Salana Boutique Hotel

“With its striking Buddhist temples and fading French-colonial mansions, Laos’s riverside capital prides itself on being a tranquil alternative to other Southeast Asian hubs. Inside the year-old Salana Boutique Hotel, this calmer sensibility prevails. You’ll find a fresh take on traditional Asian design—intricate Laotian weavings, bamboo lamps, polished hardwood floors. Just one block from the mighty Mekong, the 41-room hotel butts directly up against Wat Inpeng, a lavish 16th-century temple with a red roof, carved frescoes, and a topiary garden. Talk about peaceful: All the rooms along the back of the hotel look out on the temple.

From $90.

(budget travel, hotels under $150)”