Has anyone stayed at Elephant Village or Shangri-Lao outside Luang Prabang, Laos?
Sep 21, 2015, 3:21 am
#1
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Kailua Kona, HI , USA
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Has anyone stayed at Elephant Village or Shangri-Lao outside Luang Prabang, Laos?
I have heard of two properties outside of Luang Prabang, Laos where one can have an overnight stay and do a "mahout training" with the elephants. One is called Elephant Village (EV) and you can book it online for about $300 for a couple. The other property, Shangri-Lao (SL) is owned by the same company and is a more upscale place that costs $1,000 per couple. While the accommodations are more posh, it almost seems like there is more interaction with the elephants at EV. It is very confusing online because the pictures are of SL, although it says EV. I have heard that EV also has cabins on the river like SL but I cannot find any pictures. I tried writing the company, but because I was using a travel agent, they wouldn't respond to my questions. Unfortunately, the travel agent only books SL and thought that EV was for the backpacker crowd. I'd love to save $700 and have a great experience with th elephants. Has anyone visited or stayed over night at either place and can share some details to help me choose between the two properties? I checked TripAdvisor but it was all about SL. although some people referred to EV. Any feedback would be really appreciated!
Sep 22, 2015, 1:56 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Programs: Turkish Airlines Gold, Hyatt Platinum, Accor A-Club Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 34
Hi there – I lived in Luang Prabang from 2013 through early 2014 and visited Elephant Village on a couple of occasions (but not while under current management, FYI). I haven't stayed at Shangri-Lao, but I have seen the property.
Though it probably comes down to personal taste, my suggestion would be to skip Shangri-Lao and only visit Elephant Village. The all day experience is usually more than enough and you generally get a decent amount of time with the elephants, as well as a boat ride to a nearby waterfall.
The whole E.V./S.L. complex is outside of town and, in my opinion, you'd be missing out on a lot of what makes Luang Prabang such a charming place to visit. You could stay in town and have an *amazing* time for the money you'd save. (And since this is FlyerTalk I should mention that, from a points perspective, I think the only place where you can currently earn for your stay would be at Hotel de la Paix, which is now managed by Accor.)
One other note: The whole notion of Elephant Parks in Southeast Asia is controversial. Some people feel that there isn't a way to operate one which isn't ultimately harmful to the elephant population. Others say that, when run properly, such camps can help protect and preserve the dwindling herds in the region. I'm personally undecided, but I wanted to throw that out there in case you wanted to Google around to evaluate the arguments for yourself.
Hope you have a lovely trip! :-)
Though it probably comes down to personal taste, my suggestion would be to skip Shangri-Lao and only visit Elephant Village. The all day experience is usually more than enough and you generally get a decent amount of time with the elephants, as well as a boat ride to a nearby waterfall.
The whole E.V./S.L. complex is outside of town and, in my opinion, you'd be missing out on a lot of what makes Luang Prabang such a charming place to visit. You could stay in town and have an *amazing* time for the money you'd save. (And since this is FlyerTalk I should mention that, from a points perspective, I think the only place where you can currently earn for your stay would be at Hotel de la Paix, which is now managed by Accor.)
One other note: The whole notion of Elephant Parks in Southeast Asia is controversial. Some people feel that there isn't a way to operate one which isn't ultimately harmful to the elephant population. Others say that, when run properly, such camps can help protect and preserve the dwindling herds in the region. I'm personally undecided, but I wanted to throw that out there in case you wanted to Google around to evaluate the arguments for yourself.
Hope you have a lovely trip! :-)
Sep 23, 2015, 2:09 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Kailua Kona, HI , USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 264
Hi there – I lived in Luang Prabang from 2013 through early 2014 and visited Elephant Village on a couple of occasions (but not while under current management, FYI). I haven't stayed at Shangri-Lao, but I have seen the property.
Though it probably comes down to personal taste, my suggestion would be to skip Shangri-Lao and only visit Elephant Village. The all day experience is usually more than enough and you generally get a decent amount of time with the elephants, as well as a boat ride to a nearby waterfall.
The whole E.V./S.L. complex is outside of town and, in my opinion, you'd be missing out on a lot of what makes Luang Prabang such a charming place to visit. You could stay in town and have an *amazing* time for the money you'd save. (And since this is FlyerTalk I should mention that, from a points perspective, I think the only place where you can currently earn for your stay would be at Hotel de la Paix, which is now managed by Accor.)
