marya_

My family and I returned home a few days ago from a month in Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Siem Reap. My thoughts circle back constantly to the remarkable 5 days that we spent in Siem Reap with Dara Ly as our guide.

Thank you to Fodorites for putting us in touch with Dara and Ponheary. Dara is a superb guide. He is thoughtful, knowledgeable, charming, intuitive about people, and quite witty. His driver, Retay, was both professional and endearing if that makes any sense. I highly recommend them.

I booked a splurge hotel – the Sofitel – because those 5 days were the only days of vacation that my husband will have for quite awhile. We therefore envisioned dividing our time between visiting the temples and relaxing/reading by the pool. Siem Reap and the Angkor complex were so engaging though that we never made it to the (alas quite beautiful) pool. We spent three very full days visiting temples and on our fourth full day saw Tonle Sap, the artisanal studios, and such. How we wish that we had had more time at the temples though!

There is lots more to say, of course, but I wanted to weigh in right away to both thank you all for the recommendation and to encourage others to book Dara’s services during a visit to Siem Reap.

terryr

Hi marya,

Welcome home. Thanks for the feedback about Dara and Rithy, his driver. Always great to hear about them (as well as his sister Ponheary). My family and I toured with Dara and Rithy back in December, 2005, and they were wonderful and very professional, just as you report (for tourists heading to Siem Reap, you can read my entire trip report under "terryr&quot.

Marya, are you planning to post a report on your trip? I hope so! I am especially interested in hearing any highlights about HK as my family and I are heading there next year when we go to China.

Terry

marya_

Hi, Terry:

I'd be happy to share a list of highlights of our three trips to Hong Kong over the past three summers. Do you have any specific interests that I should bear in mind while trolling through memories? Does your family include children? (If so, I could solicit my teens' off the top of the head best/worst memories.)

terryr

Hi marya,

Our daughters will be ages 24 and 20 by the time we go so they're really considered young adults. To begin with, how much time would you rec our staying in HK to do touring, shopping, enjoying this unique city? Any particular favorites or "must do's" for our family who enjoys outdoors adventures as well as good restaurants and shopping? Lastly, we will probably be there by beginning of June...what has your experience been of the weather then? Thanks.

rhkkmk

thanks mary...looking forward to more...please tell us specifically about your sofitel stay....some have said it is more "tour" oriented, but i thought not from my limited lunch experience there...

marya_

Bob:

Here is what comes to mind about our Siem Reap Sofitel.

First, selection criteria. I chose it because the 5 nights that we were to be in SR at the end of a month in China and Vietnam marked the only time that my husband wouldn't be working. I wanted a lovely hotel with a very good swimming pool since I envisioned dividing our time between temple visits and reading/relaxing/swimming.

Amansara is out of our league, Raffles seemed overpriced, the Hotel de la Paix sounded a little too precious (whether or not that is true), and the Meridien's pool seemed a little er... gimmicky. I eventually chose the Sofitel, largely on the basis of the pool, I suppose.

The hotel has enormous frontage on Vithei Charles de Gaulle and lovely plantings. From the busy street, it looks like the oasis that it is.

A large semi-circular drive brings you up to an entrance that is grand in scale although not ornate. The lobby is similarly built on a grand scale although the decor is rather restrained and simple. There are groupings of conventional upholstered western-style chairs, loveseats and coffee tables arrayed around a traditional southeast asian pagoda (if that is the correct word) upon which traditional music is sometimes played. It feels big, airy and comfortable all at the same time.

There is a large gift shop on the left and a piano bar/lounge on the right after the reception and guest services areas. Off the piano bar is a small library. A corner of the lobby has a display promoting the new golf course that they proudly opened in July but we were too busy to cast an eye on it.

The most aesthetically pleasing parts of the hotel lie beyond this area in the sprawling common areas and restaurants that marry open and closed space in the fabulous way that we so enjoy at the riverside Bangkok Marriott. Open-air walkways over a very pretty lily pad-filled pond take you to your room, the pool and spa, or one of the restaurants. It is spacious and serene. One each pass through, you notice a piece of sculpture or a grouping of plantings that you didn't fully appreciate on last walk through, if that makes any sense.

The pool is quite appealing. To give you our frame of reference, our favorite pools to date have been those of the Singapore Shangri-la and the Bangkok Marriott. This was on a par with those hotel pools. Now if only we had had the tim to swim but the temples and the town proved too compelling...

The spa is supposed to be very good but I cannot comment. We had just had great massages in Hanoi before arriving in SR and we looked forward to more but a) the prices were more in line with western prices than se asian prices, and b) I lost some of my appetite for luxury while staying in Siem Reap.

The rooms were quite satisfactory. We needed two rooms -- a second for my two teens. I was supposedly upgraded to a junior suite with a courtyard view on a non-smoking floor although it felt more like a slightly enhanced room connected to a regular room.

