Coconut Garden Luang Prabang

Coconut Garden Restaurant is very centrally located near the start of the night market and the other restaurants and travel agents, has a lovely garden setting at the front and back, indoor seating upstairs with a great view, good bathroom and good food. It’s a great choice for lunch or dinner when you’re out and about town.

The Laap are the best choices on the menu and the steamed fish in banana leaf is also good and better than the chicken in banana leaf.

Chicken Laap Tofu Laap

Steamed Chicken in Banana leaf ……and fish

It is also a sister restaurant to L’Elephant and Cafe Ban Vat Sene.

Luang Prabang Mt Pho Si

Climbing to the top of Mt Pho Si in the centre of Luang Prabang is well worth the small effort for the great view from the top.

The Mekong and Nam Khan Rivers slice the landscape bordered by hills and there’s a small but interesting temple at the top to see as well.

It takes about 20 minutes to walk up and 15 mins to walk down, costs about 20,000 kip per person ($2.50 US) and is accessed by steps across the road from the entrance to the Royal Palace on Sisavanthong Street.

While it’s not a big effort to get to the top, it’s a good activity to do in the cooler part of the day.

Luang Prabang morning market

The morning fresh food market in Luang Prabang is colourful, interesting and an essential visit at least once. It’s also great for photos. Go early as it winds up around 11am.

It’s in the street parallel with and in-between the night market and Mekong riverside streets, between the palace and then post office. The most colourful part however, can be found in a lane through from the night market street (Sisavangvong Street) that starts opposite, but in-between the Luang Prabang Library and the fruit and baguette stands (on the corner of Sisavangvong and Kitsalat streets diagonally opposite the post office). A Hobo map is available around town (try Coconut Garden) for 20,000 – 30, 000 kip ($3-4) and well worth buying.

Morning Monks, Luang Prabang, Laos

One of the highlights of a visit to Luang Prabang is to get up at dawn and watch the monks make their way down Sisavangvong Street from the main temple collecting alms (balls of sticky rice) from townsfolk , in their bowls. (Check with your accommodation hosts for the best time).

Villa Santi Hotel has a great location for this, as many monks pass by the front gate at dawn and then slowly making their way back to the temple in ones and twos all morning. (So if you are not able to get ups so early, it’s still possible to share a bit of the experience later in the day).

It’s peaceful and interesting but also a wonderful opportunity for some great photos. Just remember to keep a respectful distance.

Tamnak Lao Restaurant, Luang Prabang

Tamnak Lao Restaurant, across the road from Villa Santi has a lovely balcony setting and delicious, well priced food.

The top pick is the chicken in red curry but Larp is also good.

Other local dishes include the Orlam stew and Luang Prabang sausage , also good.

Tamnak Lao also runs cooking classes.

Cafe Toui, Luang Prabang

Despite first appearances Cafe Toui, has arguably the best in Luang Prabang, at an excellent price.

All meals are very good and the chef/owner Mr Toui, very lovely.

Luang Prabang Sausage Stew pork sausage with pumpkin and coconut milk
45,000 kip ($AUD 6.60) This is particularly good!

Souisi Pa – Mekong fish cooked in coconut and red chilli sauce with basil 40,000 kip ($AUD 5.80)

Pork laap with lemongrass , banana flower and ginger 39,000 kip ($AUD 5.70)

Kang Phet Kai – milk red curry with vegetables and chicken cooked in coconut milk 39,000 kip

Gaeng Kalee – Lao yellow curry with vegetables, galangal and lime leaf cooked in coconut milk 40,000 kip

Fish stew with eggplant, crunchy snake bean and basil 40,000 kip

Stir fried duck in chilli coconut sauce with basil and crunchy green peppers 45,000 kip

Mekong river weed

Cocktails $AUD 5-6, but 2 for 1 from 3-6pm (but these are not as good as the meals.)

Cucumber and Coriander Margarita $AUD 5 approx (not so great)

Classic Negroni $7.50 AUS Approx

Lime Rickey $AUD 5.60 approx

Lao Basil and Lemongrass Mohito (not so great)

Blue Lao-Hawaiian (the best but need to add extra sweetness)

A bit tricky to find, turn towards the Mekong River at Sisavang Vatana Road and look for the Lao Airlines office (next door), the temple (next door)and the French Institute (across the road).

Villa Santi Luang Prabang Hotel

Villa Santi, is a heritage hotel (former home of a Lao princess) with a great location in the middle of plenty of good restaurants, cafes and activities.

Around 200 monks walk past the front gate around dawn gathering alms from locals, but then continue to walk past all day in ones and twos. It is lovely to watch this as well as daily life, over breakfast, from the balcony that over looks the street.

