13 Best Hotels in Laos

This small hotel punches above its weight in style and charm, with six rooms named after local fruits and exploding in unique colorful touches. Families will love the hotel's intimate feel, the small but well-kept swimming pool, and convenient location---it's a short 5-minute walk to the night market. Breakfast offers a choice of Western style, healthy, or even local street food. The cozy restaurant area also doubles as the hotel bar.

For a luxury Robinson Crusoe experience, nothing surpasses La Folie, with spacious bungalows that have stunning views of the Mekong and Wat Phou across the way. The lodge fronts the largest sandy beach in the 4,000 Islands area, and the unique arrival boat trip and bicycles to get around the island are included in the price. With tourism on Don Daeng still in its infancy, the island and its locals offer unparalleled unspoiled charm. Rooms go for a substantial discount in the off-season.

Located on the riverside a bit north of downtown, this hotel is popular both for its lodging and restaurant, which features Mexican, Lao, Indian, Thai, and Mediterranean food. Rooms are modern, spacious, and comfortable, with air-conditioning and televisions. Breakfast is one of the best in town.

With its white facade and balustrades and riverside location, this former shophouse complex is now a trendy boutique hotel. The reasonably priced rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows that face east, so you can catch the sunrise over the nearby mountains. Rooms 1 through 5 on the second floor have the best river or mountain views.

For those looking for something glamorous and exclusive, this sister property of The Apsara, across the Nam Khan River, has a swimming pool, private verandas, and a free 24-hour shuttle-boat service to take guests across the river. The nine boutique rooms are in a villa decorated with fine contemporary Asian art. The hotel is a stone's throw from town, but its private position across the river makes it feel secluded.

This relaxing Lao-Belgian-run guesthouse set in a quiet neighborhood about 2 miles out of town offers five clean and large rooms, some with balconies, in an authentic Lao mansion. The common areas feel homely, and the backyard—equipped with a seasonal swimming pool, hammocks, and a sala filled with cushions—is the perfect spot to while away the hours. They can help organize tours of the Plain of Jars, or rent motorbikes to the most adventurous travelers.

Fronting the Mekong and just down the street from Wat Xieng Thong, this small hotel was resurrected from a ruined mansion built by a Portuguese merchant in 1904. Four guest rooms upstairs open onto a colonnaded veranda to views of the river and the hills beyond. The two rooms on the lower floor, each with three beds, are larger and have private terraces, but are a bit dark. Because of the hotel's small size and popularity, it's highly advisable to book ahead November through April or ask about the owner's similar properties nearby.

Of Ban Muang Ngoi's many simple guesthouses, this one is probably the best. It has 17 clean and spacious bungalows with plain white walls, fans, wooden decks and floorboards, and good mosquito netting. There's also a very good restaurant, which overlooks the river and has the best sunset views in town.

Nestled on the southern edge of town, these bungalows of bamboo thatch are a simple and good enough base for exploring the area. A plus is the fact that it's owned by a local tour company, so can assist you in getting farther afield. 

Family-run guesthouses are common in Luang Prabang, but this one stands out for making patrons feel right at home. The Rattana sisters, Somsanith and Somporn; their mother; and their adopted daughter are extremely knowledgeable and helpful (one sister works for an established tour operator, the other is a doctor). Rooms are bright, clean, and comfortable. Rooms 101 and 102 have small balconies; note that 102 has a detached, though private, bath. There's no restaurant.

There are three types of rooms at this charming resort: French colonial-style rooms, adobe-style rooms in a garden, and atmospheric "raftels" floating on the Mekong. The 4,000 Sunsets restaurant serves decent food, and there's a swimming pool.

The large rooms here have flat-screen TVs, electric kettles, and large en-suite bathrooms, elevating the Sengphachan above most other accommodations in town.

The last Crown Princess's son-in-law converted this 19th-century royal residence in the heart of Luang Prabang into a boutique hotel. The old building on Sakkarin Road has been renovated and houses the Royal Suites, as well as the hotel restaurant and swimming pool, while the newer wing, around the corner, has quiet rooms a short stroll from the Mekong River. The open-air terrace restaurant serves Lao and international cuisine.