Still, the beds were comfortable -- only a little harder than at home and done up with lovely linens. Our room had a raised platform with mats and pillows that I assume is for lounging or in-room massages. There was a small balcony with a table and two chairs. There was plenty of furniture -- writing desk and chair, reading chair with ottoman and lamp, television in armoire, etc., and plenty of storage space. At night turn-down service left a sweet and also arrayed a bath mat and slippers by the side of each person's bed.

The bathroom was large and well equipped with a full size tub at one end and a very large shower at the other end. It was impeccably maintained.

We had breakfast a couple of times at the main restaurant. It was one of those wonderful Asian breakfast buffets that allows for tremendous choice. It included Korean and Japanese selections in addition to some dim sum, western offerings, and lots of fruit. Again, to try to give you some way of assessing my point of view, I'll compare it a bit unfavorably to the spectacular breakfast buffets at, say, the Beijing Kerry Center and the Singapore Shangri-la, but it still is quite good. It's expensive though -- $18 ++ which in SR is exorbitant. The other days we ate at local Khmer-owned restaurants.

There is also a very attractive looking French/Cambodian restaurant in an attractive building that sits in the hotel's pond/lake. It looked very appealing for a special dinner but we ate out every evening.

marya_

Yikes, half of my review of the Sofitel is missing!

Something seems to be wrong. Long passages of text that were in the composition window have been lost. I'll try to reconstruct later but I'm very disappointed to see this shell of what I wrote.

marya_

A few more comments about our Sofitel stay follow.

The staff is very warm and friendly although not as polished as at most high-end properties. On the other hand, Dara Ly was our resident expert -- if we had not had his expertise readily available, perhaps we would have had more involved and fruitful discussions with the Sofitel staff.

We arranged to overlap in SR with some English friends whom we met at the BKK Marriottt. They initially checked into the Meridien but weren't thrilled with it. After seeing our situation, they moved to the Sofitel. It seems that those of us who like the BKK Marriott tend to like the SR Sofitel.

The hotel was nearly empty during the first week of August. The guests whom we did see seemed to speak English, French, German or Japanese. It was very quiet though. Undoubtedly it would feel quite different during high season when things are bustling.

sallyho

Thank so much for the report Marya,
My husband and myself are meeting our two adult children ages 21 and 25 in SEA in mid Nov.-Mid Dec. We have Ponheary for a guide for 2 days and then off to Koh Ker for an overnight and back to Siem Reap for 2 nights.
Are there any highights you can recommend for a family with kids about the same ages of yours?
We are also going to Vietnam to meet up with our daughter who will be doing a semester abroad there.
We are also going to Vietnam and Laos.
If you also have any feedback on Hanoi with kids, I would really appreciate it.

It sounds like you had a great time with your family and memories that will last forever.
Also would you have any preference between Dara or Ponheary as a family guide. We love good humor along with Knowledge.
Thank for your insights.
Sally

kclaudia

Dara is not available..who else in Ponheary's team that is good?

marya_

Sallyho,

Let me find some time during the next few days to organize my thoughts on Hanoi so I can give you some recommendations. We really enjoyed the city!

Meanwhile, as to the difference betwen Dara and Ponheary, it is hard for me to say. We stopped by the guesthouse and met Ponheary, chatting for a good hour or more. We enjoyed meeting various members of the family as we chatted in the front parlor. Beautiful children of all ages!

Ponheary was very warm and friendly so I think that she'd be delightful. We really liked Dara's style though and think that he was perfect for us. He is very knowledgeable and has a dry wit. The more time we spent with him, the more that we could see that he has a delightful sense of humor. He also took the time to answer our questions with great care.

I wish that we were back there now!

rhkkmk

thanks for the hotel review....i have been there for lunch so sort of know the lay out but no one has ever written about the rooms....now you have so that is a good thing...

the hotel is as i suspected....a large, well decorated western style lux hotel with just the right balance for the average person...

it remains my choice for a future visit...thanks again

marya_

Not to beat the subject to death but since the only thing that I can help you with is commentary on the rooms, let me add another word or two.

The thing that struck me most about these rooms is the bed and bathroom maximized comfort and even luxury, and the layout of the room was great, but they somehow saved money on the quality of the furnishings and other appointments (aside from the well-made bed).

Both free standing and built-in furniture had a hint of "Sear's best" about them that surprised me a bit and the one or two scatter rugs were um...closer to doormat quality than carpet quality.

That said, the materials used in the bathroom were first rate. I stayed in a Sofitel in Paris this past year; although the room was tiny and the closet space nonexistent even by local standards, the bathroom was remarkably spacious and luxurious. Maybe this is a Sofitel hallmark?

