FIRST SHOT
Rosewood debuts in Laos.
On his travels through Laos and Cambodia, 19th-century French explorer and naturalist Henri Mouhot wrote that he had “never been more happy when amidst this grand and beautiful tropical scenery, in the profound solitude of these dense forests.” Guests at the brand-new
Rosewood Luang Prabang will be privy to a similar sense of quietude, as well as creature comforts that Mouhot could never have dreamed of on his expeditions: plush double beds, deep clawfoot bathtubs, and a surfeit of armchairs and lounges both indoors and on private balconies or verandas. All these are found at Rosewood’s first luxury encampment, whose 23 guest rooms and villas include six 100-square-meter tents set on a thickly forested hillside. True to form, designer Bill Bensley pairs local touches with a French-colonial flair that Mouhot himself would likely have appreciated, as seen in details such as framed reproductions of vintage newspapers like Le Petit Journal and textiles sourced from nearby hilltribes ( rosewoodhotels.com; doubles from US$670). —James Louie