Posts Tagged ‘Hoi An’

Vietnam family holidays – an overview of where to go, when, what to do and which hotels?

13 December 2011 by

Vietnam is a fantastic place to take you next family holiday, either cultural/activity based, or relaxing on the beach, or of course, both!

In the sapa hills

Vietnam in the past hasn’t really seen the influx of families that other destinations in SE Asia do, especially the obviously countries like Thailand and Bali, but finally things are starting to fall into place and Vietnam is becoming a great family destination either over Easter or the long summer holidays. April is ideally the best time to go – it’s before the rains come, and you can tie in a beach stay in the south. August will likely see more rainfall that the rest of the year, especially in the north and south, i.e. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city, respectively, but the beautiful Hoi An, with it’s all encompassing cultural, history, scenery, shopping and beach is actually relatively dry this time of year and means each member of the family can get there fix of what’s fun for them.

Here are a few ideals below on what to do on a trip to Vietnam, and the best types of accommodation for a family stay:

 

A trip based on lots of tours and keeping you all busy, suitable any time of year:

Hanoi

Explore this hectic city on foot, or cyclo. You’ll probably need a bit of time to get over your jetlag. This is definitely a great place to introduce yourself to Vietnam and first task will be learning to cross the road! The museum of ethnology may sound boring to some (!), but it actually has a great range of traditional houses from the Sapa region in its garden.

  • Which hotel?

-Maison D’Hanoi for the boutique more traditional hotel, no pool though. Easy to explore the old quarter

-Intercontinental West lake for it’s fantastic lake spot and pools. Kids club, and large interconnecting rooms.

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Matts most recent trip to Vietnam – an overview

9 December 2011 by

For those not in the know about Vietnam, or have no idea about the different places to visit, or what’s on offer, then read below and this gives a very general overview of my recent 2 week trip , and idea of what to expect from all the ‘must see’s of Vietnam’. I journeyed north to south, so that I could finish in the warm weather of the south, but just personal preference – I love a bit of sun (and humidity!)

Sampling Pho in Sapa market

Hanoi
A hectic buzzing, horn beeping, confusing warren of streets and a serious introduction to the Vietnamese life. Having been here before, it’s not so much of a shock, but my advice is to be brave, head out to the streets and really experience local life. Get lost in the old quarter, and shop to your hearts content. Although I didn’t get to stay at the Sofitel Legend Metropole, I did go for afternoon tea, this is definitely something I would recommend to any client, and follow with a walk around the more modern, moneyed French quarter. My favourite hotel in the Masion D’hanoi – with its great location, and beautifully designed rooms, it definitely falls into the boutique category, and the service is top notch.

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Two new restaurant options in Danang

4 October 2010 by

Word reaches of two interesting sounding restaurant openings in Hoi An/Danang – already something of a foodie mecca.

First is the Waterfront Restaurant in Danang – from the owners of the FANTASTIC Red Bridge Restaurant and Cooking School in Hoi An. We can easily incorporate lunch here into one of trips to My Son, the Marble Mountains or a the trip to the’wonderful Cham Museum in Danang. (more…)

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Melissa’s Vietnamese Culinary Extravaganza!

28 May 2010 by

marketsHeading out to Vietnam again this month and spurred on by Rick Steins recent Far Eastern Odyssey series and cookery book, I decided that this time I would pay more attention to the food and try and learn how to cook a few dishes for myself. With a bit of help from the locals, I discovered that Vietnam really is the perfect destination for food lovers and that as you travel North to South the fabulous diversity of delicious, fresh, healthy and exquisite dishes on offer is a million miles away from what you get presented in your average Vietnamese restaurant in the UK.

Things didn’t get off to a great start as on our first day we stopped at a local restaurant to pick up supplies for the overnight train trip to Sapa and I ended up ordering what turned out to be half a dry baguette and a single foil wrapped DairlyLea cheese triangle. But this was low point in my culinary experience of Vietnam and things got much better as the trip progressed! Up in Sapa I got my first taste of Vietnams infamous beef noodle soup ‘Pho’, pronounced ‘Far’. (more…)

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Best restaurants in asia

24 November 2009 by

We constantly get asked to reccommend our favourite restaurants to clients and this worries us as it seems to change so quickly. What suits Peter, seems to annoy Paul, in much more pronounced a way than hotels or more general hotel experiences. I am often tempted to let people chose for themselves by reading the numerous blogs and reviews out there. However, we can always make the table booking for you too…. As usual speak to us directly here.

For Vietnam in particular there are some brilliant blogs on the subject – the writer of Noodlepie has long since left but the info is still there and it is fantastic. I really like a Girl In Asia too. There are many more. (more…)

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Hoi An

17 June 2009 by

Hoi An is a charming town in central Vietnam and is a fantastic place to spend a few days. It one of three UNESCO world heritage sites in central Vietnama and as such oozes history. You do not even need to set foot inside a museum to soak up the past that has made the town as it is. The different influences from the French to the Chinese is evident in the architecture and it is easy to imagine how it used to hustle and bustle as a trading port.
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The Victoria Hotel and Spa, Hoi An

7 June 2009 by

Hoi An is an extremely pretty town and in its architecture you can clearly note the different influences that have helped shaped its development.’ The Victoria Hotel takes’these’influences and cleverly combines them into its design.’ The elegant reception has an open, colonial feel and all the staff were extremely friendly and welcoming on arrival. (more…)

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The Nam Hai

6 June 2009 by

As we drove down the’landscaped driveway we were filled with excitement about the experience to come.’ We were off to the Nam Hai – Vietnam’s premier resort. ‘ Upon entry to the cool villa we were blown away with the interior design.’ The simple yet stunning’design topped with the incredible views brought a massive smile to both our faces.’ As we were shown around the villa’our eyes strayed’to the spectacular eggshell lacquered sunken bath and outside shower.

Heaven is the Nam Hai....

Heaven is the Nam Hai....

We used these at the first possible opportunity!’ The villa manages to provide all of the amenities you could ever need, whilst maintaining the elegant finish and all of this’ with an amazing ocean backdrop.

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