I love Vietnam, it's a great country with terrific food and still a little unspoiled compared to other countries in the area. More and more luxury options are popping up and yesterday I got an email from Tripadvisor with regards to the Top 25 Luxury Hotels in Vietnam.
I've reviewed the following from their top 25:
- Intercontinental Hotel Asiana Saigon (have been twice)
- La Residence Hue Hotel & Spa
- Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa
Neither one of the above ones were extremely pricey although the list does include some seriously expensive hotels. Still I think it's a great overview especially for the less known areas like Danang, Nha Trang and Phan Thiet. Con Dao and Phu Quoc are also still high on my list.
The Tripadvisor Traveler's Choice is another good way to come up with new ideas, one of many ways. Whether you're looking for family travel, bargain hotels, small, luxury ... there are different categories per country, and all places have been reviewed frequently with high marks. Definitely a great way to start planning your new trip!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
KK also known as Kota Kinabalu
When: December 2009
Kids: Big Sister 5y7m, twins 3y1m
Flights: Hong Kong - Kota Kinabalu v.v. on Dragonair
Booked through: CX Holidays package
The two main resort options in KK where everybody is going to seem to be both Shangri La properties (there is Nexus Resort & Spa as well and quite a few options in the city). One of them is Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa and the other one is Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort. I've noticed a lot of people saying the latter one is better. Well, we stayed at Tanjung Aru as there was no availability at Rasa Ria at the time (the week before Christmas).
We had a great time, and visited Rasa Ria as well. I can see why people would say Rasa Ria is nicer ... the orangutans close by, the pool is larger, more spread out, the beach is bigger and nicer (although there could be sand flies), the overall setting is nicer, more spacious, it basically has more of a resort feel. However, that doesn't mean that Tanjung is a bad choice! It has many benefits and things going for it. Also since we've been there the pool area and the rooms have been upgraded tremendously. Tanjung Aru also seems to have lots of slides now (me just looking at their website and Tripadvisor pictures). I remember thinking the pool needed upgrading and looked very tired, so it's great to see that this has actually been done. Our room also needed a make over, but it was spacious (we had 2 connecting) on the ground floor in the Tanjung Wing and we walked straight onto the grassy area in front which was great for the kids. Disadvantage is that you have upstairs neighbors, and I remember a family arriving the night before Christmas and they didn't go unnoticed (but they were loud, not-very-polite-and-quite-rude-loud).
Other advantage of Tanjung with small kids is the distance to the airport, only 10 minutes, while Rasa Ria is about 1 hour. We even had dinner in KK at some point, nothing fancy but still a chance to get out, while this is definitely less of an option in Rasa Ria. We loved the outdoor bar with char-grilled satay at sunset. Breakfast was great, we had dinner at the Chinese restaurant, the pool side had reasonable food options and the kids even played a round of golf on a lazy afternoon. We even made a little boat trip to another island, called Sapi (Pulau = island, so Pulau Sapi) and the kids fed the fish but they also offered snorkeling, etc.
All in all, you cannot go wrong at either one of them. I truly don't believe one is better than the other. They're just different, and both clearly have their advantages. It really comes down to what is most important to you and your family. They have shuttles going from one resort to another, so it's easy to visit the other property for a change. But knowing that it's about an hour drive, it's more for a day time trip instead of just an evening dinner.
I can only advise you to think what is it you are looking for, check the Tripadvisor reviews for both properties and make up your mind. You'll have a fab time either way! There is no bad choice!
Shangri La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa en Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort on Tripadvisor.
Kids: Big Sister 5y7m, twins 3y1m
Flights: Hong Kong - Kota Kinabalu v.v. on Dragonair
Booked through: CX Holidays package
The two main resort options in KK where everybody is going to seem to be both Shangri La properties (there is Nexus Resort & Spa as well and quite a few options in the city). One of them is Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa and the other one is Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort. I've noticed a lot of people saying the latter one is better. Well, we stayed at Tanjung Aru as there was no availability at Rasa Ria at the time (the week before Christmas).