One other note: The whole notion of Elephant Parks in Southeast Asia is controversial. Some people feel that there isn't a way to operate one which isn't ultimately harmful to the elephant population. Others say that, when run properly, such camps can help protect and preserve the dwindling herds in the region. I'm personally undecided, but I wanted to throw that out there in case you wanted to Google around to evaluate the arguments for yourself.
Hope you have a lovely trip! :-)
Though it probably comes down to personal taste, my suggestion would be to skip Shangri-Lao and only visit Elephant Village. The all day experience is usually more than enough and you generally get a decent amount of time with the elephants, as well as a boat ride to a nearby waterfall.
The whole E.V./S.L. complex is outside of town and, in my opinion, you'd be missing out on a lot of what makes Luang Prabang such a charming place to visit. You could stay in town and have an *amazing* time for the money you'd save. (And since this is FlyerTalk I should mention that, from a points perspective, I think the only place where you can currently earn for your stay would be at Hotel de la Paix, which is now managed by Accor.)
One other note: The whole notion of Elephant Parks in Southeast Asia is controversial. Some people feel that there isn't a way to operate one which isn't ultimately harmful to the elephant population. Others say that, when run properly, such camps can help protect and preserve the dwindling herds in the region. I'm personally undecided, but I wanted to throw that out there in case you wanted to Google around to evaluate the arguments for yourself.
Hope you have a lovely trip! :-)
By the way, we are planning on staying at the Hotel de la Paix. I really liked the feeling of the place from the pictures I saw online. I did see a great rate for that hotel with Splendia, a Spanish travel agency, that is listed on Kayak. But Splendia got some poor reviews from past guests so I am a little leery to book with them. Have you ever had any experience with them? Looking forward to your reply. I am so happy to connect with you!
Sep 25, 2015, 3:20 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Programs: Turkish Airlines Gold, Hyatt Platinum, Accor A-Club Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 34
Again–much of this is a matter of personal taste but, to me, experiencing the languid, sabai pace of life is the most enjoyable part of visiting Luang Prabang.
You want to lose track of time as you stroll along the Peninsula, in and around the ancient wats, and through the morning/night markets. While everyone else is scrambling for space atop Phousi Hill to watch the sunset, you'll grab a bottle of wine and spend about USD$10 to hire your own river boat to watch from the Mekong. The good drivers will go upriver and then kill the engine, allowing you to float quietly as you sip your drinks while the sunlight wanes... this short video clip from my Instagram will give you a preview.
There are some really great restaurants where you can have delicious Lao or Western food while you people-watch (you probably already saw some in the AFAR guide) but, IMHO, the LP experience gets even better when you go from "people-watching" to interacting with locals. Visit one of the town's many temples and, before you know it, young novice monks will approach you to practice their English. Donate a book at the Luang Prabang Library on the main street or at the @My Library center on the Nam Khan and strike up a conversation with a student. I think it's pretty cool to listen to what they have to say about everyday Lao/Hmong/Khmu life – and what they hope for their future.
In terms of Hotel de la Paix, I stayed there one night and loved it. Very interesting property (a former prison, actually) in a part of LP which is close to everything, but far enough away to get a break. If you like, I can dig out the info for a contact there and introduce you... perhaps you can see if they'll honor the same rate if you book directly with the hotel? If they're booked, there are a number of other good properties both in and slightly-out of the main Peninsula area. Just let me know and I'll send you some names! :-)
To answer your other question: My wife and I passed through Luang Prabang for the first time in 2010 on our honeymoon (and since this FT, I should specify that it was a three month RTW on the *A 39,000 mi. ticket). We met some local people during our visit and, from that, we each ended up volunteering time to some projects based in Laos. By 2013, we were ready a break from living in NYC, so we decided to go for a year to work more closely with those groups. These days, we're working on our own projects from Chiang Mai, Thailand and returning occasionally to the USA for business and family/friend visits.
