| R Kircher |
24 April 2005 |
Stayed at Settha Palace Hotel - Vientiane, Laos.
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The sights of Vientiane can really be exhausted in about a day. Spending two there, we found ourselves scratching our heads to figure out how to spend out time. Definitely try a Lao massage -- much better, softer and more relaxing than a Thai massage.
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| R Wedderburn |
12 February 2005 |
Stayed at Lao Plaza Hotel, Vientiane - Vientiane, Laos.
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I was only there for 1 day but enjoyed it. Vientiane is a fairly sleepy capital on the river. I went to see most of the local tourist attractions which were easily accessible. Budha park is way outside of town and not worth the visit IMHO if you only have 1 day.
I ate dinner at a simple restaurant on the river. The fresh fish and sauce was out of this world. The meal along with beers and an entree for my driver was less than $5. Unfortunately, I don't have the name of the restaurant but there are many places along the river. Don't be afraid to venture out.
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| A Wilczek |
30 December 2004 |
Stayed at Villa Santi Resort - Luang Prabang, Laos.
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Luang Prabang is awesome and I am very glad I went. People are very friendly and I felt very safe. One day we did the 4 hour cave tour and 4 hour waterfall tour in one day. These two tours will cost you about $50 per person at the hotel (ripoff)or you can go anywhere in town and get the same trip for $10. I highly recommend the restaurant Nazim as it has great indian food. I would also recommend the crepe place for a snack, a bit expensive but a nice european touch. I would also recommend renting a bike for the day as it is a great way to see the city and tour the temples/wat's and at $1 a day it is the best bargain there is. I loved this city and can't wait to get back.
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| R Mcguigan |
21 December 2004 |
Stayed at Manoluck Hotel - Luang Prabang, Laos.
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After coming from Bangkok and ChiangMai I found Laung Prabang to be a beautiful scenic place full of warm and friendly people. I would recomend people to try to meet a local and have them show you the villagers and its surrounds rather than the tours which are on offer in all the travel companies along the main street. The staff at my hotel was happy to show me his village and the people and even showed me around the town and the temples. The only tour I did was a bike trek through the country side to a waterfall and back through some villages and textiles shops. It was interesting if you are fit and can take 5-6 hours of riding a mountain bike on uneven roads. There are plenty of cheap guesthouses right through to expensive hotels so everyone is catered for. A destination that needs to be visited before the coming of MacDonalds etc...
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| M D. lynn |
27 August 2004 |
Stayed at Calao Inn, Le - Luang Prabang, Laos.
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The old center of Luang Prabang is small enough to get around on foot. Highly recommended activities include getting up in the morning to see the monks collect alms and a slow boat trip on the river.
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| J Herath |
10 April 2004 |
Stayed at Villa Santi Hotel, The - Luang Prabang, Laos.
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We enjoyed Luang Prabang - a relaxed town with friendly locals. Three or four days is a good length of time to see everything at a relaxed pace. The town is also compact enough to walk everywhere.
A climb up Mt Phousi in the centre of town is good for views of the town and also for watching the sunset. The relaxed night market in the main street below is worth a look too. We recommend a boat cruise up the Mekong. We had a 5-month-old baby with us, so we just did a 2.5 hour cruise (1.5 hours upstream, stopping at a traditional Lao village, then a 1 hour return). The cost was USD15/person, booked through the hotel. Other river tours visit caves, etc and are longer in duration and more expensive.
There was a very nice French restaurant near the hotel (L'Elephant). Ate there a couple of times.
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| A Pomerane |
07 February 2004 |
Stayed at Villa Santi Hotel, The - Luang Prabang, Laos.
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Luang Prabang is a wonderful destination, and surely will be a touristic spot next in the future. Many places to visit or just to walk around the city and sit for hours to look at the people and let the time go on. The tours must be taken in the street, the hotel charges for exactly the same (Pak ou cave and Khouangsi falls) four times the price.
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| J Rubin |
12 August 2003 |
Stayed at Novotel Vientiane - Vientiane, Laos.
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Took tuk-tuk round the town. Bargain with the drivers. Also there is boat trip along Mekong River, from pier leaving at 5.30pm. It's free and you only pay for drinks. Vientiane is a very pleasant town. For those who like Indian food, there are some very good, cheap Indian restaurants. Everyone in Laos prefers payment in $US or Thai baht to the local currency (Kip). Take lots of $US or Thai baht in small denominations ($1, $5, 10 or 20 baht) to avoid getting change in Kip (that can't be changed when you leave the country). Whatever you do DON'T stay in a 'resort' called DANSAVANH, 1.5 hours by road outside Vientiane. The facilities promised there don't exist and it is just a place for Malaysians to go gambling.
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| J Deacon |
06 July 2003 |
Stayed at Calao Inn, Le - Luang Prabang, Laos.
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Good base for a few days. Great temples and nearby countryside. People honest and friendly. Checkout the Royal Palace dance troop and tours by bike.
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| P Garrett |
12 December 2002 |
Stayed at Villa Santi Hotel, The - Luang Prabang, Laos.
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Overall didn't find Lao-cuisine to be as exciting as either of its neighbours Vietnam and Thailand. However we ate well in the nearaby French-run L'Elephant and a cafe under the same ownership directly oppositte from Santi (adjacent to Blue House). There are loads of other cafes catering to backpackers etc - but although promising-looking gastronomically not very notable.
There are also loads of tours on boats and other 3 and 4 wheeled vehicles going to "the waterfalls" and "Buddha cave" - but we felt that the range of tourist activities was not yet well developed - everyone was being shunted through the same two places. So we took a guided Merc from Diethelm Travel (one of only 5 in Luang Prabang) and fixed our own tour up into the hills - very worthwhile, and still good value. It was an ideal 3 night trip - longer and you better bring some good books, or start working on writing that novel...
Bangkok Airways offered their usual smooth service on our route from Chiang Mai via Sukhothai into Luang Prabang, and back to BKK. Backpackers also arrive on the boats up the Mekong - but having viewed their seaworthiness I'll personally wait a few years until they've got something a little more comfortable in service - at which point I'd definitely give it a try.
Shopping-wise there are a lot of the same product that many Asia regulars will know from BKK's JJ's market - slightly cheaper, but few fresh discoveries. However at the Hmong market (and elsewhere in town) look out for the attractive hand-made bedspreads and cushion covers. There are some nice silks and silk hangings to be had. And on a design front the two silhouette figures that occur in a lot of the work could probably give the writers of X-Files a few script ideas (you'll see what I mean!).
There are some nice paper products including lanterns and decent-value large format photo albums or scrapbooks. The silverware described in the guidebooks however was of disappointing quality - most looked like it had been knocked up in school first-year metalwork classes. One shop was an exception with some nice bracelets etc that looked like they'd been constructed with love rather than haste!
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Traveller's Tales: Things to do in Laos
