Hemingway would have loved this shack
LUANG PRABANG – Villa Maly, the refurbished former residence of a Laotian prince and princess, will open its doors on October 1.
The 1938-built residence of Princess Khampieng and Prince Khamtan, a grandson of the 19th century’s King Zakarine, anchors the 33-room boutique property.
The residence is located in a neighborhood of garden homes that was once a royal enclave and today ranks as one of Luang Prabang’s most exclusive development zones.
One of Indochina’s foremost interior designers, Eric Verschelden, moved from Saigon to Luang Prabang for on-site development work that lasted more than a year.
Around the anchoring historic home, now known as Plumeria (frangipani), he grouped six additional buildings.
Said Verschelden, “We’ve imagined Villa Maly as the place Hemingway would have stayed had he journeyed to Luang Prabang, or Marguerite Duras. We’ve got great literary ambitions.â€
Verschelden designed the furnishings for each of the rooms and sourced their construction at his own shop in Vietnam.
“The idea was to create a hotel that defies labeling,†he said. “It’s not merely colonial, or merely art deco, or merely tropical Asian. It’s more distinctive, a place we hope our guests won’t confuse with any other place they’ve ever stayed.â€
The hotel features four classes of rooms, with the 28 superior rooms and five deluxe rooms giving up views of either the pool or garden.
The historic home, Plumeria, was built in 1938 for His Royal Highness Khamtan (1909-1968) and Princess Khampieng (1911 – 1994).
The royal couple raised four children in the house while Khamtan served as prefect of the provinces of Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Sayabouri. He died in a plane crash; his wife lived in the house until her death
Ian Jarrett
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