Concierge.com's insider take:

There are quiet, out-of-the-way resorts—and then there is Kamu, a remote lodge located nearly 30 miles up the Mekong River from Luang Prabang. It's as off-the-grid as can be: solar-powered lights and solar-heated showers, no Internet, no cell phone reception, and accessible only by boat. But with 20 large, sturdy tents; attentive staff (hailing almost entirely from adjacent Ban Ngoyhai, a small farming village of ethnic Kamu hill-tribers); and a dining pavilion set amidst verdant rice paddies; it's not exactly a hardship posting, especially since the cook can stir up bamboo shoots stuffed with minced pork, fried egg with black mushrooms, and strips of dried buffalo meat (not unlike a teriyaki-flavored beef jerky). This is an excellent opportunity to ditch the crowds and try out traditional rural life along the Mekong, including fishing and gold panning. And where else can you hone your crossbow skills? The three-hour cruise upstream usually includes a stop at the caves of Pak Ou.—Christopher Cox