Local guide in Luang Prabang

I just returned from Luang Prabang and I recommend the Red Cross herbal sauna (a great place to hang out and relax with the locals, sipping herbal tea in the open air in between herbal steam sessions). A 1 hour massage is $3 us and sauna admission is $1 us.

I met a local fellow there who invited me out for a beer and we ended up spending some part of each of the next 3 days together. He works as a tour guide and I was thinking that if anyone wants a unique personal experience, I could put you in touch with him. What I enjoyed was the insight to Lao life hanging out with him gave me - I had been once already to Luang Prabang and knew how to find my way around the tourist attractions (although he can do that for you too).

Local guide in Luang Prabang

Thanks for the sauna info. I didn%26#39;t even SEE any places like that when I was in LP in December.I%26#39;ll be going back again this year so I might check it out! Didn%26#39;t even feel the need for a guide- the place is so small you can pretty much walk around and see all the sights in a day or so. Took a boat to Pak Ou caves, but didn%26#39;t get a chance to see the falls, nor did I go to the temples on the other side of the river. (Will do this on my upcoming trip.)

Local guide in Luang Prabang

It is right across from Wat Visoun. It%26#39;s open from 9 am to 9 pm for massage and the sauna opens at 4 pm.

The Lotus Herbal Spa on the main road also has massage and spa treatments for $3. usd as well - but no sauna - it%26#39;s great esp. if you want a traditional Lao massage which is sort of like a Thai massage. The Red Cross massage is not like that - it%26#39;s sort of more like a muscle rub.

I love the sauna though, salternately teaming and then sipping the herbal tea in the open air. You do it a few times and it really makes you feel great. Love being there with the locals - everyone from old ladies to the odd tourist.

I am going with my family at the end of August, and would love the name of your guide.

Sounds like the traditional Laotian massage is great! I love Thai massage.

His name is Douk. You can email him at douk2003@hotmail.com and tell him you heard about him from his friend Floyd in New York. For $25 per day, he will take you to all of the sights -- he is a very nice dependable and personable guy -- a Luang Prabang native. I have known him since 2003 (my first trip there). I think you will have a wonderful time in Laos.

Be sure to go to the Lotus Spa -- it%26#39;s great.

I had fully intended to go to the Red Cross for massage when I was in Luang Prabang, however once I had sampled a leg/foot massage at the Lotus Spa, I never made it there. I returned to Lotus on several occasions and had some of the best massage I have ever had there, particularly a 2 hour traditional Lao massage, which is the same as Thai for $6.

I would give a complete thumbs down to the Garden Spa just along the road from L%26#39;elephant. It is in a nice quiet setting, but my experience was that the massage was bland and repetative - very much just going through the motions.

The Red Cross sounds great though!

Thanks for the information, Floyd. I%26#39;ll definitely email him regarding my visit at the end of June.

Another question: I%26#39;ve been looking through reviews for hotels in Luang Prabang and Vietiane. As far as I can tell, it seems like the Satri House in LP is a great mix of intimacy, style, location, and comfort. Have you been to this hotel?

Thoughts about a nice Vietiane Hotel would also be appreciated. I don%26#39;t mind spending money for a quality experience that oozes Asia. The Settha Palace looks good on paper and in picture. Is there truth in advertising? Any other nice options?

Thanks.

For an experience that oozes Asia, stay at a guesthouse.

I have not stayed at the Satri House -- but I do agree with the person who recommends staying at a guest house. There is a good review on the Trip Advisor site and photos to help you decide. Luang Prabang is small and it%26#39;s sort of nice to stay on a quiet street -- because you can walk everywhere easily. And believe me you will appreciate a dip in the pool after exploring temples all day because it is very hot there.

I did stay at the Settha Palace in Vientiane for one night in 2003. It was fine. I remember it as colonial and elegant and also remember having a wonderful meal there in the restaurant with a group of friends and later that night despite being tired, a few of the guys working in the hotel convinced me to go with them (via motorbike) to the Novotel discotheque where we drank pitchers of Beer Lao (with ice cubes) and danced with their friends. It seemed very Indian to me with all of the guys dancing on one side and all of the girls on the other like a Bollywood film. They were not expecting me to pay for them, but I insisted and the bill for 6 of us (many pitchers of beer) was about 7.00 usd - probably a fortune for them. It was a highlight of my visit to Vientiane. The other folks traveling with me who said they were too tired to go were jealous the next day.

If you stay at a guest house, you really do get to meet people more on their own terms. One day after a lunch at the Cafe Vat Bene Sene (I think that%26#39;s the name) -- owned by the same man who owns L%26#39;Elephant - I asked the waiters where they bought the Cafe Lao served in the cafe. They sent me to a guest house where this lovely Lao man and his wife sold me 2 kilos of coffee beans and entertained me with his enthusiasm for coffee. He gave me a card for their guest house which is in the middle of town -- near the Lao Development Bank - back from the street but in a busy area. (busy for Laos). I%26#39;m not sure if I would like staying there that encounter is typical of how charming and friendly the people there are.

Hi....would you still have the contact of the tour guide in LP?

Thanks

alvin@busads.com.sg

@fsync, thanks for the tip, I went to the Red Cross sauna as well. Steam room was brilliant, I met some really nice travelers and also some very nice locals. And sipping tea outside the steam room is just so Lao... a really nice, low key, relaxed place.