I'm typing this from a cafe in Luang Prabang. My suggestions for Laos would be:
Luang Prabang (beautiful city, great photo and cultural options)
Vang Veing (Famous for the tubing party scene but its also a nice village town in a gorgeous mountain setting.)
Vietianne (The capital, its nice but not somewhere you need to stay for long)
4000 islands (Dondet and Don Khon islands in Southern Laos. Very sleepy. A good place to lay in a hammock and relax but very little going on. Pretty, but not as pretty as VV or Luang Prabang)
Thats about it. You can organize a homestay if you really want to get off the tourist path, but nothing else that developed.
ATMs are few and far between so bring money to exchange.
Here is a link to my blog if you want to read more: