Vietnam

If you are doing the Hanoi, Halong Bay and Sapa trek in North Vietnam then here are some tips from my recent trip:

- Get a great travel agent to arrange your travel including buses and car/taxi to and from Hanoi airport - Indochina Pioneer is my pick as they provide great service

- In Halong Bay do the cruise on Paradise Cruises - a class above the others. Also consider doing an air flight over Halong Bay to top off your visit - only $100 US

- In Sapa, stay at either the Victoria Hotel or Amazing Hotel. Great views and creature comforts after a hard day's touring/trekking/walking. Dinner at the Little Vietnam restaurant where they serve clean and tasty food is recommended.

- In Hanoi you absolutely have to stay at the La Siesta Hotel and Spa. The La Siesta suite is recommended for couples. The best service and restaurant in town. You will not be disappointed.

Consider travelling after mid 2016 when the new highway to Halong Bay will be open. This will take the travel time to 2 hours each way. At the moment it is 3 and a half hours on a "so called highway" which is a pot holed and bumpy nightmare

Also note the bus trip to Sapa is 6 hours each way. The buses are great (Glory Buses) but the return trip to Hanoi will get you back after 10 p.m. at night and is a bit tiring. Make sure you book a night or 2 at the above hotel in Hanoi to recover if you have a long flight home ahead of you.

Hi, everyone.

To be fair, I usually only write reviews for hotels after a 3 to 4 day stay, I believe you get a true sense of the hotel, service, surroundings and amenities after this time.

Recently, I stayed for 4 days at the Hoan Thai hotel, HCMC, Vietnam located in the Ben Thanh area of district 1. Hoan Thai, is centrally located within walking distance to most tourist hotspots! Extremely well priced with a current 30% discount Hoan Thai is a 2 star hotel with a 3 star feel!! This is due to the recent high standard refurbishment of rooms and restaurant resulting in an international finish and stylish décor.

Moreover, it was the service of the staff that impressed me the most.

I've stayed in many hotels around the world and find myself asking the same question after getting up to my room. Oh! “What is the Wifi password, I can’t remember or where can I find it”. After a long flight, no one is thinking straight, right!

Upon check-in at Hoan Thai in Saigon/HCMC I was offered the hotels business card with the Wifi password highlighted on it and a map of the of city showing tourist hotspots and distances from hotel. (I didn't have to think to ask!) They even had the English Cable TV Channels printed on back of the map so I didn't need to think once in my room, just connected to the net and went straight to the world cup sports channel!!

Gooooal…………………to easy ; )

Ash – England

PS I've already pre booked another 3 day stay after my travels in northern Vietnam.