We had a great time, and visited Rasa Ria as well. I can see why people would say Rasa Ria is nicer ... the orangutans close by, the pool is larger, more spread out, the beach is bigger and nicer (although there could be sand flies), the overall setting is nicer, more spacious, it basically has more of a resort feel. However, that doesn't mean that Tanjung is a bad choice! It has many benefits and things going for it. Also since we've been there the pool area and the rooms have been upgraded tremendously. Tanjung Aru also seems to have lots of slides now (me just looking at their website and Tripadvisor pictures). I remember thinking the pool needed upgrading and looked very tired, so it's great to see that this has actually been done. Our room also needed a make over, but it was spacious (we had 2 connecting) on the ground floor in the Tanjung Wing and we walked straight onto the grassy area in front which was great for the kids. Disadvantage is that you have upstairs neighbors, and I remember a family arriving the night before Christmas and they didn't go unnoticed (but they were loud, not-very-polite-and-quite-rude-loud).
Please note that these pictures were taken in 2009, and the resort has upgraded / changed.
Other advantage of Tanjung with small kids is the distance to the airport, only 10 minutes, while Rasa Ria is about 1 hour. We even had dinner in KK at some point, nothing fancy but still a chance to get out, while this is definitely less of an option in Rasa Ria. We loved the outdoor bar with char-grilled satay at sunset. Breakfast was great, we had dinner at the Chinese restaurant, the pool side had reasonable food options and the kids even played a round of golf on a lazy afternoon. We even made a little boat trip to another island, called Sapi (Pulau = island, so Pulau Sapi) and the kids fed the fish but they also offered snorkeling, etc.
All in all, you cannot go wrong at either one of them. I truly don't believe one is better than the other. They're just different, and both clearly have their advantages. It really comes down to what is most important to you and your family. They have shuttles going from one resort to another, so it's easy to visit the other property for a change. But knowing that it's about an hour drive, it's more for a day time trip instead of just an evening dinner.
I can only advise you to think what is it you are looking for, check the Tripadvisor reviews for both properties and make up your mind. You'll have a fab time either way! There is no bad choice!
Shangri La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa en Shangri La's Rasa Ria Resort on Tripadvisor.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Bangkok! And not so much Hua Hin :(
When: May 2009 and April 2012
Kids: Big Sister 5y and twins 2y6m; Big Sister 7y10m and twins 5y4m
Flights / booked through: booked promotional fare online through / with Cathay Pacific (2009); booked promotional fare online through / with Thai Airways (2012)
One of the greatest cities in Asia for many different reasons. The first time I visited I was a teenager, in 1990 after a 2 week holiday in Malaysia (KL & vicinity and Langkawi, in the only 5* hotel Langkawi had at the time ... times have certainly changed). We stayed in the Shangri-La right on the river front, and I have fond memories of the Thai restaurant, called Salathip. I've been back there in May 2009 and recently in April 2012 and I still like the food, but find it relatively overpriced now and not as easy going and relaxing as back then, but it could as well be the changed "me".
In May 2009 we went back with the entire family, booked some fairly inexpensive tickets over a long 4-day weekend. Since the twins were still young, I was looking for serviced apartment options as most large cities tend to have those. I came across a very reasonably priced (and brand new at the time) Sathorn Vista Marriott Executive Apartments with nice facilities and a nice location. The Baan Khanitha restaurant is across the street and offers nice Thai food (slightly touristy, but kid friendly including Thai high chairs). Marriott also had its own MoMo restaurant downstairs where they served breakfast (not included in the room rate) and also had great and very affordable lunch specials (busy place with plenty of business people popping in from the offices close by). Plenty high chairs, Disney plastic cutlery and plates.
We paid around US$175 for our 3-bedroom suite. It came with a well equipped kitchen, living & dining area, washer & dryer (took some washing powder to do some kids laundry), 1 master bedroom with ensuite bathroom (separate shower / bath), 2 bed rooms with 2 single beds and another bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. Laminate flooring throughout the suite, modern and new decor, really fantastic value for money. They have a salt water pool with a small kiddie pool, there was a little play room (which wasn't used when we were there but we were within weeks of the opening). We hired a baby sitter in the hotel (was a first for them, that's how new it was), and one of the house keeping girl just sat around in the living room while the kids were sleeping. Very reasonable charge. I couldn't fault much at all. I recommended it to a Dutch friend of mine who lives in Manila and they also had a great experience. More space and some extra facilities just make life a lot easier.
