The Unesco-listed city where the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers meet has charming accommodation options – downtown and around – that showcase its rich local heritage, as well as its French colonial past
The four rooms of the gorgeous Mekong Villa sit in the grounds of the Ock Pop Tok Living Craft Center. Just two rooms facing the Mekong have terraces but all four are beautifully furnished, one with a huge trunk-cum-desk and a red bathroom. You can hop from your bedroom to the alfresco Silk Road Cafe for a breakfast of wafer-thin and tasty Mekong river weed and buffalo chilli sauce washed down with mulberry tea, and then head to the craft centre to learn dyeing, weaving, batik and bamboo crafts. You’ll need to take the free shuttle to get in and out of town, but the leafy location, great cafe, buzzy atmosphere, onsite classes and textile designs of the rooms more than make up for that.
• Doubles from $45 B&B, +856 71 212 597, ockpoptok.com