Adventures in LAOS
Picking between a hotel in the central buzz or the serene outskirts is always one of the hardest holiday decisions to make. Lucky for me, then, that while the Avani+ slots into the immediate hub of Luang Prabang – the bustling night market on its doorstep and its proximity to the Mekong river – once you step inside the hotel, you’re transported to near-silence and calm.
However, that doesn’t mean the sanctuary sticks out amid the traditionally busy Laos landscape: the town’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site means that no building can be built higher than two storeys, and the wooden structures of the Avani+ mini buildings preserve the Chinese and Thai cross-cultural design that covers the city.
If this hotel was anywhere else, it would be totally acceptable to stay in your bedroom all day, with its teak walls and floorboards, indigenous fabrics and minimalistic, open-plan design. However, Luang Prabang has too much going on.
On our first day, a local guide gives us a historic dive into our surroundings. We visit the Royal Palace Museum, the home of the former king and queen, and I’m shocked by the respectful preservation of the home and belongings of an overthrown dynasty. We’re then shown the best of Luang Prabang’s Buddhist temples – the small city has over 30. A personal favourite is Wat Sene, which is filled with gifts, from Buddha statues to notes and candles.
The temples are home to the town’s 1,500 orange-robed monks – I suggest you power through a 5am wake-up call to join them for their morning alms service, where you can hand them food and donations under the backdrop of a majestic sunrise. After that, we treat ourselves to coffee and pastries – an unexpected delicacy in South-east Asia, but the result of the 20th-century French colonisation. Some argue that the Laotian croissants from Le Banneton bakery are better than the original European version.
We put them to good use, ascending Mount Phousi where the tree-top views make the 355-step climb in 35°C heat worth it.
One of the best adventures of the trip is the boat ride organised by Avani’s sister brand, Mekong Cruise. As we wind down the 12th largest river in the world with Champagne in one hand, canapés in the other, we are treated to a 360° view of the sun setting over the greenest of landscapes.
The next day, we take a 45-minute drive to Kuang Si Waterfall, stopping en route at Laos Buffalo Dairy Farm (a social enterprise set up by two US women to provide income for local farmers, as well as delicious ice cream). Reaching the waterfall, we’re astounded by its beauty as the pounding water hits the rocks. But our experience doesn’t end on the ground: leaving our phones behind for fear of them ending up in the cascading water, we climb behind the hill. The path narrows before opening out to a disparately still lake with gentle rivers running into a warm pool and the sound of falling water now in the distance. We jump on the Instagrammable swing and, with no technology to record the moment, we take time to enjoy the water beneath our toes. It’s an unexpected luxury that perfectly encapsulates Avani+ and Luang Prabang – calm behind the chaos.