The second time (officially third) we went back with my parents over Easter break in combination with Hua Hin. As a sweet reminder of our early travels we went back to the Shangri-La in Bangkok after 22 years. Me now with 3 kids and a husband. As my parents were taking our oldest daughter in their room I only need a room for 4 and Shangri La actually has these really nice family rooms for about US$175 a night. It's regular room with a small ensuite (living room area) which has a queen sleeper sofa where the twins could easily sleep. The rooms weren't particularly updated in terms of modernization (still a very similar look and feel to 22 years ago), but everything was in good working condition, service was excellent (my twin girl got sick and vomited about 5 times which required the necessary changes of bed linen), the pool really nice, the location on the river is great (get a little bit of a breeze) although f&b prices are fairly steep compared to the rest of the city, like you would kind of expect in a 5* hotel, especially alcohol was significantly more expensive.
As far as Hua Hin goes (we chose it because it was easy with my parents, could combine it with Bangkok, etc.), never again. The Hyatt Regency Hua Hin in Hua Hin is really nice and would recommend it (just read my Tripadvisor review to which the hotel actually responded as well), but Hua Hin isn't for me (goes for all of us, even though the kids loved the hotel slide). The hotel is simply in the wrong location, would it have been elsewhere, I may have gone back. Hua Hin is an easy 2 1/2 hour drive from Bangkok which is nice (but also has disadvantages as it makes it easy for lots of other people too) but it's too touristy, bad urban planning, too big, too busy, nothing special around to see ... Asia, including Thailand, has much nicer places to offer (more expensive but also cheaper), even if you don't plan to leave the resort at all. Personally, I'd say, avoid!
To travel from Bangkok to Hua Hin and from Hua Hin to the airport we used Hua Hin Taxi. Transfer to Hua Hin was fine, transfer back was too, except they turned up 30 minutes late, and they were actually the ones who said very specifically that it can be really busy on Sundays and earlier was better. So we moved it forward, and then they were still late, due to some traffic problem in Hua Hin, actually close to the hotel. Van was fine, drivers friendly, so other than the late departure (still plenty of time at the airport, went very smooth) no complaints. They were also the cheapest I found.
Kids: Big Sister 5y and twins 2y6m; Big Sister 7y10m and twins 5y4m
Flights / booked through: booked promotional fare online through / with Cathay Pacific (2009); booked promotional fare online through / with Thai Airways (2012)
One of the greatest cities in Asia for many different reasons. The first time I visited I was a teenager, in 1990 after a 2 week holiday in Malaysia (KL & vicinity and Langkawi, in the only 5* hotel Langkawi had at the time ... times have certainly changed). We stayed in the Shangri-La right on the river front, and I have fond memories of the Thai restaurant, called Salathip. I've been back there in May 2009 and recently in April 2012 and I still like the food, but find it relatively overpriced now and not as easy going and relaxing as back then, but it could as well be the changed "me".
In May 2009 we went back with the entire family, booked some fairly inexpensive tickets over a long 4-day weekend. Since the twins were still young, I was looking for serviced apartment options as most large cities tend to have those. I came across a very reasonably priced (and brand new at the time) Sathorn Vista Marriott Executive Apartments with nice facilities and a nice location. The Baan Khanitha restaurant is across the street and offers nice Thai food (slightly touristy, but kid friendly including Thai high chairs). Marriott also had its own MoMo restaurant downstairs where they served breakfast (not included in the room rate) and also had great and very affordable lunch specials (busy place with plenty of business people popping in from the offices close by). Plenty high chairs, Disney plastic cutlery and plates.
We paid around US$175 for our 3-bedroom suite. It came with a well equipped kitchen, living & dining area, washer & dryer (took some washing powder to do some kids laundry), 1 master bedroom with ensuite bathroom (separate shower / bath), 2 bed rooms with 2 single beds and another bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink. Laminate flooring throughout the suite, modern and new decor, really fantastic value for money. They have a salt water pool with a small kiddie pool, there was a little play room (which wasn't used when we were there but we were within weeks of the opening). We hired a baby sitter in the hotel (was a first for them, that's how new it was), and one of the house keeping girl just sat around in the living room while the kids were sleeping. Very reasonable charge. I couldn't fault much at all. I recommended it to a Dutch friend of mine who lives in Manila and they also had a great experience. More space and some extra facilities just make life a lot easier.
