A UNESCO-protected building, the Sofitel Luang Prabang in Ban Mano, served as the French Governor’s residence in the 1900s. As such, it’s in a residential area yet minutes from the airport and city centre and boasts heritage design. Stay in one of 26 suites here and you’ll benefit from your own private garden with gazebo and outdoor bathtub or a private pool. Take a seat in a wicker chair for drinks and dinner at the Governor’s Grill; swim in the Olympic-size pool with its pretty blue mosaic tiles; have a wander through the landscaped gardens and book some ancient Lao rituals at Le Spa.