Hoi An beaches in early March?
Jan 5th, 2007, 02:45 PM
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Hoi An beaches in early March?
Hi all,
Will we be disappointed with the weather in Hoi An in early March? I understand it will be dry and warmish, but not hot - is that right? What is the water temperature like? This is our only beach spot over a 3 week trip and we don't want to miss a chance to swim.
That said, we are "New Englanders" - so we are used to swimming in the cold Atlantic, with air temps in the 80's.
I suppose Mui Ne or Nha Trang are possibilities, but they are logistically harder for us to fit in.
What do you think?
-Amy
Will we be disappointed with the weather in Hoi An in early March? I understand it will be dry and warmish, but not hot - is that right? What is the water temperature like? This is our only beach spot over a 3 week trip and we don't want to miss a chance to swim.
That said, we are "New Englanders" - so we are used to swimming in the cold Atlantic, with air temps in the 80's.
I suppose Mui Ne or Nha Trang are possibilities, but they are logistically harder for us to fit in.
What do you think?
-Amy
Jan 5th, 2007, 05:01 PM
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My partner and I will also be travelling thought Vietnam in Early March including in Hoi An and Nha Trang and am interested to hear from my fellow travellers also about the weather...
If anyone has any 4 star recommendations of where to stay in a good Hoi An locality (we've got Nha Trang sorted), We'd love to hear from you!
If anyone has any 4 star recommendations of where to stay in a good Hoi An locality (we've got Nha Trang sorted), We'd love to hear from you!
Jan 5th, 2007, 10:30 PM
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March should be a good time to be in Hoi An, but like anywhere there are no guaranties. We were there in late Nov. and the weather was beautiful. We stayed one night at The Life Resort, but checked out, since we had been going at a fast pace and were ready for a beach experience. Also it was too hot to be in town. We loved the Palm Garden resort. The beach was white sand and The water was perfect for swimming. ( kind of like Hawaii) There were good waves but not too much undertow.
The grounds were beautiful and the staff superb. Lots of activities were avaiable.
We stayed in the beachfront bunglow and loved it.
It was easy to get to town.
I do not know if either of you are looking for a city hotel or beach resort. Or what else you are doing in Vietnam. Hoi An has great restaurants, Lot's of tailors and some interesting world hertiage sites. It can feel a little toursity. Having the beach so close is a bonus.
Sally
The grounds were beautiful and the staff superb. Lots of activities were avaiable.
We stayed in the beachfront bunglow and loved it.
It was easy to get to town.
I do not know if either of you are looking for a city hotel or beach resort. Or what else you are doing in Vietnam. Hoi An has great restaurants, Lot's of tailors and some interesting world hertiage sites. It can feel a little toursity. Having the beach so close is a bonus.
Sally
Jan 7th, 2007, 02:20 PM
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Hi, thanks for your thoughts. I think we'll just roll with it and hope for the best. Hoi An is a one of our budget stops so we are staying at the Indochine, on the river and not too far from the beach. $29 a night I believe. I'm travelling with my parents who prefer not to stay in town...We are also doing a night on one of the Cham Islands.
-Amy
-Amy
Jan 7th, 2007, 05:17 PM
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Sally, Would love to learn more about your Vietnam trip & itinerary. If you had a chance to see the Victoria Hoi An, I am curious as to how you would compare it with the Palm Garden Resort. Also, Who did you use for your trip through the Mekong? Would love as many details as you can provide on your trip as we are just beginning to plan for a Vietnam trip for next February/March.
Jan 8th, 2007, 08:09 PM
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CFW
My computer got a short this weekend and has all my details. I will give you some brief details and hope to get my computer back tomorrow for a full report.
I did see the Victoria resort very briefly. The lobby was very pretty and had more of a colonial feel, The pool area was a little on the small side. The grounds very pretty and tropical but not as expansive as the Palm Garden. I asked to look at a room and it took them about 20 minutes to find a key. I looked at two rooms. One was on the street and one facing the ocean they were both very well done, But I had the feeling that all the rooms vary alot. It is hard for me to make comments, since I did not stay there. As so often the staff and small details can make such a big difference. The Palm Garden is newer and everything is in perfect condition.
