I will be in LP for five days either November 15 to the 20th or December 5 to the 12th. I have not been able to find a hotel in the main area as you have all suggested. PLEASE give me some suggestions....I will be alone (female - 68 yrs old) so I have to make sure I have safe accomodations in a good location. Thank you....

I really enjoyed the Lotus Villa in Luang Prabang. Spent 5 nights, its on a quiet residential street, just 2 blocks off the main drag. Walking distance to the morning market, the night market and just 2 blocks up from the river. The monks come right in front of the hotel at dawn for morning alms. The staff was friendly and really good breakfast. I hope you enjoy your trip, Luang Prabang is one of my fav cities anywhere.

i would have no worries about safety, so don't let that bother you....hotels are often tight there... why not seek the adfvice of one of the hotels that refused you?

I stayed at the villa-maly.com as a single woman and it was lovely and in a great location-walkable to town, and it felt a lot safer there than here in L.A.!

Here are a couple worth trying:
http://www.visit-mekong.com/muang-luang-hotel/
and
The Riverside Guesthouse

I stayed at the Ramayana Hotel in May, and the location could not be better - just off the main shopping street on the perimeter of the Royal Palace. It was a bit noisy at times with a major wat one side (but I loved the drumming) and an early morning market on the other, but I did feel a part of it all, and it was just a stumble out the door at 6am to see the almsgiving ceremony, and the night market in the evening. Not the slickest hotel, but characterful and with a/c and a good breakfast in a pavilion in the garden.

I stayed at the Phou Vau but I did visit the Calao Hotel on the river. I would consider staying there if I wanted to be right in the town (which has its benefits, as you know).

There is one review on TripAdvisor.

I saw the rooms and the public spaces and got a good impression. Beautiful Colonial building. Restaurant on site.


http://www.asiarooms.com/laos/luang_.../le_calao.html

Rickloo, Which hotels have you tried? We stayed at Maison S., but had dinner several times at 3 Nagas, which also has hotel tooms and is centrally located.

We stayed at the 3 Naga which, IMHO is the best location in LP. Looking at there website http://www.alilahotels.com/3nagas/rates they seem to have rooms available for your dates in Nove and partial availability in Dec. (Try for a room in the main building rather than the annexe across the roads.

Another reasonable option just around the corner is http://www.theapsara.com/ smaller and with a decent restaurant.

Another choice in the vicinity is the Villa Santi http://www.visit-mekong.com/villa-santi-hotel/. Although when we stayed there in the 90s it was supposedly the best in town - they had a bit of a rat problem!! (hopefully it has been fixed by now!)I think it is now used a lot by Thai tour groups, but a good location.

I stayed at the Villa Santi. The location cannot be beaten. It is in the middle of everything, yet very quiet. I would ask for a room NOT in the main house. There is a lovely wing behind the hotel that is really quiet with lovely verandas and gardens. The rooms are "worn", but clean. Sort of like staying at your grandmother's house. The staff is lovely and the breakfasts are good. It is the center of activity for the "merit making" every morning as you can see from this short video I made outside the front door of the Villa Santi. http://photo-url.com/monk_movie

I loved being two minutes from everything, so I would stay there again despite the less than stellar rooms. How much time do you spend in your room anyway when foot massages are $1.00?

I would definetely recommend the Ancient Luang Prabang hotel. It is very central (on the main market street) and you can easily walk to anywhere from there. It can be a little noisy though, since you hear all the hustle and bustle of the market during the day, though the noise never continues into late at night. The staff are very friendly, and although the rooms are small, they're quite comfortable and cute.

Hi ricky,

Would you like to get together for dinner or a meal in Luang Prabang when you visit?

PS--what type of hotel are you wanting and in what price range?