The second time (officially third) we went back with my parents over Easter break in combination with Hua Hin. As a sweet reminder of our early travels we went back to the Shangri-La in Bangkok after 22 years. Me now with 3 kids and a husband. As my parents were taking our oldest daughter in their room I only need a room for 4 and Shangri La actually has these really nice family rooms for about US$175 a night. It's regular room with a small ensuite (living room area) which has a queen sleeper sofa where the twins could easily sleep. The rooms weren't particularly updated in terms of modernization (still a very similar look and feel to 22 years ago), but everything was in good working condition, service was excellent (my twin girl got sick and vomited about 5 times which required the necessary changes of bed linen), the pool really nice, the location on the river is great (get a little bit of a breeze) although f&b prices are fairly steep compared to the rest of the city, like you would kind of expect in a 5* hotel, especially alcohol was significantly more expensive.
As far as Hua Hin goes (we chose it because it was easy with my parents, could combine it with Bangkok, etc.), never again. The Hyatt Regency Hua Hin in Hua Hin is really nice and would recommend it (just read my Tripadvisor review to which the hotel actually responded as well), but Hua Hin isn't for me (goes for all of us, even though the kids loved the hotel slide). The hotel is simply in the wrong location, would it have been elsewhere, I may have gone back. Hua Hin is an easy 2 1/2 hour drive from Bangkok which is nice (but also has disadvantages as it makes it easy for lots of other people too) but it's too touristy, bad urban planning, too big, too busy, nothing special around to see ... Asia, including Thailand, has much nicer places to offer (more expensive but also cheaper), even if you don't plan to leave the resort at all. Personally, I'd say, avoid!
To travel from Bangkok to Hua Hin and from Hua Hin to the airport we used Hua Hin Taxi. Transfer to Hua Hin was fine, transfer back was too, except they turned up 30 minutes late, and they were actually the ones who said very specifically that it can be really busy on Sundays and earlier was better. So we moved it forward, and then they were still late, due to some traffic problem in Hua Hin, actually close to the hotel. Van was fine, drivers friendly, so other than the late departure (still plenty of time at the airport, went very smooth) no complaints. They were also the cheapest I found.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Turkish Airlines Comfort Class
When: summer 2012
Kids: Big Sister 8y3m, twins 5y8m
Flights: Hong Kong - Istanbul (2 night stopover) - Brussels and Brussels - Istanbul - Hong Kong on Turkish Airlines (TK)
Booked through: Sunpac travel agent, as I couldn't get the same fare out online with the stop over in Istanbul
Slightly different post this time, but I just wanted to share my excitement over this great product that Turkish Airlines has, their premium economy product. When Big Sister was younger, we'd fly mostly Business from the US to Europe on United, which is nice but absolutely nothing to write home about. When the twins arrived we opted for 5 Economy seats instead of holding twins on our laps in Business. Since then we've always flown economy with them. Initially the company paid for Cathay Pacific which we never really had complains about, always consistent service, good product, except those lousy seats at some point, although I don't hate them as much as everybody else because at least nobody was reclining into my lap. Another few years later, my husband is basically self employed so we shop for the best tickets to go home over the summer. As it's technically easiest to fly into Brussels and there is no direct flight to Brussels from Hong Kong, we have a chance to look into the (often) more reasonable connecting flights. In 2011 we flew back on points (using our final leg to go to Europe) with Lufthansa via Frankfurt. Was fine, cannot fault much, airplane was recently updated (I had night mares about having to watch a movie on the overhead screen for 12 hours), proper in-flight entertainment system, staff was doing their job well and even Frankfurt wasn't too bad at all.
This past summer we ended up with Turkish Airlines. I started looking for flights in October and found this great fare in Comfort Class which was equal to their Economy Class. A promotional fare as they were launching their Comfort product on their own B777 (they used to lease from Jet Airways on this route). Didn't let this chance go, plus I always wanted to visit Istanbul, so an absolute no-brainer.
