Amantaka

"A clever conversion of Luang Prabang’s old provincial hospital has created the most luxurious property in the country. A sweeping driveway brings guests to a colonial-style lobby (the former X-ray room) beneath a low-slung red-tiled roof. Inside, it’s pared down to the point of austere, but in a soothing contrast to this tropical town of gilded temples and extravagant carvings. Twenty-four cream suites surround a shady centerpiece garden and expansive pool. Behind the dusky-green French shutters, the hotel has a slight sanitarium feel, with long corridors and tiny ward-like chambers. Smaller suites are more cozy; the bigger ones have private pools. Decor is without fuss: simple Southeast Asian wood furnishings, an embroidered silk throw, black-and-white photographs of Buddhist monks in meditation. What Amanresorts always does best is the anything-is-possible service, and that is no exception here. On call are the town’s experts in Theravada Buddhism, traditional arts, and ethnology, which means stellar evening lectures and exclusive access to, for example, a photographic archive of monastic life dating back to the 1880s. A member of the former royal family is on hand to discuss Lao fine arts, and there are guided walks away from the main sights to explore abandoned temples."