You want to lose track of time as you stroll along the Peninsula, in and around the ancient wats, and through the morning/night markets. While everyone else is scrambling for space atop Phousi Hill to watch the sunset, you'll grab a bottle of wine and spend about USD$10 to hire your own river boat to watch from the Mekong. The good drivers will go upriver and then kill the engine, allowing you to float quietly as you sip your drinks while the sunlight wanes... this short video clip from my Instagram will give you a preview.
There are some really great restaurants where you can have delicious Lao or Western food while you people-watch (you probably already saw some in the AFAR guide) but, IMHO, the LP experience gets even better when you go from "people-watching" to interacting with locals. Visit one of the town's many temples and, before you know it, young novice monks will approach you to practice their English. Donate a book at the Luang Prabang Library on the main street or at the @My Library center on the Nam Khan and strike up a conversation with a student. I think it's pretty cool to listen to what they have to say about everyday Lao/Hmong/Khmu life – and what they hope for their future.
In terms of Hotel de la Paix, I stayed there one night and loved it. Very interesting property (a former prison, actually) in a part of LP which is close to everything, but far enough away to get a break. If you like, I can dig out the info for a contact there and introduce you... perhaps you can see if they'll honor the same rate if you book directly with the hotel? If they're booked, there are a number of other good properties both in and slightly-out of the main Peninsula area. Just let me know and I'll send you some names! :-)
To answer your other question: My wife and I passed through Luang Prabang for the first time in 2010 on our honeymoon (and since this FT, I should specify that it was a three month RTW on the *A 39,000 mi. ticket). We met some local people during our visit and, from that, we each ended up volunteering time to some projects based in Laos. By 2013, we were ready a break from living in NYC, so we decided to go for a year to work more closely with those groups. These days, we're working on our own projects from Chiang Mai, Thailand and returning occasionally to the USA for business and family/friend visits.
Sep 26, 2015, 10:36 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Kailua Kona, HI , USA
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Posts: 264
I feel like your words and the AFAR travel guides take me to Laos in my mind. After reading the AFAR guides, I gathered up some children's books to donate and will later on go through some boxed books for adult reading material to donate. That was even before I got your most recent message. I wonder what kinds of books are most appreciated? I am now leaning towards just going for the day to Elephant Village to be able to appreciate the tempo of LP as you suggested. I really liked your Instagram video too. I should mention that originally I was only going to Vietnam and Cambodia, but after I saw some pictures from my friend's trip to LP, I rerouted our flights to go there first.
I would really appreciate being able to reach your contact at the Hotel de la Paix as now I think that we will stay there all five nights. Do you recall what kind of rate you received? It seems like they still have rooms available so I would like to confirm it soon. Also if there are any local folks that you think would like to meet my husband and me to practice English or just talk, we would love that. We also have three grandchildren in Hawaii between the ages of 8 and 15 whose schools might be interested in setting up a sister school relationship with a school in LP if you know someone who might help orchestrate that. I believe that I can send you my email address in a private message so that you could feel free to pass it on to whomever you think is appropriate in LP.
I am so thrilled with flyertalk as a forum that allows people to connect more deeply in their travels than would otherwise be possible. It is really because of the experience and kindness of people like you!
I would really appreciate being able to reach your contact at the Hotel de la Paix as now I think that we will stay there all five nights. Do you recall what kind of rate you received? It seems like they still have rooms available so I would like to confirm it soon. Also if there are any local folks that you think would like to meet my husband and me to practice English or just talk, we would love that. We also have three grandchildren in Hawaii between the ages of 8 and 15 whose schools might be interested in setting up a sister school relationship with a school in LP if you know someone who might help orchestrate that. I believe that I can send you my email address in a private message so that you could feel free to pass it on to whomever you think is appropriate in LP.
I am so thrilled with flyertalk as a forum that allows people to connect more deeply in their travels than would otherwise be possible. It is really because of the experience and kindness of people like you!
Sep 30, 2015, 9:21 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,283
TPG just posted an interesting article about elephants in SE Asia
http://thepointsguy.com/2015/09/resp...hants-in-asia/
http://thepointsguy.com/2015/09/resp...hants-in-asia/
Sep 30, 2015, 1:18 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Kailua Kona, HI , USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 264
TPG just posted an interesting article about elephants in SE Asia
http://thepointsguy.com/2015/09/resp...hants-in-asia/
http://thepointsguy.com/2015/09/resp...hants-in-asia/