Mekong Riverview Hotel

The Swedish owner here is obviously an art lover, as well as a devotee to his adopted town of Luang Prabang. The small lobby is adorned with beautiful fine art photographs of scenes from around the heritage city, from monks receiving alms, to local life on bamboo bridges on the river. There are ceramic bowls from local fine art denizens Caruso, wood carvings, and other attention-grabbing pieces like a large world atlas with a magnifying glass encouraging exploring guests to peruse. There is also free cake and coffee here, and as it's the only public space on the property other than the restaurant, it's a welcome place to sit out of the heat.

The hotel is housed in several traditional old buildings which sit on the leafy street along the Mekong, and it feels like a timeless and preserved spot, one in which guests can discover the old Luang Prabang and escape the crowds.

The Mekong Riverview Hotel is located, as its name suggests, right along the Mekong River. In fact, the hotel sits right at the confluence of the Nam Khan and the Mekong, giving one of the best river views to be found in town. The hotel is about a 15-minute drive from the airport, and it is at the quiet UNESCO heritage end of the old town (the peninsula ends here, and you can't go any further). While the main area of the old town, where shops and restaurants can be found, is a good 10-minute walk away, there are still plenty of places to choose from that are closer, and the neighborhood here feels traditional and is very quiet, with the famous Wat Xiengthong temple, one of Luang Prabang's top sights, being just next door.

The rooms at the Mekong Riverview are kept in immaculate shape by the Swedish owner. All rooms feature finely polished wood floors, and look stylish and elegant, with such luxuries as Swedish remote control beds that can tilt up and down, plus colorfully embroidered cushions, and fine art photos of local Luang Prabang scenes adorning the walls. The photos even have their own small lights for illumination, just an example of the fine attention to detail paid here. 

The standard Deluxe rooms are modern and are located in a separate building down the street. Like all the other room categories, they come with free Wi-Fi, flat-screen televisions, ultra-large safe boxes, and minibars, whose contents can be consumed freely (but they lack alcohol). Rooms also have fine handcrafted wood furniture such as closets and writing desks. Bathrooms have double sinks, and urinals as well as toilets, and while the Deluxe and Superior rooms only have showers, the suites either have whirlpool tubs or stylish wooden baths (rooms here feature a lot of IKEA Swedish furnishings).

All rooms have either balconies or terraces, most of which look out at the Mekong, and have rattan chairs and tables to relax on. The only drawbacks here are in the Deluxe rooms, which don't have a choice of twin or double (only double) beds, and have their televisions set up on the wall above and behind the bed, forcing guests to sit in the chairs if they want to watch. 

The Mekong Riverview Hotel does not have too many extra facilities, mainly due to the fact that UNESCO regulations don't allow hotels in the heritage area to build swimming pools or external additions. Thus, there is no pool, fitness center, or spa. However, the hotel does have a lovely restaurant, the Viewpoint Cafe, which is located just up the street, and sits right out overlooking the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, with a photogenic bamboo bridge set just below it. The restaurant serves up local Luang Prabang specialties like pork sausage served with Mekong river weed and chili dip, as well as doing upscale western dishes such as Norwegian salmon or Swedish meatballs, and they even have wine tasting evenings on weekends. The hotel also provides guests with free bicycles throughout their stay as well as free electric tuk tuk shuttles anywhere in Luang Prabang at any time.