The pool is large, the grounds are tropical, yet not as established as the Victoria. The beach was beautiful, service great. I would highly recommend the beachfront villas.
We spent 4 nights in Hanoi at the Metropole and one at Halong Bay on the Halong Ginger. After 6 days in Laos Hanoi was a culture shock.
We had a great time on our boat on Halong bay.
We spent only 1 night in Hue at La Residence and found Hue very interesting. 2 nights would have felt less rushed. Then on to Hoi An. The drive was beautiful.
We spent 2 nights in Saigon and 2 in the Mekong Delta.
Tony from Ann Tours arranged our guides, Halong Bay and the Mekong delta. I had e mailed a couple of agencies and was so impressed with how detailed and knowledgeable he was. He included some very unique experiences. And our trip to the Delta was absolutly wonderful. It is a beautiful and fasinating area.
I am very glad we did the north central and south.
It was great to get a feel of the country and how different the people are in the North and South. We found the South to be more friendly. Also the landscapes are so varied.
If you have any questions feel free to ask and hopefully I will get my computer back tomorrow and post a more detailed report
Sally
My computer got a short this weekend and has all my details. I will give you some brief details and hope to get my computer back tomorrow for a full report.
I did see the Victoria resort very briefly. The lobby was very pretty and had more of a colonial feel, The pool area was a little on the small side. The grounds very pretty and tropical but not as expansive as the Palm Garden. I asked to look at a room and it took them about 20 minutes to find a key. I looked at two rooms. One was on the street and one facing the ocean they were both very well done, But I had the feeling that all the rooms vary alot. It is hard for me to make comments, since I did not stay there. As so often the staff and small details can make such a big difference. The Palm Garden is newer and everything is in perfect condition.
The pool is large, the grounds are tropical, yet not as established as the Victoria. The beach was beautiful, service great. I would highly recommend the beachfront villas.
We spent 4 nights in Hanoi at the Metropole and one at Halong Bay on the Halong Ginger. After 6 days in Laos Hanoi was a culture shock.
We had a great time on our boat on Halong bay.
We spent only 1 night in Hue at La Residence and found Hue very interesting. 2 nights would have felt less rushed. Then on to Hoi An. The drive was beautiful.
We spent 2 nights in Saigon and 2 in the Mekong Delta.
Tony from Ann Tours arranged our guides, Halong Bay and the Mekong delta. I had e mailed a couple of agencies and was so impressed with how detailed and knowledgeable he was. He included some very unique experiences. And our trip to the Delta was absolutly wonderful. It is a beautiful and fasinating area.
I am very glad we did the north central and south.
It was great to get a feel of the country and how different the people are in the North and South. We found the South to be more friendly. Also the landscapes are so varied.
If you have any questions feel free to ask and hopefully I will get my computer back tomorrow and post a more detailed report
Sally
Jan 9th, 2007, 04:14 PM
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Sallyhow
We are leaving for Vietnam/Cambodia in about three weeks. We are staying at the Life Resort in HoiAn because we didn't want to be out of town. How was it other than the fact that it didn't quite suit your plans. We were originally booked at the Victoria but changed for sort of the same reasons you did. We also thought we might take a cooking course in HoiAn. Has anyone tried that?
We are leaving for Vietnam/Cambodia in about three weeks. We are staying at the Life Resort in HoiAn because we didn't want to be out of town. How was it other than the fact that it didn't quite suit your plans. We were originally booked at the Victoria but changed for sort of the same reasons you did. We also thought we might take a cooking course in HoiAn. Has anyone tried that?
Jan 9th, 2007, 07:13 PM
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The Life resort is in a great location in town on the river. The rooms which are more like mini suites and very nicely done. The grounds are very attractive.
The complaint we had was we were on a ground floor riverview. The noise of the boats on the river along with paper thin walls made it hard to sleep. We could hear people coming in late along with 5
oam wakeup calls.
Also every time we walked into our room we had to close all the shutters because of all the workmen and guests walking by our room.
My advise would be to request a upstairs corner room and most of the problems we had would be eliminated.
