Settha Palace Hotel
by the TopOfHotel team
Settha Palace is a night spent inside a near-century-old French colonial mansion in central Vientiane, with a pool in a tropical garden and a French-Lao restaurant locals call the city's best — strongest on heritage and warm service.
Settha Palace is a night spent inside a near-century-old French colonial mansion in central Vientiane, with a pool in a tropical garden and a French-Lao restaurant locals call the city's best — strongest on heritage and warm service.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Picture an ivory-cream colonial building with a pitched tiled roof and dark-green louvre shutters, set back behind a wrought-iron gate and a hedge of greenery on Pang Kham Road in central Vientiane — that's the Settha Palace Hotel, a mansion built in 1932 when Laos was still part of French Indochina. It passed through stints as a guesthouse for officials and as state residences, fell into disrepair for a while, then an Australian-Lao group restored it carefully over several years and reopened it in 1999 as a 5-star hotel with just 29 rooms. The real pleasure is that each room feels like a room in a house rather than a hotel: because there are so few, each one differs in size and quirk according to the old building's shape. Floors are cool Italian marble, ceilings run high with colonial-style fans, and the Lao teak furniture keeps French motifs but uses local timber. Large four-poster beds are draped in white mosquito netting, curtains carry soft rose patterns, and staff swap out the fresh flowers daily. Garden View rooms open onto a balcony over the courtyard and pool. Bathrooms use antique-pattern tiles and classic claw-foot tubs, and more than a few guests say it feels like living inside a Marguerite Duras novel — the northern Indochina mood is still very much intact.
Food and amenities
The heart of a stay here is the pool in the tropical garden, ringed by palms, banana trees and frangipani — slip in for a cool swim in the afternoon, then sit under the trees with a cold drink, a quiet corner that's genuinely hard to find in a city this hot and humid most of the year. Next to it is La Belle Epoque, which locals, resident diplomats and visitors all rate among the best restaurants in Vientiane. It serves French classics like confit de canard and steak au poivre alongside modern Lao plates built on local herbs, with a French wine list that's deeper than you'd expect for this town. The dining room opens onto a garden terrace and switches to silverware and candlelight at night — if you want Belle Epoque romance, this is the spot. The small Sidecar Bar turns out sharp classic cocktails, good for a drink before or after dinner. Staff speak Lao, English and French, and the warm, sincere Lao service has reviewers saying it makes you feel like a guest in someone's home rather than a hotel customer.
Location and getting there
Location is another of Settha Palace's strong cards. It sits on Pang Kham Road in central Vientiane, about a 3-minute walk from the Nam Phu fountain at the city's centre, surrounded by cafes, French restaurants, bakeries and souvenir shops; come evening the area fills with street-food stalls and fresh Lao beer where locals gather. A few more minutes on foot brings you to Wat Si Saket, the oldest temple in Vientiane still in its original state, Haw Phra Kaew, which once housed the Emerald Buddha, and the Patuxai victory monument — Laos's answer to the Arc de Triomphe — about a 10-minute walk away. For riverfront atmosphere, another 10 to 15 minutes gets you to the Mekong, where the evening night market and restaurants look across to Thailand. From Wattay airport (VTE) it's a 15-minute drive. If you want to explore Vientiane on foot without flagging a tuk-tuk every few blocks, this is as central as it gets.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to help you decide. The point reviews raise most often is price — Settha Palace is the most expensive hotel in Vientiane, from around $155 a night up to about $270 for a suite, noticeably higher than other 4- and 5-star hotels in town. Next to a newly opened chain it can feel pricey, but you're paying for the building's story and a heritage mood you won't find elsewhere. Second, this is a building nearly 100 years old, which means some bathrooms and finishes look older than a new-build, and a few reviews mention the Wi-Fi isn't as fast as hoped or the electrics aren't modern; if you expect 2020s chain-hotel polish, this isn't it. Third, some rooms are fairly dark because the windows are small in the French colonial style built to keep out tropical heat — if you like bright rooms, ask for a Garden View or a 2nd-floor room with a balcony. Last, breakfast is freshly cooked and pleasant but has fewer options than a big chain buffet, so adjust expectations if you want a sprawling spread.
Our take
After working through the real reviews and the hotel's own details, Settha Palace Hotel sells "a night inside living history" better than anywhere in Vientiane. If the trip in your head is sleeping under a ceiling fan in a near-century-old colonial mansion, waking up to swim in a tropical garden pool, walking a few minutes to Nam Phu and Patuxai, then coming back for French wine at La Belle Epoque before a nightcap at the Sidecar Bar, this is the most complete pick in the city, with no real rival. It's best for honeymooning couples, history-minded travelers, and business guests who want classic atmosphere in the centre. But if your priorities are spotless new rooms, fast Wi-Fi and value per dollar, a newer chain hotel may serve you better. Overall we give it 9.0/10 — strong on heritage, location, and the kind of warm service that's hard to match in Vientiane.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- A 1932 French colonial mansion that reopened in 1999 after a careful multi-year restoration — Italian marble floors, high ceilings, wooden louvre shutters and classic ceiling fans were all kept intact.
- Just 29 rooms, furnished with Lao teak pieces made by local craftsmen, some opening onto a balcony over the green courtyard — it reads more like a home than a hotel.
- A pool ringed by palms and banana trees in a tropical garden — a genuinely quiet corner in the middle of Vientiane that hotels in the same class rarely manage.
- La Belle Epoque serves French-Lao food that diplomats and locals rate as the best in the city, backed by a French wine list that's surprisingly deep for a town this size.
- Central location — about 3 minutes on foot to the Nam Phu fountain, 10 minutes to Patuxai, with Wat Si Saket, Haw Phra Kaew and the Mekong all within walking distance.
- The steepest rates in Vientiane, from around $155 a night up to about $270 for a suite — noticeably higher than other 5-star hotels in town. You're paying for the building's story, not for the newest fittings.
- It's a building nearly 100 years old, so some bathrooms and finishes look older than a new-build hotel. A few reviews note the Wi-Fi and electrics aren't as modern as you'd expect at this price.
- Some rooms run fairly dark because the windows are small in the French colonial style, and breakfast — though freshly cooked — has fewer options than a big chain buffet.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
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Insider Tips
- Ask for a 2nd-floor Garden View room with a balcony over the pool and courtyard — it's the quiet side, and you wake to birdsong instead of traffic.
- Book a table at La Belle Epoque ahead, especially for Saturday dinner, since locals and diplomats fill it fast; try the Lao-French dishes that pair local herbs with French technique.
- Walk the 3 minutes to Nam Phu in the evening for street food and fresh Lao beer at local prices — it's where central Vientiane feels most alive after dark.