Affordable luxurious yoga retreat in stunning scenery

Our Experience

2 days in Luang Prabang: My boyfriend and I spent a lovely couple of days in the Old Town of this romantic city, wandering around quiet pretty side streets, enjoying beautiful colonial architecture, amazing restaurants, a relaxed riverside setting, and interesting temples. The night market on the main street is definitely worth a visit as you can buy really beautiful clothing, arts and crafts there, made by local hilltribes.

4 day yoga retreat in Nong Khiaw: We thoroughly enjoyed the whole yoga retret experience. We were fairly new to yoga and found the retreat provided a brilliant introduction to a range of different types of yoga, breathing practices, meditation and philosophies. We found that the schedule for each day had the perfect balance of each of these different aspects, and also just the right amount of free time to relax and enjoy the beautiful luxurious resort where the retreat is based.

As a relative beginner, I found the yoga challenging at times but the instructor Julie gave us lots of options on how to make the postures work for different abilities and bodies, and I never felt pressured to do anything beyond my limits. The workshop sessions were particularly useful; we each had extensive individual feedback on many postures, with body-specific guidance on how to improve and I finally learnt the best way for my body to be doing downward dog!

I’d had my reservations that the philosophy sessions might be a bit too wacky for me but they weren’t at all - Julie made it all really relevant to everyday life and I learnt many words of wisdom from her on how to improve my life and relationships with others. The accomodation was really lovely too, with an excellent pool and beautiful surroundings. And the food was AMAZING! All in all, a great experience! More info about the yoga retreat here: http://www.laosyogaretreats.com/

2 days exploring Nong Khiaw: The town of Nong Khiaw, where the yoga retreat is based, was definitely worth staying in for a few days after the retreat to explore the beautiful river and mountains nearby. We stayed in the smaller part of the town across the river from the yoga resort where there are more geusthouses and restaurants. We climbed up the hill to the viewpoint, which was very tough and slippy after heavy rain (wear good shoes!) but the 360 degree view from the top to the surrounding karst mountains was stunning and well worth the climb.

We also walked along the dirt road beside the river which was quite pretty but better to do a kayaking or boat trip to really appreciate the scenery further afield. You can also walk to some interesting caves nearby where the Laotians hid from US bombing during the war.

Best Bits

1. Food in Luang Prabang and at the yoga retreat,
2. Quality of yoga instruction,
3. Stunning scenery around Nong Khiaw.

Worst bits

1. The scary and long uncomfortable drive in a packed minibus through dodgy mountain roads from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw,
2. The unexpected cold snap which we hadn’t packed enough warm clothes for.

Trip Dates and Comments — January, to begin with it was 25 degrees in the day but got chilly in the evenings and then there was an unexpected cold snap (down to 5 degrees!)

Arrival Logistics — Night train Bangkok to Vientianne, minibus from Vientianne to Luang Prabang, then another minibus from Luang Prabang to Nong Khiaw, then walk from bus station to Yoga Retreat

General Route — 2 nights/days exploring Luang Prabang, 3 nights and 4 days at yoga retreat, 2 nights/day exploring Nong Khiaw.

Main Activities — Hiking, cultural experiences, food, historical visits, relaxing, sport and exercise, yoga, temple visits, bars.

Food and Drink Highlights — Luang Prabang: amazing affordable french asian fusion fine dining. Yoga Retreat: Delicious buffet dinner, themed on a different world cuisine each night, with many complimenting dishes to choose from (including great veggie options).

Essential Packing for this Trip — Warm clothing for winter nightime temperatures, yoga clothing, hiking gear, swimming gear.

About The Traveller

Gender & Age Range
Female, 25 - 36

I’m from
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Occupation
Engineer

My favourite trip as of late
Exploring SE Asia.

Travelling Style
Book the first night, then wing it from there!

I like to go on the following types of trips
Adventure, 4x4, beaches, wildlife, relaxing, watersports, camping.

It’s a dealbreaker when
There’s no good food about.

Continent I know the best
Europe