Rosewood, Luang Prabang

Bill Bensley turns storyteller, archivist and treasure hunter to summon the romance and intrigue of a bygone era. Words: Neena Dhillon | Photography: © Owen Raggett (unless otherwise stated). Rosewood, Luang Prabang.

Auguste Pavie can be credited for almost single-handedly bringing the kingdom of Laos under French colonial rule in the latter part of the 19th century. First stepping foot on Indochina as part of Napoleon III’s marine infantry, the intrepid Frenchmen returned to the region as a civil servant, exploring modernday Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, learning local languages, and turning ‘native’ for a while in his bare feet and wide-brimmed hat. With the French government manoeuvring to gain control of territory surrounding the Mekong Valley, Pavie was appointed Vice-Consul to the royal capital of Luang Prabang in 1886, a position he used cannily to gain friends among local rulers while frustrating Siamese attempts to unify the region. Having assisted in the rescue of King Oun Kham during an attack on Luang Prabang from external forces, Pavie spearheaded a campaign to bring Laos under France’s protection, leading to its integration into Indochina by the turn of the century.

Elephants are a repeating motif throughout the public spaces, a joyful reference to the wild herds that would have once roamed the forests here. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Elephant Bridge Bar, an open-air lounge awash with wooden carvings, dancing deities and counters painted to depict the historical episodes, stories and people who have shaped this land. There is even an illustration of a modern-day trio; owner Udomkunnatum and Bensley pictured with the resort’s Managing Director Elias Pertoft. More than 500 carved elephants march across beams and balustrades, with bar tables once more rising from eye-catching tusk legs. Located over the flowing tributary, the bar provides a vantage point to absorb the landscaping – something for which Bensley’s studio is world-renowned. A formal tropical garden around the grand house – which takes its cue from the French colonialists who cultivated a heady mix of colour, scent and architectural planting – contrasts with untamed jungle vegetation into which accommodation is embedded. Mention should be made rooms. “Until midnight I walked between the multifarious quarters moving furniture, hanging pictures and making notes,” he recounts. “It was then that I realised this lovely house is a smaller version of French palaces by way of its enfilade layout that connects the entire floor but can be closed for privacy. It’s an old but new way of planning, with the potential to be popular among groups travelling together.” As such, Maison Nahm Dong has inviting communal living spaces, including a room dedicated to King Kham Souk, the red walls enlivened by illustrations of Laotian nature and the dining table finished with brass corners recalling the multi-layered umbrellas favoured by royalty. Foyers in turn are paved in a mosaic of circular coloured mirrors, influenced by temple walls.

Perhaps the most delightful suite is devoted to the unusual French pairing of Mrs Brohy and Miss Ohnier, the first females to participate in the one and only croquet competition held as part of the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris. Memorabilia includes mallets hung above the beds and a pictorial collection of French athletic figures. A painting by a Bensley artist cheekily imagines the duo playing on the lawn of La Grande Maison while the cobalt bathroom boasts a sunken bathtub and rhino horn hooks. Accent colours of blue and green throughout the rooms mirror exotic shades seen in the indigenous flora, fauna and butterflies flitting around the estate.

While much of the accommodation benefits from outdoor space, the six waterfall villas come with generous decks and private pools overlooking the river. Water forms a soundtrack to these standalone homes, which pay homage to the six men involved in the Mekong Expedition of 1866-68, organised to assess the navigability of the river. The expedition’s members included botanist Clovis Thorel whose luggage doubles as a decorative detail of his villa, along with plant specimens framed on the walls. Bensley’s lighting fixtures are shaped to mimic the petals of a lotus flower while some of the villa’s handpainted walls took the studio’s artists days at a time to complete. Expressed through authentic artefacts and memorabilia, these fascinating stories are interwoven through an estate whose design equally harnesses indigenous crafts and temple architecture, bringing evocative layers of detail to instil both a sense of discovery and place. The result befits this magical corner of the world, replicating the spirit of adventure that has always drawn intrepid visitors to Laos.

sources: Sleeper, July-August 2018.