I heard good thing things about the cooking classes, but someone else will have to chime in on that topic, I wish I had had the time to do one. The food was superb we really liked Brothers and the Cargo club and a couple others that I can not remember the name of but should have my Laptop back tomorrow. I hope
Enjoy Vietnam and Cambodia. It was a wonderful trip.
Sally
The complaint we had was we were on a ground floor riverview. The noise of the boats on the river along with paper thin walls made it hard to sleep. We could hear people coming in late along with 5
oam wakeup calls.Also every time we walked into our room we had to close all the shutters because of all the workmen and guests walking by our room.
My advise would be to request a upstairs corner room and most of the problems we had would be eliminated.
I heard good thing things about the cooking classes, but someone else will have to chime in on that topic, I wish I had had the time to do one. The food was superb we really liked Brothers and the Cargo club and a couple others that I can not remember the name of but should have my Laptop back tomorrow. I hope
Enjoy Vietnam and Cambodia. It was a wonderful trip.
Sally
Jan 9th, 2007, 08:03 PM
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March is dry season in Hoi An and yes, it's not hot but warm enough for you to swim. Don't worry. If you prefer to stay in a 4star hotel, I recommend Hoian Pacific Hotel. It's good. Mui Ne and Nha Trang are great as well. The weather at your arrival time is fine in these places. You can search more information to know better where you would like to go.
Have fun!
Have fun!
Jan 10th, 2007, 02:28 PM
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COOKING CLASSES:
Hahn at Restaurant Gioan, on the river in Hoi An, is a wonderful teacher - taking us through the market before cooking was the best for someone who loves to cook. It could almost be a complete tour...
Hahn at Restaurant Gioan, on the river in Hoi An, is a wonderful teacher - taking us through the market before cooking was the best for someone who loves to cook. It could almost be a complete tour...
Jan 11th, 2007, 04:42 PM
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Sallyho, Thanks so much for the info about the Hoi An hotels. I had also heard good things about Ann Tours. Would love to hear more about your Mekong trip. What were some of the unique experiences you had and are there any particular guides we should ask for? Thanks.
Jan 14th, 2007, 03:15 PM
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CFW,
Sorry for my delayed response. My computer took longer to get back than I had anticipated.
There seem to be a couple of threads going on Hoi An Hotels. I am sure the Victoria beach front units are great, but I cannot say enough about the Palm Garden beach front bungalows. You walk into a garden atrium with a large soaking tub and enclosed shower. The room was beautiful. It was done in teak and white with windows all the way around. It was very light and cheerful and extremely spacious. French doors opened onto a veranda steps away from the ocean. The bed was very comfortable unlike most in Vietnam.
A couple of the unique experiences that Tony set up for us were - While in Hue he set up a visit to a professor's home. He was a history teacher who like many others lost his job after the American war. He began writing about historical sites in Hue and has published quite a few books. He was a fascinating man and and along with being very instrumental in the world heritage sites in Hue, he opened up his home to us and explained ancestral worship, which is a very common practice in Vietnam. Also his home was done in perfect harmony with the gardens. He explained a lot of the symbolism to us. This was very informative since it helped to understand the harmony in the Emperors Palace and some of the royal tombs.
In Saigon he set up a home visit with a family who are still very involved with Vietnamese traditional music.
The Mekong Delta was an absolute highlight. Every tour I had looked at went to all the same places and since I was not interested in going to places with a lot of tour buses he set up a tour where we went to a very historic pagoda followed by a little bike riding along the Mekong river through fruit orchards and villages where westerners are rarely seen. We then went to a local house for lunch followed by a canoe ride up some of the most pristine emerald draped canals. Along with the extremely friendly people we really got a glimpse of daily life in the delta and, the hard working people who are so industrious with every inch of land they have. Also the commerce on the wider waterways was very interesting. It was a great day and I am glad we experienced it before going to the floating market the next morning outside of Can Tho. There are so many things to see in the Delta- fish farms, brick kilms, floating homes. I could go on and on, but the one thing that really stood out was the natural beauty and the people who were always waving, smiling and very genuinely happy. we spent two nights. One at the Victoria resort in Can Tho. and the 2nd at the Victoria in Chou Doc. I was very happy with Tony he really knows who to work with Americans and will set up excursions based on your interests.
