VILLA SANTI

A 19th-century villa blending Lao vernacular and French whimsy on main street, Villa Santi is an ode to the lives of the Lao royal family. The mansion-turned-hotel once belonged to Queen Kamphane, wife of Sisavangvong, penultimate king of Laos.you’ll want a royal suite for the full immersion in royal history, all gleaming rosewood floors. Rise early to gift rice to saffron-robed monks in the dawn hour during the daily tak bat almsgiving. By day learn to paint with students from the Fine Arts school; by night watch dancers perform Fon Nangkeo, once a for-royal-eyes-only spectacle. From £34pn; villasantihotel.com/villa-santi-hotel