Hi, all,

Getting down to the wire in terms of finalizing plans for a trip in January to Vietnam. A few final questions:

1) We would like to take a one night boat trip on Halong Bay. Looking at the Emeraude (but open to other suggestions). For those who booked th Emeraud, where did you book (any sites cheaper than other sites)? And, is transportation from Hanoi included in the package or is it better to get transportation separately? If the latter, who did you use for that transportation? Is it worth a private car vs. a minivan?

2) In Hanoi, we were looking at staying at the Sofitel, but it is priced (in the old wing) at twice the cost of the Hilton in Hanoi (which seems to be highly recommended as well) -- roughly $260 vs. $130/night. We will be staying 3 nights in Hanoi. Is staying in the old wing at the Sofitel that special that it is worth the $130 extra each night? Or, would you rather stay elsewhere and use the extra money to have dinner at some of the Sofitel's restaurants?

3) Hue: Any comments on staying at the Pilgrimage Village versus La Resdence or Saigon Morin or Century Riverside hotels?

Thanks in advance.

John H.

1, You may search for some sites and do some correspondences with them, sort out the one you trust and feel reliable. Shuttle owned by Emeraude is charged $35 per person round trip. If you pay a little more for private and comfort, try this link http://halongjunkcruise.com/vi-vn/fr...6/default.aspx
2, It is up to your style of travel and money in the pocket but if you expect a memorable stay, do the classic wing. If cost-saving target, let sticky with the Hilton or even give it a try to Zephyr of Hanova Maison de Hanoi which is only half a minute waking distance to the central lake.
3, If you looking for a relax, quiet stay in Hue, try the Pilgrimage, otherwise, La Residence or Morin is so good too.

Thanks so much for the response and link -- very much appreciated

I took the Emeraude one-night cruise; I booked with Exotissimo and the package included a private car from Hanoi. The driver made a number of "bathroom" stops that were actually shopping stops. There is probably no way to avoid these, but you can insist on keeping them brief if you wish. The drive took a couple of hours and is not great scenically; expect lots of traffic.

I stayed at the Hilton and thought it was quite a good hotel.

Pilgrimage Village is lovely but it is quite far from the city. La Residence, where I stayed, is an excellent hotel and is worth a look for the architecture even if you do not stay there. I would not spend extra for the river view there, however.

Feel free to ask any questions; I did a trip report (2008).


http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...rip-report.cfm

For Hue, unless you are there for 3-4 nights or so, I would agree that Pilgrimage Village is too far our of town. At La Residence, you can walk (or bike) to most everything. I actually WOULD suggest a deluxe river view room over a superior room , in the first place they are larger (322 square feet versus 280 square feet), and in the second they have lovely balconies on the river, you can see the flag pole, the walls of the citadel and the mountains in the distance to the east. What I would not recoco paying for are the deluxe colonial rooms or the suites, which IMO don’t have good views or locations, although they are very large and well-appointed.

I did not see those balconied rooms, so I would heed Cicerone's advice on La Residence.
I only saw two room types. I was given a choice of "river-view" or not, probably in the less expensive categories, and I did not think the extra charge was worth it. My room was quite small and the room was in the building furthest from the river so was too far away to actually see any river activity. Nevertheless, the renovation is spectacular and I liked the hotel very much.

In Hues, we stayed at la Residence in the deluxe riverview as described by cicerone and loved it. The balcony was massive with great views and the public areas are in a very elegant Art Deco style. It is a littl way out of the centre of things but only a 5/10 min walk to the main bridges across the river to the citadel etc. The Saigon Morin was looking a bit tired last time we were there. Don't know the other two you mention.

In Hanoi we stayed at the Sofitel and were dissappointed. The hotel was pleasant enough although the room was a bit small and bland but the service and food was just not up to a 5* standard. IMHO just not good VFM

Thanks so much for the additional replies,especially re: the Pilgrimage