Our guide in the mekong delta was a women who set up the Mekong travel Co. and she was wonderful to spend time with. Our driver name was Thai he was a kick and he had some very funny stories to tell especially about being in the war, which was helpful for me not to harbor guilt and know the people have certainly moved on.
Our guide in Hue name was phung and he had a great sense of humor and was extremely intelligent and well read. He was always doing little extras like telling us the best things to order in different restaurants and he was right on. He was very informative about all the historic sights in hue and even went on an am bike ride with us to a vegetable village outside of Hoi An.
Feel free to ask if you have any other questions. Sorry for all the rambling.
Sally
Sorry for my delayed response. My computer took longer to get back than I had anticipated.
There seem to be a couple of threads going on Hoi An Hotels. I am sure the Victoria beach front units are great, but I cannot say enough about the Palm Garden beach front bungalows. You walk into a garden atrium with a large soaking tub and enclosed shower. The room was beautiful. It was done in teak and white with windows all the way around. It was very light and cheerful and extremely spacious. French doors opened onto a veranda steps away from the ocean. The bed was very comfortable unlike most in Vietnam.
A couple of the unique experiences that Tony set up for us were - While in Hue he set up a visit to a professor's home. He was a history teacher who like many others lost his job after the American war. He began writing about historical sites in Hue and has published quite a few books. He was a fascinating man and and along with being very instrumental in the world heritage sites in Hue, he opened up his home to us and explained ancestral worship, which is a very common practice in Vietnam. Also his home was done in perfect harmony with the gardens. He explained a lot of the symbolism to us. This was very informative since it helped to understand the harmony in the Emperors Palace and some of the royal tombs.
In Saigon he set up a home visit with a family who are still very involved with Vietnamese traditional music.
The Mekong Delta was an absolute highlight. Every tour I had looked at went to all the same places and since I was not interested in going to places with a lot of tour buses he set up a tour where we went to a very historic pagoda followed by a little bike riding along the Mekong river through fruit orchards and villages where westerners are rarely seen. We then went to a local house for lunch followed by a canoe ride up some of the most pristine emerald draped canals. Along with the extremely friendly people we really got a glimpse of daily life in the delta and, the hard working people who are so industrious with every inch of land they have. Also the commerce on the wider waterways was very interesting. It was a great day and I am glad we experienced it before going to the floating market the next morning outside of Can Tho. There are so many things to see in the Delta- fish farms, brick kilms, floating homes. I could go on and on, but the one thing that really stood out was the natural beauty and the people who were always waving, smiling and very genuinely happy. we spent two nights. One at the Victoria resort in Can Tho. and the 2nd at the Victoria in Chou Doc. I was very happy with Tony he really knows who to work with Americans and will set up excursions based on your interests.
Our guide in the mekong delta was a women who set up the Mekong travel Co. and she was wonderful to spend time with. Our driver name was Thai he was a kick and he had some very funny stories to tell especially about being in the war, which was helpful for me not to harbor guilt and know the people have certainly moved on.
Our guide in Hue name was phung and he had a great sense of humor and was extremely intelligent and well read. He was always doing little extras like telling us the best things to order in different restaurants and he was right on. He was very informative about all the historic sights in hue and even went on an am bike ride with us to a vegetable village outside of Hoi An.
Feel free to ask if you have any other questions. Sorry for all the rambling.
Sally
Jan 14th, 2007, 05:06 PM
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I forgot to add the e mail if you want to go direct in the Mekong Delta is [email protected]. I am still looking for her card.
My experience was that Tony got better hotel rates than I did.
My experience was that Tony got better hotel rates than I did.
Jan 14th, 2007, 05:55 PM
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Sallyho, GREAT info -- Sounds like just the sort of things we would enjoy. Any special recommendations for Hanoi? We will probably not go to Halong Bay because of time constraints and the time of year, which may be too cool. We have seen similar scenery in Phang Nga Bay in Phuket, and we know we can't see and do everything...
