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As I flew into Luang Prabang a few months ago, I saw for the first time how beautiful Laos is. I felt immediately drawn to its mountainous landscape, greenery, and rivers, and later to its people and culture. When I arrived at Mekong Estate, my expectations were far surpassed. I was welcomed onto a gorgeous resort on the Mekong River with spacious residences, beautifully designed grounds covered in greenery, and an infinity pool looking out onto the river. For the next three days, my “home” was a luxury resort in Luang Prabang: Mekong Estate.

Location

Mekong Estate is located on the Mekong River in Luang Prabang, Laos, about a 10-15 minute walk from the main market in the city center. There are a total of eight residences at Mekong Estate, with seven of those residences located on the grounds where I stayed, and one larger residence located on its own peninsula at the confluence of the Mekong River and the smaller Nam Dong River.

The large bamboo tree outside our residence, “Bambou Suite 3”

The residence grounds are covered in a variety of greenery, from bamboo trees to palm trees to flowering plants. Brick paths connect the residences with each other and to the pool area.

The residences are located steps from the Mekong River

Mekong Estate accepts both short term and long term reservations. During my stay, there was a doctor and his family who had reserved the residence adjacent to mine for two years.

Check-In Process

Prior to my arrival, Mr. Vatthana, the residence manager, arranged for a driver to pick me up from the Luang Prabang airport. Upon arrival at the airport, I quickly found the driver and followed him to his comfortable, air conditioned van. On our short 15 minute drive from the airport to the residence, the driver pointed out certain sites to me and gave me a brief introduction to the city.

The entrance to Bambou Suite 3

When I arrived at Mekong Estate, I was brought directly to Bambou Suite 3, where I would be staying for the next three days. I was greeted by Mr. Vatthana and given a welcome drink and a tour of the residence. Mr. Vatthana also provided me with a local cell phone with his phone number and the driver’s phone number pre-stored inside the phone in case I needed to reach them at any time. After asking Mr. Vatthana to point out a few points of interest for me on a map and recommend some local restaurants, I was on my way to explore Luang Prabang.

Inside Bambou Suite 3 – I was given a welcome drink and relaxed here while being introduced to the residence

Residences

The inside of Bambou Suite 3 is spacious, with several small sitting areas, desks, and a daybed. The wall facing the river contains glass panels that open out onto a balcony overlooking the river. The interior is designed and decorated in the Indochina style, giving it an authentic, local feel. The residence comes fully equipped with all basic necessities, including air conditioning and heating, free wifi, and a safety deposit box. Mekong Estate also provides a complimentary a la carte breakfast, roundtrip airport transfers, free bicycle rentals, and a beautiful infinity pool.

The spacious living room

The balcony is the perfect place to relax with a cup of coffee in the morning or a good book during the day. Since the balcony faces west, you can sit out on the balcony and watch the sun set over the Mekong River and the mountains every evening. I can’t think of a better way to wind down each day.

The balcony facing the Mekong River

The bedroom is spacious and comes with two lamps on either side of the bed and a closet on the opposite wall. The bed is quite firm, which perfectly suits my tastes. There is a mosquito net over the bed, which I did not end up using, but is a nice amenity to have. I brought plenty of mosquito repellant with me, and I found the mosquito repellant to be sufficient protection without the netting.

Bed with mosquito net

The bathroom is designed with a sectioned off shower area, which I can imagine coming in handy if you are traveling with others. It is entirely possible for one person to shower while another uses the vanity area to get ready. Opposite the shower is a bamboo towel rack, which is completely fitting for the Bambou Suite. There are also bathrobes courtesy of Mekong Estate, which I absolutely took advantage of. The bathrobes would also be a good coverup for walking to and from the pool area.

Dining

One reason Mekong Estate is great for long term stays is that each residence has a full kitchen with pots, pans, cutlery, utensils, glasses, a fridge, and a microwave. You can easily walk out of the residence a few minutes to the main street to buy groceries, or you can buy fresh groceries from the main market about a 10-15 minute walk (5 minute tuk tuk ride) away and cook up a feast at your residence. I used the fridge and microwave on multiple occasions to store and re-heat leftovers.

Unlike most hotels that provide a complimentary breakfast buffet or a simple basket of breads and jams, Mekong Estate provides a custom, a la carte breakfast spread delivered to your residence. Each morning, you will be given a breakfast order form to select your breakfast for the next morning. The order form comes with a full menu consisting of hot foods such as scrambled eggs and omelettes, cold foods such as yogurts, pantry items such as breads and cereals, a variety of fruits, and even fruit juices and other drink options.

You will also select the time at which you would like your breakfast delivered, and you can enjoy your meal from the comfort of your own home. When you are finished eating, simply leave your dishes on the table, and the lovely staff at Mekong Estate will clean everything up for you. The quantity, quality, and service of breakfast I experienced at Mekong Estate were unrivaled by any hotel I’ve stayed at.

The food was so good that I never managed to snap a photo of it before it was mostly gone

Amenities

In addition to the amenities listed above, Mekong Estate also offers massages and other spa services by request. My favorite amenity on the property, however, is the pool. This 25 meter long pool has a waterfall on one end and is an infinity pool on the side facing the Mekong River. There are plenty of lawn chairs available, and I never noticed the pool area getting congested during my stay there. If I had more time in Luang Prabang, I could have easily spent hours every day lounging poolside and enjoying the views.

The gorgeous infinity pool at Mekong Estate with a waterfall at the far end

Hanging over the ledge of the pool

Watching the sunset over the Mekong River from the pool

Dusk at Mekong Estate

I cannot imagine having a more comfortable, peaceful, and enjoyable stay in Luang Prabang than the one I had at Mekong Estate. If you are visiting Luang Prabang, I cannot recommend these residences more highly. Click here to book online, or email info@mekongestate.com with any inquiries.

Looking for other fun things to do in Southeast Asia? Then you might want to check out these posts:

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• 24 Hours in Luang Prabang

Mekong Estate
Book Online
Phone: +856 71 212929
Email: info@mekongestate.com

A big thank you to Mekong Estate for making our stay possible. As always, all opinions are 100% our own.