28 Wildest Adventures asianTraveler 29

If you would like to simply stare at a lotus, or walk from one place to another, perhaps for coffee or tea, or simply meditate and contemplate, a royal residence at the heart of Luang Prabang in Laos may be the perfect place for you. Villa Maly, a royal villa that once remained in the hands of a single family through seven dec-ades, embodies both the classic French colonial charms of Luang Prabang, as well as the natural serenity of the city which is a UNESCO World Her-itage Site. “I have a sincere attraction to Luang Pra-bang. It strikes me as one of the few authentic places left in the world. In other words, in a world where popular destinations are inevitably changed by the influx of travelers, Luang Prabang still re-tains a sense of itself as it was. That’s why we’ve opened Villa Maly,” explains Eric Merlin, chief ex-ecutive officer of the Apple Tree Group which owns Villa Maly. Nicknamed “A Residence of Charm”, Villa Maly’s unique residential ambiance is marked by its Art Deco style, and French and British colonial furnishings. It was built in 1938 on the site of a pagoda, originally as a residence of two stories, with a pitched roof of terra cotta tiles and fronted by a portico. Its royal residents were the fam-ily of Princess Khampieng and Prince Khamtan, a grandson of the 19th century’s King Zakarine. Renovated and reopened in 2008, Villa Maly is now a 33-room boutique property which has re-tained the original royal structure, standing out in the midst of a neighborhood of garden homes. When asked how the Apple Tree Group’s development of Villa Maly would affect the natu-ral vibe around Luang Prabang, Merlin was can-did, “There’s no question that Luang Prabang will

Letting Loose at Luang Prabang’s ViLLa MaLy

become a major tourist destination. In its travel pages at the end of 2007, the New York Times called out Laos as the most appealing travel des-tination in the world for 2008. And Luang Prabang is the premier destination in all of Laos. Its appeal is deep and universal. So development is a fait ac-compli, whether we do it or someone else does.”Merlin was reassuring too, sharing how Apple Tree Group’s care for Villa Maly has kept it rooted to the Luang Prabang spirit, or as he puts it, “borne of the place.” “I’m talking about a theme, a story, a tone. With Villa Maly, we’re striving to create an ambiance that radiates from a private home, an atmosphere that is at the same time intimate, fa-miliar and wonderful. In the case of the Villa Maly, we’re inviting guests to the home of a royal cou-ple, to the home of a man who was a nephew to King Sisavong. We know the story of the people who dwelled here, and we’ll be sharing that story with guests as a way to enrich their experience of spending time at our property,” explained Merlin, referring to Villa Maly as, “an echo of something that sounded long ago.” Given the enormous investment that has been poured in the design of Villa Maly, it’s guar-anteed that guests will surrender to its peace. As Merlin points out, “In Luang Prabang, there is a vibration and a style. Submitting to that is exactly the experience you want when you go to Luang Prabang, and what we’re trying to enable at Villa Maly.”

Top: Villa Maly’s original residents are Laotian royalty; Opposite: retreat to Villa Maly’s healthy cuisine, luxurious pampering and scenic views