Jan 17th, 2007, 03:10 PM
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Sally, I just read one of your other postings and know you're a fan of Palm Garden. We're now considering switching there but were surprised at the steep price tag on the bungalows you recommended. I read you had a discount price. Is it rude to ask what you paid per night?
Jan 17th, 2007, 06:51 PM
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aeurope, I do not know what the internet prices are. We got a rate of $150.00 including tax and breakfast. That was a walk in rate in the off season. Our guide may have had a little pull. My advise is to just follow your gut feeling of where you want to be in Hoi An (city, river or ocean)? In our 5 weeks of travel the 2 places I did not go with my instinct was Hoi An and Siem Reap.
Zeusgoose, The Victoria in both Can Tho and Chou Doc were definetly the best in both of the cities. They both need a little updating, but after very early A.M. starts and long days in the Mekong Delta they were both very good places to unwind and get a good nights sleep at. Also the pools at both hotels were a bonus.
CWF
I have had a hard time saying much about Hanoi. It was never on our must see list. We went to Vietnam because our daughter was doing her semester abroad in Hanoi. It was a very interesting city to see. But because she and the 15 other university students were starting to get very frustrated after 3and 1/2 months in Vietnam and shared so many insights - I am still sorting through my experience.
I am on my way out to dinner with my husband and will give a list of what I would recommend when we return.
Sally
Zeusgoose, The Victoria in both Can Tho and Chou Doc were definetly the best in both of the cities. They both need a little updating, but after very early A.M. starts and long days in the Mekong Delta they were both very good places to unwind and get a good nights sleep at. Also the pools at both hotels were a bonus.
CWF
I have had a hard time saying much about Hanoi. It was never on our must see list. We went to Vietnam because our daughter was doing her semester abroad in Hanoi. It was a very interesting city to see. But because she and the 15 other university students were starting to get very frustrated after 3and 1/2 months in Vietnam and shared so many insights - I am still sorting through my experience.
I am on my way out to dinner with my husband and will give a list of what I would recommend when we return.
Sally
Jan 31st, 2007, 11:49 PM
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CFW
Sorry I do not get to this site very often.
In Hanoi - We did the typical sites _ Temple of Literature, fine Arts museum, Museum of Ethnology, "Hanoi Hilton: prison, Old city, Lake, etc, in the mornings.
We meet our daughter every afternoon and spent time at the University of Hanoi, (a real eye opener), and areas where she and the other 15 university students spent time. She also took us to the West lake area which was enjoyable, we tend to like a mix of the downtown along with some of the more local areas.
I also really enjoyed the area around the catheral, good shops, restaurents and not as hectic. I also found solace in some of the art galleries.
If you have any questions feel to email me at
[email protected]. I always check my email. I think you may be leaving soon
Also no big deal about not going to Halong Bay. It is similar to The limestone formations around Krabi and Phucket just much more extensive. Our highlite was Kayaking to some remote areas, the people we met on the boat, and relaxing in the natural beauty
Feel free to email for any other questions.
Sally
Excuse my bad spelling. I do not have time to edit.
Sorry I do not get to this site very often.
In Hanoi - We did the typical sites _ Temple of Literature, fine Arts museum, Museum of Ethnology, "Hanoi Hilton: prison, Old city, Lake, etc, in the mornings.
We meet our daughter every afternoon and spent time at the University of Hanoi, (a real eye opener), and areas where she and the other 15 university students spent time. She also took us to the West lake area which was enjoyable, we tend to like a mix of the downtown along with some of the more local areas.
I also really enjoyed the area around the catheral, good shops, restaurents and not as hectic. I also found solace in some of the art galleries.
If you have any questions feel to email me at
[email protected]. I always check my email. I think you may be leaving soon
Also no big deal about not going to Halong Bay. It is similar to The limestone formations around Krabi and Phucket just much more extensive. Our highlite was Kayaking to some remote areas, the people we met on the boat, and relaxing in the natural beauty
Feel free to email for any other questions.
Sally
Excuse my bad spelling. I do not have time to edit.
