The 3Nagas was the first boutique hotel in the beautiful old town of Luang Prabang, Laos. It offers large, traditional rooms in a 100 year old, colonial style building. It’s located in the heart of Old Town, with the traditional alms-giving ceremony on its doorstep. The service is fantastic, offering the warmth and friendliness Laos is known for. The food at the restaurant is just as good. While the old villa doesn’t allow for other amenities, you have access to the beautiful pool, big fitness center and spa at the Sofitel Luang Prabang. If you are visiting Luang Prabang for the first time, the 3 Nagas is an excellent choice to be in the heart of the Old Town!
Location: The 3Nagas has one of the best locations in the old town of Luang Prabang, situated on the main road, with the many temples on one side and the Royal Palace to the other, inn easy walking distance to both rivers, the night market and countless restaurants, coffee shops and shops. With a room facing the street, you can even see the morning ritual of giving alms to the monks right from your room! Luang Prabang is a quiet town and shuts down pretty early, so the street noise is very manageable and wasn’t an issue for us.
Rooms: For the most recent stay, we had booked a Deluxe Twin Room. It was located in the building across the street, together with the bar. The room is held in a traditional decor, with white walls, dark woods and dark, shiny hardwood floors. Artwork and pillows provide some colorful touches. The two twin beds each had mosquito nets that gave it a nice flair.
Between the bed and the balcony window is a seating area with two chairs and a small table.
Across from the bed is a small table with chair, that doubles as a make-up table and a work desk.
Near the entrance is a large, open closet that also holds the mini-bar (with space for your own stuff), coffee/tea facilities as well as bathrobes, slippers and a laptop size safe.
The balcony is one of the nicer features: you get two chairs and a table, with nice views over the beautiful garden and towards the river.
The bathroom is similar to the bedroom, held in dark colors. You’ll find a shower-over-tub on the right. The fixtures work well enough, but are certainly old-fashioned to go with the character of the hotel.
In the center of the bathroom is a vessel-style sink on a wooden table with plenty of space for all your toiletries. The standard toilet is in the corner. The towels and toiletries are of good qualities and a hairdryer is provided, but the bathroom is a little dark – no problem for me, but major cosmetic activities might be a little difficult.
On my previous visit, I checked out a an Executive Suite. It’s a larger room with similar decor – you’ll find white walls, dark wood and some colorful splashes. The hardwood floors are dark and polished to a shine. The furniture is off the same wood and color and local fabrics in bright color are used to brighten up the room a little. The room had a four-poster bed, a sitting area and a wooden closet and desk. You’ll find airconditioning, a mini-fridge and coffee/tea kettle, but no TV – getting away is taken seriously here!
The theme is carried into the bathroom with the same hardwood floors, a sink on a wooden vanity table and a shower-over-tub with a white curtain. This room on the upper level had a high vaulted ceiling, making it feel even more spacious.
Outside the room, overlooking the lush garden, is a large balcony with two loungers, two chairs and a table.. While not private, it looks like a nice place to relax after a day of sightseeing for some tea or a drink!
The WiFi internet was very fast at an average 41.4Mbps download and similar upload speeds, making it great for streaming video, video conferences or work. I had problems connecting with my phone, but it was most likely an issue with Lao Telekom, not the hotel.
Restaurants/Amenities: The hotel is made up of a number of beautifully restored, traditional buildings that combine the colonial style with some local features. The garden in the back makes for a nice retreat from the town, but don’t expect a pool here: Pools are not allowed anywhere in the UNESCO World Heritage zone. But you can use the gorgeous pool and large gym at the Sofitel Luang Prabang at no charge. This gives you the best of both worlds – a central location and access to resort amenities.
The 3Nagas restaurant and bar are a great feature of the hotel. The bar has a modern decor, offers great food and excellent cocktails – that’s a rare treat in South East Asia!
The restaurant across the street has a nice setting under the trees, along the main road and offers some prime people watching!
We had breakfast at the restaurant each morning and it was very good. It’s served a la carte, with plenty of local and international options. Don’t be shy, it’s all you can eat and you are welcome to eat multiple of the delicious dishes. We worked our way through the menu during our stay, so check out the various dishes we tasted – they were all excellent (yes, even the oddly green pancakes and waffles tasted great!).
Most of Luang Prabang is in easy walking distance from the 3Nagas, but if you want to explore a little further or take advantage of the Sofitel pool, gym or spa, you can borrow one of the bicycles. There were plenty available and they were in good shape (if a little small for somebody 1.90m tall).
The beautiful old-timer parked in front of the hotel is unfortunately no longer operational. So, if you were hoping for a stylish pick-up from the airport, you’ll be disappointed. Just enjoy the looks of it!
Value & Rewards: I booked the 3 Nagas during a sale on the Accor website for $132/night. That’s less than what I paid a few years ago and a good deal in high season in the Old Town of Luang Prabang. I received a 10% discount as an AccorPlus member and earned 8.7% ALL loyalty program rewards. I consider that good value, considering the location and excellent service. Keep in mind that independent, local hotels are available for less.
Bottomline: The 3Nagas MGallery by Sofitel is in a great spot at the heart of Luang Prabang, offering nicely restored rooms in historic buildings. You will get excellent service that’s not only friendly, put well trained and polished. Access to the pool, gym and spa at the Sofitel are a nice touch that makes it a great stay. If you have a longer stay in Luang Prabang, you could combine a few days at the 3Nagas in the heart of the Old Town with a few relaxing days at the Sofitel Luang Prabang or the brand-new Pullman Luang Prabang!