 |
| 15 May 2014 |
We were in Chiang Mia, Thailand at the Spa Resort for nine days prior to our eleventh hour decision to visit Laos. While there we met Kirsty Brown-Danks, the general manager of the Hotel de la Paix, and she told us they are running a special rate for guests so it's a good time to visit. Mom and I couldn't resist the thought of visiting a new country neither of us had been to so we decided to book our flight and go. The timing was ideal since Lao Airlines had a special of $85 USD one way starting on May 15th between the two cities. The airline offered a complimentary beverage and snack on the one hour flight. We had to pay a $30 entrance visa. The price slightly varies per country and they only take cash. For the visitors caught without enough cash, they were sent to an ATM machine. No credit cards allowed. Everyone was given American dollars back, versus the local currency (Kip) since it has very little value. Once we were there we were told not to take any of the local currency out of the country since it isn't worth anything. We had no problem paying in US currency everywhere we went.
 |
| Nice greeting! |
What a great first impression and nice welcome to Laos! Our shuttle driver, Yiem, met us at the airport, loaded our luggage, and immediately offered us an aroma scented cold towel before starting our journey to the hotel. We were told that Yiem has been employed by the hotel for eleven years and is referred to as "Uncle Yiem" by the other employees.
 |
| Another nice greeting once we arrived at the hotel! |
 |
| We walked right by this reflection pool on the way to our suite. The tile design in the pool is gorgeous! |
 |
| We found this hand-written welcome note on beautiful stationary from the general manager, Kirsty, sitting on the desk in our Governor Suite! |
 |
| The bed was just as comfortable and inviting as it looks. The door opened to a large private fenced in area with a table and chairs. |
The Sabai Library Lounge serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with an option of indoor or outdoor dining. The menu has Lao and Western cuisine. Anyone is welcome to borrow a book and leave a book during their stay. The area is cozy and inviting and made me want to lounge with a coffee and good book!
The "Side Walk Cafe" style dining is adjacent to the Sabai Library Lounge. We enjoyed a nice breakfast selection every morning which was included in the price of the room. The dinner menu at the restaurant was a little pricey, so we chose to dine in town where there was plenty of other nice dining options available. I was craving chocolate ice cream after dinner one night and decided to go to the hotel restaurant before heading back to the room. Two small scoops (the size of a meat ball!) cost $7.00 US.
 |
| The desk where you book an appointment for the spa services. |
 |
| General Manager Kirsty Brown-Danks & Bassam |
Kirsty takes her Rottweiler, Bassam, to work with her everyday. In this photo, Bassam is just over one year old and his name means "happy face" in Arabic. Originally from Australia, Kirsty lived in Dubai for ten years before transferring to Laos.
 |
| Hotel de la Paix is stunning in the evening hours. |
We learned that the French Colonial style Hotel de la Paix is a restored building from a 100 year old prison and became one of the finest luxury all-suite resorts in the area.
The property was well maintained and immaculate. Our room was very clean and well attended. If you're looking for peace and tranquility, you'll definitely find it here. The rooms are built solid and you hardly even know there are other people staying at the hotel.
The only downside to our stay was the poor internet connection. I could get email on my iPad while in my room, but when it came time to go online to book our return flight, I couldn't even get on the airline's website. Yiem came by one evening and took us to an Internet cafe in the downtown area and we had the same connection problems there. Fortunately, the person working at that cafe recommended we go to the Broadband Internet Cafe, which was the newest one in town. I had no problems getting online right away and booking our flights. We were grateful to Yiem for being so patient and waiting with us the entire time. I was craving ice cream (again!) so we stopped on the way back to the hotel and I treated Yiem to an ice cream too. I wrote Kirsty a note and told her the staff may want to let the guests know about the Broadband Internet Cafe in case they encounter a connection issue as well.
You can check out our activities during our stay in Laos along with a visit to an orphanage on another post.
