Embodying Laos’ seamless blend of local culture and colonial French aesthetic, Maison Dalabua and its leafy gardens is our favourite place to stay in Luang Prabang.
Luang Prabang is a beautiful riverside town in central-northern Laos and was once home to the Lao royal family before revolution in 1975.
Before that, centuries ago, it was also the capital city of the country.
Add to that spectacular rivers and waterfalls, wildlife programmes for asiatic black bears, water buffalo and Asian elephants, and even UNESCO protection of the city, and you begin to see why Luang Prabang is such a special place.
The Maison Dalabua, in central Luang Prabang, is a Lao-owned hotel that’s been in the family for generations. Its name is a fusion of French and Lao cultures and means House of the Lotus Princess.
Check out our video walkthrough of the Maison Dalabua:
This hotel was included in our 10-day itinerary around Laos that began in the capital Vientiane and travelled north to Vang Vieng before ending here in Luang Prabang.
You can book this same trip and its activities with InsideAsia’s Laos by Rail itinerary here.
And if you want to know what Laos is like, take a look at our video featuring these three very different cities as we travel through them.
We travelled in Laos via the country’s new high-speed train, which we’ve also reviewed. You can see that write-up here.
Staying in Maison Dalabua, you understand that you’re staying in a part of Laos. So many hotels lose the sense of where they are, but this hotel fits so well within the culture of Laos generally and Luang Prabang specifically.
Even the three lily ponds in the hotel’s grounds are UNESCO-classified.
Around the Grounds of Maison Dalabua
Tropical plants and palm trees fill every spare metre here. Timber walkways and bridges lead you over the water from the comfortable reception all the way to the hotel’s bar and restaurant, Manda de Lao, which looks out over one of the ponds.
As we explore more of the hotel, we find more interesting little touches like water features and lounges, cabinets full of ornaments and icons, and artworks on walls.
The hotel pool looks extremely welcoming in the heat of the Lao summer. It is, however, really quite cold. Call me a wimp (Christina did), but it’s a bit too chilly for me.
There’s a day spa here, which is much more my style, offering a range of relaxing treatments. You can also book all kinds of tours and experiences at reception, not least hiring pushbikes to get around town.
The Rooms At Maison Dalabua
There are several types of room here, including some beautiful studio and duplex apartments, and overwater bungalows that sit out over the lily ponds.
Our room — a Grand Deluxe Heritage room — is on the first floor and is full of that clever blend of Lao and French colonial decor that Luang Prabang seems to have mastered.
Rich timber floors and ceilings lead to elegant French windows that open out onto a small balcony with leafy views of the grounds.
The room’s comfortably furnished with an enormous bed and teak cabinetry that fits in well.
However, the bathroom has one of those strange windows looking into the bedroom that seem popular in SE Asia. There is a blind you can pull down for privacy, but you know what makes a bathroom more private? No windows!
Inside the bathroom, there’s a bath, which is a nice surprise, and a large shower room too. But the modern grey concrete walls here seem at odds with the rest of the hotel’s vintage aesthetic.
On the whole though, this is a lovely room with nods in particular to the cottage industry of cotton textiles and weaving that’s still an important part of life in the province.
Dining at Maison Dalabua
Breakfast at Maison Dalabua happens in the Manda de Lao restaurant.
You’ll find herbal teas and coffee here, and a lovely range of Lao dishes to choose from at the buffet. There are also a la carte options you can order too.
In the evening, this becomes not only the hotel’s restaurant, but a dining destination for many people in the city.
Beautifully plated dishes combine French and Lao techniques and ingredients for tempting a la carte and set-menu formats.
And if you only have time for a quick drink, the bar here is the perfect spot for a house cocktail or a cheeky BeerLao looking out over the lilies and lotus flowers of the pond as the sun sets.
We loved our time in Luang Prabang, but staying at Maison Dalabua made the visit all the more special.