The Comfort product is very nice and I'd highly recommend it. Seating is 2-3-2 in a completely different, spacious cabin. Cabin comes with own toilets, completely different (and very good) meal service, special amenity packs and amenity packs for kids (with their own socks, tooth brush, eye cover, etc. in a small pack pack). We had a row of 3 and a row of 2. Plenty of space to move around, even if they person in front of you reclines (not a fantastic recline) you can still easily get out of your seat or pass a passenger next to you without really disturbing that person. Foot rest, head rest, lumbar support, fantastic in-flight entertainment system with a proper sized screen, easy to control by touch (the kids could do it all by themselves). Staff is friendly but not overly friendly or warm, but doing a fine job. Food is really good, and I generally dislike airplane food. It's nicely presented with white linen, regular cutlery and table ware. Tasty salads, light meals, no heavy sauces, nice kids' meals (I still believe airlines over think kids' meals and they should keep it even more simple).
The airport in Istanbul is fine, plenty of food options and stores, but it's getting really small now that Turkish Airlines is expending so rapidly. It becomes very crowded and busy. We were lucky to be able to enter the HSBC Premier lounge by showing our HSBC Premier credit card, as we no longer have any note worthy status on Star Alliance since we left the States. The lounge was especially good on the way back when I travelled with 3 kids by myself, arriving in Istanbul at 11 pm, waiting for a 1 am departure. On the way back I had 2 rows of 2 and the staff did come over, saying my 2 children (Big Sister and her twin brother) couldn't sit by themselves in front of me and they had to be re-seated with another adult (read: stranger as they don't have rows of 4), which I refused. They were right in front of me, they're no longer babies, plus they knew about 10 months in advance I booked this combination so why start 5 minutes before take off? Plus who says a stranger would take proper care of my child in case of an emergency? Who wants to sit next to somebody else's child? Apart from the fact they are excellent travellers. They told me, it was my responsibility in the end, which I agreed with (it is anyway, isn't it?) and they didn't mention it again.
Transferring flights looks slightly chaotic at first, but it does work perfectly fine and goes fairly smoothly in the end. Even with 3 kids by myself it wasn't really a big deal at all. It's definitely not the shortest connection (Finnair would have been our fastest connection) but it was great to see Istanbul, even meet up with a friend from Hong Kong there, and the kids loved it too. In case you wonder where we stayed, I booked a family room at the Sirkeci Konak in the old city of Istanbul. Small family run hotel, super friendly, two connecting rooms (by no means large), and bathrooms could use an upgrade, nice breakfast buffet, afternoon snacks, walking distance to so many great sites! Highly rated on Tripadvisor, hence the reason I picked it.
This year we're flying Emirates via Dubai to Hong Kong (booked in September) and slightly cheaper in total than last year (which does confirm that booking early for the busiest time of year does pay off). Regular economy though but also visiting Dubai for 5 nights to see our friends who we miss so much. Will be fantastic, though very hot!
Kids: Big Sister 8y3m, twins 5y8m
Flights: Hong Kong - Istanbul (2 night stopover) - Brussels and Brussels - Istanbul - Hong Kong on Turkish Airlines (TK)
Booked through: Sunpac travel agent, as I couldn't get the same fare out online with the stop over in Istanbul
Slightly different post this time, but I just wanted to share my excitement over this great product that Turkish Airlines has, their premium economy product. When Big Sister was younger, we'd fly mostly Business from the US to Europe on United, which is nice but absolutely nothing to write home about. When the twins arrived we opted for 5 Economy seats instead of holding twins on our laps in Business. Since then we've always flown economy with them. Initially the company paid for Cathay Pacific which we never really had complains about, always consistent service, good product, except those lousy seats at some point, although I don't hate them as much as everybody else because at least nobody was reclining into my lap. Another few years later, my husband is basically self employed so we shop for the best tickets to go home over the summer. As it's technically easiest to fly into Brussels and there is no direct flight to Brussels from Hong Kong, we have a chance to look into the (often) more reasonable connecting flights. In 2011 we flew back on points (using our final leg to go to Europe) with Lufthansa via Frankfurt. Was fine, cannot fault much, airplane was recently updated (I had night mares about having to watch a movie on the overhead screen for 12 hours), proper in-flight entertainment system, staff was doing their job well and even Frankfurt wasn't too bad at all.
This past summer we ended up with Turkish Airlines. I started looking for flights in October and found this great fare in Comfort Class which was equal to their Economy Class. A promotional fare as they were launching their Comfort product on their own B777 (they used to lease from Jet Airways on this route). Didn't let this chance go, plus I always wanted to visit Istanbul, so an absolute no-brainer.
