LAOS: Celebrate New Year In Luang Prabang

With a stay at the Grand Luang Prabang, you can step back in time and discover all the cultural and historical gems of the ancient Lao capital, and two nights cost just US$145 (Bt5,000) anytime through June.

The Weekend Getaway Lao New Year includes daily breakfast for two, airport transfers, late checkout, an alms-giving ceremony and a class in Laotian cooking class.

The two-night Romantic Mekong Escape is $195 per night and includes breakfast, transfers, the alms ceremony a welcoming kit of wine and strawberries, a romantic turn-down service and a special gift.

A 15-minute drive from Luang Prabang International Airport, the hotel has 75 rooms and suites with views of the Mekong River, mountains and lush gardens. As well as a restaurant, bar and swimming pool, the hotel is home to the Xiengkeo Museum.

The cooking class with the hotel chef sounds like fun, a chance to make authentic local dishes that vary according to what’s available each day at the market.

Guests can rise at dawn and receive the blessings of monks at Prince Petcharath Palace in return for donations of sticky rice, a wonderful way to begin the New Year.

There are 30 spectacular Buddhist temples around the town, best visited on foot or by bicycle. One of the most significant is Wat Xieng Thong, with its ornate mosaic tiling and sweeping tiered roof.

A sunset cruise along the Mekong features a stop at the famed Pak Ou Caves – twin caves cut into a limestone cliff that hold hundreds of perfectly posed Buddha images in various styles and sizes.

The Grand Laung Prabang Hotel is located on the banks of the grand Mekong River with a spectacular panoramic view of the picturesque mountains surrounding Luang Prabang, approximately 4 kms southwest of Luang Prabang town centre.

The resort is situated on the 59 thousand square meters’ estate of Xiengkeo Palace which belonged to the nationalist hero Prince Phetsarath. The 75 guest rooms were built while preserving the French colonial design with Laotian touch, all accommodations are furnished tastefully with wooden furniture to reminisce the heritage of the building.

Breakfast as well as functions are held at Xiengkeo Restaurant, located beside the elevated banks of the Mekong River. Our restaurant provides guests with the best of international cuisine featuring Western, Thai, and Lao recipes.

The combination of its high ceilings, polished marble floors, stylish colonial architecture and a panoramic view of the Mekong River gives this is one restaurant that will provide guest with a unique dining experience.

Restaurant Xiengkeo
The restaurant provides guests with the best of international cuisine featuring Western, Thai, and Lao recipes.

The combination of its high ceilings, polished marble floors, stylish colonial architecture and a panoramic view of the Mekong River gives this is one restaurant that will provide guest with a unique dining experience.

The breakfast buffet is served daily in the morning on the terrace and the restaurant open daily from 6.00 am until 10.30 pm

Seating Capacity: 55 persons indoors and 55 persons outdoors.

Le Bistrot Restaurant
Panoramic views of the river as it flow past Luang Prabang and winds past the hotel between two mountain ranges.
Le Bistrot Lounge serves light meals and a boasts a full bar.

The lounge and bar is fully air-conditioned and uses its fire place during the cool winter months. Karaoke and live music are available on request.

Le Bistrot Lounge is open daily between: 5.00 pm – 11.30 pm.
Seating Capacity: 60 persons

Executive Private Dining
The Executive private dining areas bring new dimensions to the art of entertaining; there are choices of utilizing the meeting room next to Xiengkeo Restaurant, or outdoor garden area, both with spectacular view view of the Mekong River and surrounding mountain ranges.

Ideal for business conference and meetings or private parties, we offer choices of customized the menu and cuisine to suite their occasion.

Arranged for periods between: 5.00 pm – 11.00 pm.
Seating Capacity: 2-55 persons

Rooms and Suites
The 75 guest rooms were built while preserving the French colonial design with Laotian touch, all accommodations are furnished tastefully with wooden furniture to reminisce the heritage of the building.

Prince Petcharath Ratanavongsa
Prince Petcharath Ratanavongsa (1890-1959) holds a special place in Lao History as the only viceroy of the Kingdom of Laos and had a tenure as prime minister from 1942 to 1945.

His tenure as Prime Minister of Laos was during World War 2 both under French protectorate & Japanese occupation.

During the wartime years he was prime minister and Viceroy of the Kingdom of Luang Prabang, which was first loosely under Vichy French control and them briefly “independent” under the Japanese.

Post the Japanese occupation, Prince Petcharath was in favor of an independent Laos which was to the contrary to the King’s sentiments which was in favor of the French Protectorate.

In 1946, he became the leader of the Lao resistance movement that sought to suppress the country’s return under the tutelage of French colonials in favor of a free Laos.

