Luang Prabang’s Villa Maly christens the Nava Mekong

02-16-2009

LUANG PRABANG, Laos (16 Feb. 2009) — The somnolent royal capital of Luang Prabang perked up earlier this month when Villa Maly launched Nava Mekong, the first, regular dinner cruise opportunity along the river here.

The cruise embarks daily at 5:30 pm, motors downstream to moor nearby a traditional village for dinner and music, and returns at 9 pm. Widened at the beam to accommodate 10 four-top tables, the traditional Lao river boat also embarks at 10:30 am for a four-hour lunch cruise that takes in the Pak Ou Caves.

 

“The joys and serendipity of Luang Prabang are not peculiar to the town itself,” said Marie-Helene Machevin, general manager of the Villa Maly. “The river is magnificent, an inspiration, especially at twilight and especially when you’re out in the midst of it, eating traditional Lao food served by staff in traditional Lao garb.”

 

During the afternoon cruise, the Nava stops at the Pak Ou Caves for adventuring among the 5,000 sacred Buddhist statues and images scattered about the two limestone grottoes. On the evening cruise, traditional Lao dancers from nearby villages perform age-old sets that include interpretations of the royal ballet, rural life, folk tales and legends.

 

But it’s the river itself that’s the overwhelming experience. The coffee-colored Mekong channels between ridges that Lao folklore understands as the recumbent bodies of men and women whose fate has won them eternal rest along these banks. Spindly teak trees shoot profusely from the  flanks, fluttering skimpy green foliage. From splinters of boats, fishermen play out skeins of diaphanous nets, buoyed by plastic water and soda bottles.

 

Meanwhile on board the Nava, servers dish out stuffed citronella, fried ginger pork, chicken soup with coconut milk and other Lao specialties.

 

Through April, the Nava will charge US $30 for dinner and $35 for lunch (operational fees are higher on the longer lunchtime cruise). Stay two nights at the Villa Maly and the cruise is complimentary.

 

Villa Maly, the scrupulously refurbished former residence of a Lao prince and princess, opened in October as the royal capital’s most discriminating new hotel.

 

The 33-room boutique property is anchored by the 1938-built residence of Princess Khampieng and Prince Khamtan, a grandson of the 19^th century’s King Zakarine. The residence is located in a neighborhood of garden homes that was once a royal enclave and today ranks as one of Luang Prabang’s most exclusive development zones.

 

The hotel features four classes of rooms, with 28 superior rooms and five deluxe rooms giving up views of either the pool or garden. The amenities cater to very sophisticated expectations. Flat screen TVs and WiFi connections are de rigueur in every room.

 

Outside, Le Café sprawls across a commodious wooden terrace, shaded by a great awning, and features dishes rooted in both Laos and Europe. Le Bar is the hotel’s complement for beverages.

 

The hotel’s distinctive character merges effortlessly into this singular city and a country the New York Times called out as the hottest travel destination for 2008.

 

Three hours up the Mekong by boat, Villa Maly’s sister property, the Kamu Lodge (www.kamulodge.com), features a suite of deliberately rustic bungalows at the heart of a genuine eco-tourism experience.

 

ABOUT THE APPLE TREE GROUP

Both Villa Maly and the Kamu Lodge are owned and operated by the Apple Tree Group, a French-owned, Ho Chi Minh City-based company with interests in tourism and hospitality, real estate and construction and import and distribution all over Southeast Asia. Its hospitality properties also include La Residence Hotel & Spa in Hue, Emeraude Classic Cruises on Halong Bay and the Press Club in Hanoi.

 

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For reservations, contact Villa Maly at (85 6) 7 253 902 /3/4  or resa@villa-maly.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

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