The Comfort product is very nice and I'd highly recommend it. Seating is 2-3-2 in a completely different, spacious cabin. Cabin comes with own toilets, completely different (and very good) meal service, special amenity packs and amenity packs for kids (with their own socks, tooth brush, eye cover, etc. in a small pack pack). We had a row of 3 and a row of 2. Plenty of space to move around, even if they person in front of you reclines (not a fantastic recline) you can still easily get out of your seat or pass a passenger next to you without really disturbing that person. Foot rest, head rest, lumbar support, fantastic in-flight entertainment system with a proper sized screen, easy to control by touch (the kids could do it all by themselves). Staff is friendly but not overly friendly or warm, but doing a fine job. Food is really good, and I generally dislike airplane food. It's nicely presented with white linen, regular cutlery and table ware. Tasty salads, light meals, no heavy sauces, nice kids' meals (I still believe airlines over think kids' meals and they should keep it even more simple).
The airport in Istanbul is fine, plenty of food options and stores, but it's getting really small now that Turkish Airlines is expending so rapidly. It becomes very crowded and busy. We were lucky to be able to enter the HSBC Premier lounge by showing our HSBC Premier credit card, as we no longer have any note worthy status on Star Alliance since we left the States. The lounge was especially good on the way back when I travelled with 3 kids by myself, arriving in Istanbul at 11 pm, waiting for a 1 am departure. On the way back I had 2 rows of 2 and the staff did come over, saying my 2 children (Big Sister and her twin brother) couldn't sit by themselves in front of me and they had to be re-seated with another adult (read: stranger as they don't have rows of 4), which I refused. They were right in front of me, they're no longer babies, plus they knew about 10 months in advance I booked this combination so why start 5 minutes before take off? Plus who says a stranger would take proper care of my child in case of an emergency? Who wants to sit next to somebody else's child? Apart from the fact they are excellent travellers. They told me, it was my responsibility in the end, which I agreed with (it is anyway, isn't it?) and they didn't mention it again.
Transferring flights looks slightly chaotic at first, but it does work perfectly fine and goes fairly smoothly in the end. Even with 3 kids by myself it wasn't really a big deal at all. It's definitely not the shortest connection (Finnair would have been our fastest connection) but it was great to see Istanbul, even meet up with a friend from Hong Kong there, and the kids loved it too. In case you wonder where we stayed, I booked a family room at the Sirkeci Konak in the old city of Istanbul. Small family run hotel, super friendly, two connecting rooms (by no means large), and bathrooms could use an upgrade, nice breakfast buffet, afternoon snacks, walking distance to so many great sites! Highly rated on Tripadvisor, hence the reason I picked it.
This year we're flying Emirates via Dubai to Hong Kong (booked in September) and slightly cheaper in total than last year (which does confirm that booking early for the busiest time of year does pay off). Regular economy though but also visiting Dubai for 5 nights to see our friends who we miss so much. Will be fantastic, though very hot!
Ho Chi Minh City aka Saigon
When: March 2010 (with kids), September 2011 and November 2012.
Kids: Big Sister 5y10m, twins 3y4m
Flights: In March 2010 our trip was part of a individual package to Siem Reap (on Vietnam Airlines), both other times I booked a package through CX Holidays and Sunpac here in Hong Kong (both on Cathay Pacific Airways).
Booked through: travel agents (Lastminute, CX Holidays and Sunpac).
Over the past couple of years I visited Saigon 3 times, once with my entire family and twice without kids (once with friends and the other time with my mom). The first time I was there was early 2010 when we visited Siem Reap & Angkor What. Recently, mid-November I went back with my mom as my birthday gift to her. Things have changed a lot over the past 2 years. It's still the same chaotic Vietnamese city most people who've been there will remember, however, it's clearly getting more luxurious. Old buildings are being torn down and luxury shopping mall with all the "usual suspect luxury brands" are popping up. Luckily the city still has the same charm but obviously certain trends are not going unnoticed in Vietnam either.
Hotels:
- Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon (Marriott)
- Asiana Saigon (Intercontinental)
I definitely prefer the latter of the first as it's much newer. Both locations are good, well situated in District 1. You can check my more detailed Tripadvisor Reviews by going to My Tripadvisor (contributions).