The difference in opinion led Prince Petcharath to leave the country for Thailand and spend eleven years in exile. During his absence, saw both his younger brothers Prince Souvanna Phouma and Souphananoubvong enter politics, Prince Petcharath returned to Laos in 1956 to resolve tensions between his two brothers as a mediator.

He later passed away at his birthplace of Luang Prabang in 1959.

To Lao people, Prince Phethsarath represented both continuity with the pre-colonial past and the hope of a new, p0st colonial future, he was both a traditionalist, by culture and by his affinity with the Lao people among whom he was so popular), and a modernist, determined to forge a new Lao unity where a history of kingdoms and principalities had existed before.

He was both an aristocrat, a member of a powerful vice regal family, and a democrat. His life is indelibly imprinted into the modern history of Laos. Many Lao hang his picture in their homes

Prince Pethsarath’s popularity to the Lao people is in regards to its countries pre-colonial culture and independence; he was both a traditionalist with an affinity for Lao culture and its people but also a visionary; his life and legacy is indelibly imprinted into modern history of Laos.

To this day, many Lao hang his picture in their home

THAILAND: Water A Good Rescue .

To cool people down during the summer, new waterparks have sprung up around Bangkok and in the provinces.

Dusit Zoo in Bangkok has renovated its resting area not far from the entrance on Rama V Road as a water playground and area for children. The zoo has set aside a 9 million baht budget covering an area for children. The zoo has set aside a 9 million baht budget covering an area about 1,500m².

The Jungle Water Park, located on 4 rai in Muang district of Pathum Thani, opened two weeks ago. The highlight is the Dropkick Extreme Waterslide, which is open to those above the age of 12. There are water slides for children as well. The facility is the first waterpark in the province, according to Surachai Khan-asa, governor of Pathum Thani.

Kids Water Park at Chiang Mai Zoo, which opened on April 8, will be open for a month to test the system before its official opening, according to the zoo director Niphon Wichairat. The water playground is about 900m² and is equipped with water domes, fountains, water buckets, water sprays and slides. The pool can accommodate up to 100 kids, he said.

The waterpark in Sa Kaeo is called Dreamer Waterpark and is built on a 19 rai plot of land on Highway 33, about 2km from the immigration checkpoint in Aranyaprathet, where people can cross to Poipet in Cambodia. The waterpark is the first facility of its kind in Sa Kaeo, according to Dreamer Waterpark managing director Kongkompaipak Yordudomnithipak, adding that it would serve not only people in the in the province, but also those from the neighbouring country, he said. Highlights are a wave pool, which creates artificial waves, a 450m-long Lazy River, 11 sets of water slides and a Kids' Zone.


Bangkok has been selected as the host venue for the 2017 World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit. WTTC was founded in 1989 by a group of industry leaders led by James Robinson III, CEO of American Express to raise awareness of travel & tourism as one of the world's largest industries.

"Travel and tourism is one of the most important generators of jobs and wealth in the world, contributing to over US$7.2 trillion in GDP to the world economy and supporting 284 million jobs, which is one in 11 jobs on the planet," said WTTC president and CEO David Scowsill.

The WTTC Global Summit brings together hundreds of leaders from public sector organisations and private companies worldwide to discuss and tackle the most important issues in the tourism sector yearly,he said. Topics for this year include global trend, sustainable finance and capital market and disease and migration.

The tourism industry in the Kingdom generates about 16.5% of GDP, according to statistics of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. About 4.16 million people or close to 11% of 37.87 million employed people work for the tourism business.

The ministry expects about 32 million visitors will travel to Thailand this year, up from 30 million last year, and will generate up to 2.4 trillion baht, increasing from around 2.2 trillion baht last year.

Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul regards the opportunity for hosting the global summit as a "great opportunity" to showcase Bangkok as an important meeting place for gathering the world's top travel and tourism executives.

The 2017 Global Summit will be organised on April 26-27 next year.

Bangkok Airways has opened a lounge at Luang Prabang International Airport in Laos. The 132m² facility can accommodate up to 42 passengers. The lounge is near Exit 3 on the second floor of the International Departure Terminal.

All passengers of the airline can use the lounge, which serves snacks, hot or cold drinks and has free Wi-Fi. The lounge is open two times a day, relating to its flight schedules, which are 10.20am-12.20pm and 3.20pm-5.20pm.


A small-size laid-back hotel has opened at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. Called Boxtel, it is in the basement of the airport. The hotel features 12 rooms of 4m². Each room has a single bed, a working desk and free Wi-Fi.


It also has a common area with free snacks. The service is available with three options for staying; four hours rest and the net price is 1,160 baht, six hours for 1,720 baht and eight hours for 2,280 baht.