I recently stayed several nights at the Grand, my 5th or 6th stay. I thought I should do another review addressing some of the disparaging comments posted by other reviewers. This is the most magnificent hotel site in Luang Prabang. Some carp about the relatively short distance from the city center. However, this is what lends the hotel its charm. The property may be the largest of any hotel in Luang Prabang, and is situated directly on the Mekong with a beautiful, unimpeded view of the river, with carefully maintained landscaping, including some tame water buffalo and ducks. The lotus ponds are spectacular. For those of us who prefer a quiet refuge away from the bustle of the markets, the hotel offers quiet natural splendor. The markets, shops and cafes are only a cheap, short trip from the hotel if the shuttle doesn’t suit your schedule.
Others have criticized the service. I always find it amazing that many tourists from fully developed countries are attracted to Laos by its laid back ambience, yet demand the same level of efficiency that led them to seek temporary refuge in the calmer, slower paced Laos. Even in Luang Prabang there are hotels that offer the level of efficiency these travelers demand. However, they are priced accordingly at 5-star international hotel rates. If you want the snappy service of a Hilton clone, or if you want to experience local culture, you have a choice. However, none of the clones, even the ones charging several hundred and even more than a thousand dollars (!) a night are as wonderfully situated as the Grand. Is the staff at the Grand less efficient than at these other hotels--probably. But that is because these hotels are guilty of a form of “ brain drain,” poaching the best employees from the other hotels by offering higher wages, which they can afford because of their higher rates. (I am not saying these hotels should not pay the higher wages. Wages are too low even at these hotels. I’m only addressing the staff efficiency issue.) These hotels also hire the relatively few educated, English speaking college graduates, who could be better utilized by teaching their fellow citizens. Although the staff of the Grand may not be up to almost native speaker English, they certainly are as welcoming, polite and deferential. In addition the reticence valued by traditional Lao culture (partially overcome by the teaching of English) may be alien to our more direct way of dealing with each other; and we often mistake this diffidence as inefficiency rather than the traditional deference to one’s elders.
Regarding the food, the breakfast buffet is very good, with a mix of Asian and Western dishes. There are no croissants, Danish rolls, cheese and other such delicacies. Given the price of these delicacies, they are only found at the more expensive hotels and restaurants. But the eggs are fresh, the fruits and vegetables bountiful, the bread and home-made jams a nice marriage, and the Laotian cuisine prepared at the hotel is as “saep” (delicious) as at any other venue in Luang Prabang.
The rooms are large, clean and well appointed. For me a good bed is a must and the hotel scores high on this index. The rooms are decorated in accordance with Prince Petsarath’s palace—elegant simplicity. Floors are polished hardwood, the furniture is in the Lao-French colonial style. Other hotels may have flown in interior decorators to outfit their rooms to resemble those of hotels in other locales, but the Grand sticks to the tried and true, simple but elegant style of locally available materials and craftsmanship.
So if you want to stay amidst the downtown hubbub, in a Western outfitted hotel with equivalent snappy service, serving fine cheeses and pastries, all for a premium price, don’t stay at the Grand. If you want natural beauty, quiet and the warmth of Lao hospitality, then stay at the Grand. There is no better value in Luang Prabang.
- Grand Hotel Luang Prabang
- Grand Luang Prabang