Restaurants:
- Temple Club
- Hoa Tuc (one of my favorites)
- Cuc Gach Quan
- L'Usine (for a quick lunch or a cup of coffee)
- Hoi An, quite a traditional set up but brought the children as I found out later about Hoa Tuc which would have been more suitable with them. Although the kids love soft shell crab and lots of other Vietnamese food.
- K Cafe (Japanese); we had lunch here with the girls upstairs on tatami, very affordable and good quality lunch sets though lots of smoking going on, so not very suitable with kids.
- Jaspas is always easy with kids (including crayons) if you need a break from Vietnamese food.
What to see & do:
- Ben Thanh Market, lots of fun and many things to see, not very stroller friendly as it gets very busy.
- General Post Office, worth a look inside
- Note Dame Cathedral, didn't find it very special as a European, but it's a nice area and worth a quick look inside
- Reunification Palace, worth a look around, brings you back to the 60s and 70s.
- Saigon Opera House, nice location on a "square" close to several hotels.
- War Remnants Museum, very sad place (with a slight biased view but nonetheless), went with my mom, wouldn't recommend with small children unless you take turns (few military vehicles, planes to see outside). Especially the Agent Orange pictures are very graphic.
- Dong Khoi Street is the city's premier shopping street with lots of colonial buildings though things are changing. Lots of galleries, silk stores and other selections of souvenirs, etc.
Since mid-2010 you can also visit the Bitexco Financial Tower Skydeck (68 floors). Prices are about US$10 per adult. Would be a fun thing to do with kids, although still fairly pricey and quite depending on weather conditions. You may want to check the reviews in Tripadvisor for more details.
Kids: Big Sister 5y10m, twins 3y4m
Flights: In March 2010 our trip was part of a individual package to Siem Reap (on Vietnam Airlines), both other times I booked a package through CX Holidays and Sunpac here in Hong Kong (both on Cathay Pacific Airways).
Booked through: travel agents (Lastminute, CX Holidays and Sunpac).
Over the past couple of years I visited Saigon 3 times, once with my entire family and twice without kids (once with friends and the other time with my mom). The first time I was there was early 2010 when we visited Siem Reap & Angkor What. Recently, mid-November I went back with my mom as my birthday gift to her. Things have changed a lot over the past 2 years. It's still the same chaotic Vietnamese city most people who've been there will remember, however, it's clearly getting more luxurious. Old buildings are being torn down and luxury shopping mall with all the "usual suspect luxury brands" are popping up. Luckily the city still has the same charm but obviously certain trends are not going unnoticed in Vietnam either.
Hotels:
- Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon (Marriott)
- Asiana Saigon (Intercontinental)
I definitely prefer the latter of the first as it's much newer. Both locations are good, well situated in District 1. You can check my more detailed Tripadvisor Reviews by going to My Tripadvisor (contributions).
Restaurants:
- Temple Club
- Hoa Tuc (one of my favorites)
- Cuc Gach Quan
- L'Usine (for a quick lunch or a cup of coffee)
- Hoi An, quite a traditional set up but brought the children as I found out later about Hoa Tuc which would have been more suitable with them. Although the kids love soft shell crab and lots of other Vietnamese food.
- K Cafe (Japanese); we had lunch here with the girls upstairs on tatami, very affordable and good quality lunch sets though lots of smoking going on, so not very suitable with kids.
- Jaspas is always easy with kids (including crayons) if you need a break from Vietnamese food.
What to see & do:
- Ben Thanh Market, lots of fun and many things to see, not very stroller friendly as it gets very busy.
- General Post Office, worth a look inside
- Note Dame Cathedral, didn't find it very special as a European, but it's a nice area and worth a quick look inside
- Reunification Palace, worth a look around, brings you back to the 60s and 70s.
- Saigon Opera House, nice location on a "square" close to several hotels.
- War Remnants Museum, very sad place (with a slight biased view but nonetheless), went with my mom, wouldn't recommend with small children unless you take turns (few military vehicles, planes to see outside). Especially the Agent Orange pictures are very graphic.
- Dong Khoi Street is the city's premier shopping street with lots of colonial buildings though things are changing. Lots of galleries, silk stores and other selections of souvenirs, etc.
Since mid-2010 you can also visit the Bitexco Financial Tower Skydeck (68 floors). Prices are about US$10 per adult. Would be a fun thing to do with kids, although still fairly pricey and quite depending on weather conditions. You may want to check the reviews in Tripadvisor for more details.
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