Victoria Xiengthong Palace

The Victoria Xienthong Palace used to be the former Royal Palace; in fact, it was the last home of the Laos royal family, so it isn't surprising that the decor and detail are fit for a king. The grounds are occupied by a series of restored colonial homes, all in brilliant white with old-fashioned wooden shutters. The series of palaces and villas have teak wood stairs, and the atmospheric buildings surround a pleasant courtyard with a pool. While the lobby is tiny, it does have more white with wood trim, slow ceiling fans, and bicycles with bamboo fenders out front. It even feels a bit like something out of the Roaring 20s.

The Victoria Xiengthong Palace is located at the far end of the peninsula that makes up old town Luang Prabang. It is the quietest part of the old city, near the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, in a neighborhood of leafy streets and old houses. The hotel is right next to atmospheric Wat XIengthong temple, and its backside sits right on the Mekong. It's about a 15-minute drive to the airport, and it's a 10-minute walk to the night market and main restaurant area of Luang Prabang; there are also plenty of quaint French bakeries and riverside cafes just a few minutes' stroll away. For those who like peace and quiet as well as colonial charm, it's in the perfect spot.

There are only 26 rooms at the Victoria Xiengthong Palace, and all of them are restored colonial gems. There are suites, rooms, and villas to choose from, and all feature modern amenities like flat-screen televisions, safes, minibars, iPod docks, bathrobes and slippers, tea and coffee making facilities, heating for the winter months and fans and air-conditioning for the summer, and free Wi-Fi. Bathrooms have large separate tubs along with rainfall showers, plus luxury Victoria toiletries. The standard Palace Rooms come in Twin or Double, with the Palace Twin Rooms lacking balconies. All of the rooms have teak wood floors except those in ground-floor suites, which have tiles. The main drawback to the charming rooms is the fact that many of them have very tight corners and spaces. In some of the rooms, the closets, minibars, and safe boxes are located just inches from the beds, with almost no room in between. In the Palace Rooms, the shower doors pretty much touch the toilets. Only the Mekong Suite gives a lot of space. The Xiengthong Villa Rooms come with private whirlpools.

The Victoria Xiengthong Palace is a restored colonial property, so it doesn't have lots of modern features like a swimming pool or fitness center. The hotel does have a charming riverside Kitchen by the Mekong restaurant, which serves both Lao and western cuisine in an old villa perched overlooking the Mekong river. There is both indoor and outdoor seating, and the free breakfasts that come with the rooms are served here. The hotel also has a small spa for massage treatments, and there are free bicycles for use by guests to get around the small old town.