre. address: ban visoun, chao chomphou.rd. just head for wat visoun temple which is very close by. from the temple just look towards the nam khan river and you will see the guesthouse. ranging from $us22-$35. rooms with riverview & family rooms available. e-mail: [email protected] web: (http://www.thony1guesthou...)
Villa Kiengkham
Nice, clean, comfortable hotel with friendly staff. $us25. note that it is not where shown in the 2007 lonely planet guide to laos but further north in the same street near the rama hotel.
Bouakham Chanthasack Guesthouse
A brand new, beautiful high end guesthouse on the mekong riverfront near the night market. all rooms have bathrooms and air conditioning, clean and nice, double rooms for $us45.
Top end
Amantaka
(http://www.amanresorts.co...) luxury resort of the aman group. set on a large garden estate, amantaka is housed in graceful french colonial buildings just south of phousi hill. airy and elegant throughout, the dã©cor and furnishings reflect the townâs french colonial history. rates from us$650 per night.
Ancient Luang Prabang
(http://www.ancientluangpr...) in main st next to night market. no room numbers - names like "tiger room". rooms not quite up to standard for this price - no shower curtain and cleverly designed taps to ensure a wet floor, no bedside table, no reading light. however clean and comfortable. friendly staff and no cost for airport transfer. wifi is free in the hotel and downstairs cafã¨.
The Apsara
A quite wonderful hotel in a restored colonial building overlooking the Khan river on Kingkitsarath Road. All rooms are decorated with local fabrics and furniture and very much in keeping with the hip and funky image of the hotel. Try to stay in the original building if you can. Superb French/Asian restaurant in the lobby.
La Residence Phou Vao
(http://www.residencephouv...) amongst the town's prime hotels, this resort nestles amongst landscaped grounds and gardens, and has picturesque views over phou si and the world heritage town. the property has a traditional lao spa and a restaurant offering both indigenous and french cuisine. regular shuttles are provided and boat trips arranged. an orient-express hotel.
Sala Luang Prabang
Fine restored colonial villa with comfortable rooms, but it has its price. it has been ordered to change its name as "sala" is considered inappropriate by the local and unesco authorities, representing the buddha.
The Grand
An atmospheric set of comfortable neo-colonial buildings on the site of prince phetsarath's old residence. many rooms have idyllic views of both the mekong river and the hotels gardens and ponds. located around 4 km from town a regular shuttle boat and bus service runs for guests, this hotel is enables the discerning tourist to escape from the hum of the city. during the winter season, breakfast is served outdoors on a terrace with spectacular views of the mekong river and the surrounding hills that emerge from the morning mist.
Villa Santi Resort
Villa-style resort, good restaurant, unfortunately terrible mosquito infested pool, massage and spa service.
Maison Souvannaphoum Hotel
Is an old palace transformed into a hotel, with the "angsana spa" within the hotel. spacious rooms with great amenities. each room with a balcony. small but clean swimming pool, hearty breakfast, all staff know you by name as there are only 24 rooms. within walking distance to all the attractions.
Santi Resort & Spa
This boutique hotel features 23 rooms and 2 suites, all decorated in a royal Laotian theme.
Les 3 Nagas Hotel
A nice colonial hotel with 7 rooms on one side and 8 on the other. the restaurant is fairly cheap, but the rooms are rather overpriced. there are a few executive suites, the most costly coming with their own set of stairs. but beware: your nights may be troubled as there is a rooster that sings every morning at the hotel, at about 3am. the attitude of the owner has put off some guests who report this in forums.
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room: | |
| Budget | Under 120,000 |
| Mid-range | 120,000-400'000 kip |
| Splurge | Over 400,000 kip |
Luang Prabang has the best selection of accommodation in Laos, with something to suit every budget. There is everything from tent sites under a roof for 20,000 Kip per night up to Super Luxury Hotel at US$1500 per night.
Don't expect though that the whole kit and kaboodle that you can find in Vietnam or Cambodia - aircon, cable TV, internet - can be found in LP for US$12.
While the big chains have yet to make an appearance, there's plenty of "boutique" accommodation, although this heavily overused word runs the gamut from quirky to luxury. Most of the lanes and alleys all through Luang Prabang have places to stay, with a large selection also found in the lanes south of the Post Office. Free WiFi is quite commonplace in Budget guesthouses.