The Belle Rive Boutique Hotel

The BelleRive is an elegant and stylish hotel housed in three colonial buildings which ooze charm. The front of the hotel would not be out of place in Paris, with rattan chairs and small tables set up outside from which to have an espresso and watch the world go by. The spacious lobby also has tables to sit at, as well as a bar area for coffee and drinks. Picture lots of polished wood, tall mirrors, and glass and wood shuttered doors looking out across the river. 

While the building that houses the lobby and some upstairs rooms has been restored, the one next to it is a UNESCO-protected colonial gem, with blue shutters and white trim, looking a bit like Santorini-meets-Laos, and full of character. Almost all the rest of the property is made up of rooms, although there is an inviting restaurant across the street, with some of the better river views in this part of town.

The BelleRive is located in the UNESCO heritage area of Luang Prabang, right across the street from the Mekong River. The hotel is within a short walk of the popular night market, and plenty of restaurants, tour agencies, and art shops are nearby. It's about a 15-minute drive from the airport. The river road the hotel is on has a fair bit of motorbike traffic, but it is very quiet at night, and it's a great spot to ride bicycles to get around, which the hotel provides for free. 

There is a wide selection of room categories at the BelleRive, including the standard Terrace rooms, Superior rooms, and Balcony Maisonette rooms, as well as a few suites, even though the hotel only has 13 rooms in total. All rooms have beautiful wooden floors along with fine wooden closets, desks, and tables. Rooms feature traditional Lao decor, with large bamboo baskets as ornaments, rattan chairs, and local artisan items like bamboo water bottle covers. Plus, there are fine art photos on the walls, such as black-and-white shots of traditional Lao costumes and ethnic minorities. All rooms come with safes, minibars in which all items are free (but there's no alcohol), bathrobes, slippers, heaters for winter, large air-conditioners, electric hot water kettles with a supply of instant coffee and tea, and free Wi-Fi and breakfast. The rooms do not have televisions but the hotel supplies them upon request.

Most of the rooms have poster beds, except for the Balcony Maisonettes and the Terrace doubles. The standard Terrace rooms are small, but the other categories offer plenty of space. The bathrooms have separate toilets and showers, but none of them have bathtubs. Additionally, the rooms have small shuttered windows, so they don't allow for the most sweeping views, and neither the Superior rooms nor Deluxe Suite have balconies or terraces. Interestingly enough, the lower category Terrace rooms do have sitting areas outside, as do the Balcony Maisonettes, which are probably the most atmospheric of the room choices, as they feature loft beds in French maisonette style.

There is no pool, spa, or fitness center at the hotel, partially due to the fact that properties in the UNESCO zone of Luang Prabang cannot build pools or external buildings. The lobby and front of the hotel area doubles as a sort of cafe and bar, as guests can order a coffee or drink and sit and watch the world go by. The hotel does have a proper restaurant, the intimate BelleRive, which sits across the road from the main buildings and overlooks the Mekong. The restaurant serves up Lao tasting menus with local specialties like Mekong river weed or dried buffalo meat, as well as some western dishes, along with cocktails, wine, and beer, and it also serves the free breakfasts for guests here. There is a private terrace for guests to use on this side overlooking the river as well. Additionally, the hotel provides free bicycles for guests to use and also has a free sunset cruise every night.