50
GETAWAY
LAO LAKE HOUSE
A weekend getaway is closer than you think. TEXT BY CAMERON DARKE PHOTOGRAPHS BY PHOONSAB THEVONGSA
GETTING THERE Take 13N road towards Vang Vieng. At the 30km mark, turn left towards Namhoum Reservoir. Pass the new China Rail Station, go through Angnamhoum Village and take first dirt road left after the dam wall.
A
n afternoon dip in clear waters. Evenings by the campfire toasting marshmallows. Stargazing from the canopy of a fantastic treehouse. Waking up to a bright sunrise reflected over a vast lake. Nostalgic yet? Just an hour’s drive from Vientiane, the Lao Lake House is a sanctuary set among the picturesque blue waters of the Nam Houm Reservoir. Though not so far from town, the estate is located down a winding dirt track, with nothing but water and farmland on either side.
This untouched and pristine setting captured the hearts of Australian couple Sandra Pike and Charlie Nicholls several years ago. So much so, in fact, that the retirees moved to Laos with the aim of spending their days peacefully by the lake – but some people just can’t sit still. “We first lived in the original house that was at the site when we took over. Then we built a home of our own,” says Sandra. “And then instead of tearing the old house down, we thought, hey, people could stay here!” Their rambling stilted house sits perched on the edge of the Nam Houm Lake as if a stately old Queenslander from Northern Australia was somehow plonked in the middle of Laos. Just next-door is the accommodation, six spacious rooms that sleep up to thirteen guests, including a family suite with connecting doors and a shared bathroom.
