The Namkhan Experience

Text by: Vincent Vichit-Vadakan

Photos by: The Namkhan

Heritage and historic charms will always be the main draw in Luang Prabang. What’s not to love about the old-world air of the sacred temples and photogenic houses? But if you’re a regular visitor who already knows your Wat Xieng Thong from your Mount Phousi, or if you’re just looking for a change of pace in a peaceful corner of Luang Prabang, there is a nearby resort that is exactly what the doctor ordered.

The Namkhan takes its name from Luang Prabang’s other river. Visitors to Luang Prabang always think of the mighty Mekong, but the city’s historic center is actually built on the strip of land where the Mekong meets its tributary, the Namkhan, on a sort of fluvial peninsula. In the winter, if you stand at the tip of the peninsula, you can clearly observe the difference between the waters of the two rivers at the point where they meet.  

The Namkhan Resort is located a couple of bends of the Namkhan River upstream, a short fifteen-minute drive from both Luang Prabang’s airport and from town. The property offers free shuttles into the city throughout the day, with the last return to the hotel at 9:30, just as the night market is closing down. The Namkhan also rents e-scooters for the day if you prefer to tool around yourself. 

That’s all on the assumption that you want to head out at all; honestly, you may not even want to leave the resort. The first thing that will keep you in is a choice of accommodations that suits your mood and your style. You can pick brand new glamping tents set on their own decks with inside and outside seating, reclining deck chairs, and riverside views. The tented “rooms” themselves have lights and air-conditioning. (Private bathrooms are outside the tent.) Then there are suites and bungalows, many of which contain original art pieces, facing the river or on the hill. For a special treat, there are the plush two-story, two-bedroom villas that include spacious balconies, bathtubs with killer views, and net daybeds that hang out over the void for mid-air sunbathing. Sufferers of vertigo should refrain.  

Walking around the resort is easy, but buggies are on call through the resort’s easy-to-use app that you are encouraged to download on arrival. The app also works for reaching out to staff for anything from spa bookings to room service. This is also how you reach out to staff with any questions 24 hours a day. 

The Namkhan’s open-air restaurant, Roots, is located at the top of the hill. The extensive menu offers so many options, like the Luang Prabang classic or lam, a stew that is thickened with eggplant, seasoned with sakhan pepper wood that lends the soup its mildly peppery aroma, and packed with green herbs like dill and cilantro. Other dishes are a nod to the owners’ favorite dishes. Mr. Paul’s currywurst would stand up to any Berlin Schnellimbiss (snack stall), and Madame Xisca’s gazpacho is based on a family recipe. 

Roots’ very own Chef Moh is talented and versatile in whatever the cuisine, but get her to share her secrets of home-cooked Lao food like jeo (spicy relishes), lagou, a French-inspired buffalo stew, or mok, aromatic parcels steamed in banana leaves. Also, don’t miss her pillowy coconut crepes at breakfast. 

If you’re so inclined, you can even join her for a tour of the organic garden and a cooking class where you can learn classics like tam mak houng (papaya salad) or laab, the meaty salad that is often called the national dish of Laos. The class is geared to your ability, whether you’re an absolute beginner or a hands-on home chef. You can perfect your knife skills under the watchful eye of a professional or nail the technique for tossing glutinous rice in a steaming basket. 

While you’re touring the farm, you can also learn about composting, mushroom farming, and raising chickens and ducks. The Namkhan also encourages you to stroll through the organic farm on your own, with QR codes posted throughout the garden patches and greenhouses to guide you through the season’s crops, whether it’s long beans, papaya, or butterfly pea flowers. Learn about how ingredients like chili peppers, tobacco, and vinegar can be used to make natural pesticides and insect repellents. African nightcrawler worms enrich compost on the organic farm.

And that is the joy of staying at The Namkhan: you’re never at a loss for things to do. If you’re feeling active, go kayaking down the river or biking around the Teakwood Forest Trail. Enjoy the resort’s riverfront clearing (that they call Luang Prabang’s only “beach”) in the privacy of your own wooden hut to shield you from the sun. Play badminton, chess, or pétanque, or sign up for lessons if you want to learn. Go for qi gong in the morning or yoga at sunset. You can even book your own open-air movie theater where you are given free rein over the hotel’s Netflix account. Order dinner and have your own private movie night. The possibilities are endless. 

You’ll also want to pay a visit to the Jungle Spa and its extraordinary resident and visiting wellness practitioners who offer unique treatments. Gloria, the spa manager, is meticulous in explaining the workings of singing bowls and sound healing. The treatment is so much more than an esoteric form of relaxation. Physiologically, it is supposed to improve your heart rate or blood pressure, and can even change how your body reacts on a cellular level. 

Many people think that ice bath therapies are just about creating a shock for the body. Gloria gently prepares you mentally, physically, and – truth be told – philosophically for the experience that has an effect on your circulation and metabolism. She quite literally holds your hand if you need support before taking the plunge. Beyond the physical consequences, it’s a different way of seeing yourself and how you interact with your environment. 

A regular program of visiting practitioners hosts targeted retreats and offers limited-edition and off-menu treatments. Maria José, a Chilean practitioner and facilitator specializing in yoga and water therapy, recently spent a month at the resort offering treatments like janzu. She leads you through the water-borne version of shiatsu, stretching and twisting you into postures weightlessly as you float in the swimming pool. It’s both a low-impact workout and a meditative experience.

Of course, if you do want to stray from the resort, the best way to do that is on the resort’s own exclusive wooden barge, the iMekong. Imagine giving alms in a traditional tak bat ceremony at dawn before sailing down the Mekong to discover the jaw-dropping landscapes; sailing to the Ban Chan pottery village where you can admire – and purchase – locally made items or try your hand at crafting your own; or book yourself the iMekong for a memorable, hopelessly romantic sunset cruise, complete with canapés, bubbly and the one you love. 

And that is the joy of staying at The Namkhan. Couples will be seduced by the intimacy of the place, nature lovers will embrace the river and the greenery, foodies will have treats to tempt them all day long, and families will never have a dull moment. Did you say something for everybody?

For bookings or more information,

visit thenamkhan.com 

Getting there:

Lao Airlines flies frequently to Luang Prabang from Vientiane, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, and Bangkok.