Breakfast is included in the price and is a nice buffet offering a good range of options that include eggs and Asian soups cooked to your liking.

Prices in the restaurant are high for lunch and dinner and the quality is not great. That is not a problem, as there very good alternatives close, such as Tamnak Lao across the road.

Rooms start from around $120 per night

Deluxe room 26 &25 (overlooking school).

Six royal suites (quite expensive (>$200) but lovely if you are upgraded) are located in the main building overlooking the main road that also houses the restaurant as well as a small pool that’s nice for a dip after getting back in the afternoons.

Pool

Across the road in another building that houses the deluxe suites and the two, junior suites.

Junior suites (around $150) are good for more room if you are staying a while, but not really necessary. Both are fairly dark rooms, but stay cool. There is also a nice set of seating upstairs.

Junior suites

The hot water can take a while to warm up, but it’s ok if you run it before you get in.

Wifi is poor all over the hotel.

Price includes return airport transfer (it is about $8US in a taxi otherwise).

A bonus is the shuttle out to the sister hotel Santi Resort and Spa, just out if town, for a swim in a lovely big pool. But apart from a good swim it’s not worth a special trip. Sadly, the restaurant at this sister resort has the same menu as in town, although it is nicely set in a garden.

Villa Santi service is helpful and staff are friendly.

It’s a great option if you want a hotel with a bit more luxury ( small pool, buffet breakfast) and a great outlook at breakfast, at a good price, in a heritage property, but if the weather is good, there are also lots of guest house options that are also heritage properties and lovely, at a fraction of the price, but with more limited breakfast options, no pool and fewer services.

Good for a large group – Bentham Street Bar ‘n Pizza, Yarralumla

Bentham Street Bar ‘n Pizza in Yarralumla is a great spot for a large group get together.
Sisters Carol and Sandra are very helpful, accommodating and flexible.

While indoor seating is limited, in good weather, up to 40 can be accommodated outdoors in a lovely shady setting on a quiet leafy corner.

BYO is offered at $5 per bottle and you can bring along your own dessert to keep costs down, for $2 cakeage per person.

When designing an interesting, good value ordering plan consider ordering the equivalent of ½ pizza per person and 1/3 of a salad, if also bringing dessert.

This will cost approximately $19-20 per person including corkage and cakeage.

Choose 4 types of pizza and ask for pizzas to be cut into 8 so that everyone is able to try a range of (if not all) choices.
Some popular choices are
Four cheese (vegetarian option) $21

Gourmet vegetarian (vegetarian option) $21

Spanish Chorizo $21

Smoked salmon with onion, crème fraiche, spinach, capers, wasabi mayo $22

The pizza oven can only cook seven pizzas at once, but this is not a problem as it means, hot pizzas keep coming. Gluten free bases are also available, which along with at least two very good vegetarian options, makes to easier to cater for special dietary requirements.

For Salads it is easiest and best value just to order the very good Mesculin, rocket, fetta, olives, tomato and capsicum $12.50, in which case three people share each salad.

If opting for more variety also consider the Smoked salmon, capers, onion, with wasabi mayonnaise $16.50 if which case six people would share two different salads.

Dee-licious at Altenburg, Braidwood

The Braidwood café attached to Gallery Altenburg on the main street through Braidwood has always been a good spot to stop for a coffee on the way to the coast.

It has a gorgeous garden setting, homely service and food and there’s the opportunity to browse the lovely gallery while your order is being prepared.

Coffee is good and there are always delicious home-made cakes and slices at a good value price.

However, it’s also worth considering the well priced interesting brunch and lunch options.

Lonsdale Street Food Tour, Braddon

While it’s still good weather it’s great to head to Lonsdale Street in Braddon for a ‘street food tour’ on a Wednesday -Sunday night when most spots are open. (Wednesday is the pick as it’s the quietest night.)

Park at the Mandalay Bus then walk down to ‘The Hamlet’

It’s best to start at The Hamlet, because it’s the most difficult to get a table here.

Bring a bottle of wine, some glasses, a sharp knife and some extra paper plates for sharing food.

You can really pick anything that can be divided into bite sized entree pieces (you have to pace yourself if you’re going to have enough stomach space for all the delights).

Broddogs has some great options…

Brodpups ($5-$7) are good because you can get a real variety…

…but the full-sized dogs ($7.50-11) are easier to cut up into reasonably sized pieces.

Next, pack up the glasses and sharp knife and wander up to the Mandalay Bus.

‘Mandalay’ has the better food options and it’s lovely to set up under the trees in Haig Park with your own folding chairs and a make shift table, enjoy the music and watch the sun go down. (If you’ve parked at Mandalay Bus it’s easy to grab them from the boot, along with another bottle of wine!