THE GROWN-UP GAP GETAWAY
WHERE: Farrah Storr immersed herself in Rosewood Luang Prabang, Laos
Last night I dreamed of Luang Prabang. I dreamed of its steaming streets, its snoozing street dogs and its giggling monks. I dreamed I was back there, on a scuffed wicker chair overlooking the Mekong River, breaking the spine of a new book and sipping a Laotian coffee in the sun. For years Laos has been overlooked by its more extroverted neighbours: party-girl Thailand to its west, culinary arriviste Vietnam to its east; gap-yah Cambodia to its south. But, like all quiet beauties, Laos has finally revealed itself to be the most bewitching of all. It is a country of secretive hilltribes, virgin forests where tigers roam, and home to Luang Prabang – a templesaturated fantasy city.
SECRET HAVEN
Luang Prabang has all the brilliant bits of an Asian city (street food, neon lights, weaving tuk-tuks and $4 foot massages) without any of the bad bits. The streets are as clean as your nan’s front room, the traffic shuffles rather than roars and you won’t find a single hustling salesman.
Laos was a French colony until 1953 and Gallic touches are everywhere in Luang. The city is small – walkable in a few evenings. It is also, rather incongruously, full of luxury hotels, the finest of which is Rosewood. You could stay somewhere cheaper, sure, but you’re not paying simply for a room at Rosewood, but a slice of nirvana. Situated a 15-minute drive out of town in a forest, the hotel has day beds scattered across a Granny Smith-green lawn and a waterfall that gently weaves through it. But it’s the rooms that’ll be your holiday crush – decorated in silks, they have age-old artefacts pinned to the walls. The Riverside Villas have a painting easel for indulging your artistic fantasies, Waterfall Pool Villas have their own little pools, Riverside Suites have day beds to relax on until night draws in and Hilltop Tents are possibly the world’s most luxurious canvas creations, with king-size beds and enormous balconies boasting the best views on the property. I’d stay again just for the Sense spa, to be honest. Rosewood is in a whole different wellness league, offering things like Hmong Experiences (a native healer uses herbs from surrounding forests to cleanse your body) and the intriguing Lost Remedies menu – think centuries-old treatments such as Nuad Hai Jao, a massage using ginger and black pepper to improve circulation and relax muscles.
As for tourist attractions, Laos may hold the record for the world’s most beautiful yet least mobbed. Tad Sae Waterfall is the colour of an aquamarine gem stone and eerily quiet. There are also sun and moon bears to see, all rescued by the Save The Bears charity, and an elephant sanctuary a 20-minute drive from the hotel.
GO SOLO Learn how to say “no thanks” in the local language