Press & Media
The Charlotte Observer
Reflecting the royal past of central Laos
New luxury hotel in quaint Luang Prabang occupies site built by prince and princess.
Marie-Helene Machevin is general manager of Villa Maly (www. villamaly.com), a luxury hotel that opened last fall in Luang Prabang, in central Laos. Machevin, 50, is a native of France who has lived in Laos nine years.
Q. New hotel, old property, right?
It was built in 1938 by Prince Khamtan and Princess Khampieng, who were members of the royal family. Luang Prabang was the royal capital. It eventually became the residence of a later prince and princess. He was the governor of Luang Prabang and she was in charge of the French School. They left to go to France, escaping the political wars here, in the 1970s. The adoptive son of the (second) prince owns it now. They decided to rent it, and arrangements were made for a 30-year lease. I keep in touch with the oldest son of Prince Khamtan, who lives in France. I send him pictures of what it looks like now, and we talk on Skype (Internet telephone service).
Q. And what does it look like now?
A villa built in the 1930s. We have 33 rooms, five of which are deluxe and the rest are superior and done in all kinds of nice colors. It's beautiful. All around it we added new construction – rooms done in the same style. It's not a simple hotel like the others. It's much more than that.
Q. Who stays there?
Most of the time the guests are from France and elsewhere in Europe. We get big groups from France. And we are having more and more Americans.
Q. Laos used to be part of French Indochina. Do people come to Luang Prabang to relive the old days – or for exotic adventure?
The older French people – ages 60 to 65 or so – come for what they remember or heard about colonial times. There's a special atmosphere in Luang Prabang, a quaint city. Many younger people come because of low prices and stay for more than a month. They enjoy trekking here and kayaking and drinking Beerlao. They don't come for history.
Q. What's there to see and do?
You can cruise on the Mekong River. Our company has a very nice local boat – simple but comfortable – that was built by a Frenchman. You can do a four-hour lunch or dinner cruise to the Pak Ou Caves. You can go trekking. To the north are some very nice waterfalls. You can ride elephants. Some people just walk around Luang Prabang because it's attractive and is easy to know in one or two days. Some like to go to the night market, which is famous. It's an ancient capital with more than 100 pagodas. Every morning at 6, you can see the Buddhist monks in their nice saffron dresses going out of the temples and into the streets. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means nothing can be constructed in the old town without authorization of UNESCO and the Laotian government.
Q. So you have ancient royal attractions in a still-communist country. How does that work?
It works well. The communist government tries to adapt to this big surge of tourism and catches all opportunities. Everything is becoming more and more capitalist. It's ironic, but they want to make money. The government is easy to work with so long as you respect the people and follow the rules. It's quite easy to work here. Easier, sometimes, than it was in France.
Q. The weather?
It's hot now – 33 or 35 centigrade (91-95 Fahrenheit) in the afternoon; 20 (68 F.) in the morning. Now is the dry season. May and June are the start of the rainy season, which continues through September. It doesn't rain all the time; mostly at the end of the afternoon and at night. The best time to visit is November and December – a great afternoon season when it's just a little cool in the morning. Some are a bit disappointed. They think when they come to a tropical country it has to be hot. But that's when it's high season for tourism. In January and February it gets a little hot. At the end of February it gets a little hotter.
Q. Where do Laotians vacation?
Usually to Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia. Many visit their families in U.S., France or Australia, where many Laotians migrated since 1975.