Anyway, do stay at the SR Sofitel but maybe see a couple of rooms before you settle in. We arrived late after flight delays so we just piled in. Once I got into the routine of both seeing the temples and figuring out how to deal with the extraordinary numbers of children at every site, I lost any thoughts about checking on whether better rooms were available. The issue faded in importance.

sallyho

marya,
Thanks for your prompt reply. We have 6 nights in Hanoi. We plan to do an overnight on a junk on Halong bay and are thinking of one more rural excursion. We enjoy a mix of the cities and countryside.
I would love to hear about any family highlights if you have time.
Also did you book any day guides in Hanoi?
Thanks
Sally

marya_

It sounds as though you need this information sooner rather than later so bear with me as I tap it out quickly. Feel free to ask questions about anything that piques your curiosity.

We stayed in Hanoi for 11 days in late July. We arrived from Hong Kong on a very pleasant Vietnam Airlines flight and we stayed at the Opera Hilton because my husband’s colleagues were all booked in there. Our room was spacious and overlooked the Opera House. My husband has previously stayed at the Sofitel Metropole. He finds the common areas of the Metropole unsurpassed in Hanoi but actually found our Hilton room better equipped. I suspect that is at least in part because we had an unusually spacious room at the Hilton – everything in bed and bath was sized to accommodate a wheelchair-bound guest even though we were not in need of such accommodations.

While I wouldn’t necessarily have selected the Hilton because my instinct is always to look for someplace with more obvious charm, and I imagine that yours is as well, the hotel offered some very definite advantages.
• The location struck us as quite convenient.
• The view of the Opera House from our room was delightful.
• The rooms -- we had 2 – were very well equipped and comfortable.
• The concierge/doormen were pleasant and helpful.
• The breakfast buffet at Chez Manon was very good. I started every day with a made-to-order caffee latte then chose among pho, dim sum, and a western-style breakfast. There is a large fruit buffet with an attendant poised to make custom-order fruit smoothies. The pho is wonderful! Most days the orange juice was fresh (although occasionally from concentrate). Service was prompt and cheerful. Little grace notes such as the ready supply of Pellegrino water added a touch of luxury. The bright orange and red décor with abundant birds-of-paradise floral displays helped wake up those of us who are not morning people.
• The pool-side spa was simple rather than luxurious but we enjoyed a very reasonably-priced ($20/hour) massage.

Sightseeing highlights of our stay:

Temple of Literature

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Residence (but we skipped the Museum)

Hoan Kiem Lake – strolling, cafes, Fanny’s ice cream

Strolling and shopping for clothing and jewelry in the old quarter

Ethnography museum

Cyclo ride

West Lake, with Tran Quoc Pagoda and Quan Thanh Temple

Hoa Lo prison remains

Dinners (see below)

Sidetrips (see below)

We booked a day-long tour of Hanoi through Exotissimo which has a desk in the Hilton lobby. I usually prefer the DIY mode for city touring, but I consulted their services for inspiration since they were right in the lobby. Lo and behold, aspects of their city tour appealed to me such as the guide’s assistance minding our things while we visited the tightly regulated Mausoleum, and her providing commentary on our visits to quite a few sites. That day was a success – it gave us a nice foundation for sightseeing on our own thereafter.

For the Halong Bay overnight trip, I booked through Handspan at the Tamarind Café. We chose the smaller boat – Lagoon Explorer II – which sleeps 8. We three were the only ones signed up at first but were eventually joined by an Australian couple and two young women from Canada. They were sensational travel mates and we had a truly wonderful time. The scenery was beautiful as in photos we had seen. Although the weather wasn’t perfect – a certain amount of rain -- the bay is appealing in such weather. The meals on board were delicious and beautifully served so we relaxed and enjoyed a change of pace from busy Hanoi. A brief stint kayaking was fun and the “Amazing” or “Surprise” Caves that we visited were fascinating to explore. The bus ride to Halong Bay from Hanoi is long so I’m glad that we didn’t do this as a daytrip although you can do so.

The one other sidetrip that we took was to Tam Coc and Hoa Lu. We booked this through Exotissimo as well because we had been so happy with their city tour. These locales are as described in your guidebooks so left me just make two comments. First, the grottoes are indeed beautiful, but I was stressed by the level of hawking. I gave our oarsman and his wife a very generous tip midway through the trip when their colleagues were pestering us to buy refreshments but the husband still kept at us constantly to buy and to tip more. The harangue was pretty extraordinary. I was very aware that it was hard work to row my children and me for two hours so I had taken care of them well. Did generosity mark me as a fool perhaps? Others might tolerate this experience better but it made me miserable even though I am somewhat of a seasoned traveler. Second, the tour included lunch at a rural restaurant that was pretty miserable as far as cleanliness goes. (I have already filed an evaluation with the tour company about this.)


Back in Hanoi, we had wonderful dinners most nights and left town without trying all the restaurants that appealed to us. These come to mind.

Wild Lotus: exotically beautiful setting in the evening

Bobby Chin’s: Great fun! Bobby is very talented and humorous. On the evening we were there, the Discovery Channel was finishing up filming a special on him. After the camera crews left, musicians from Minh’s joined him in a jam session. It was a high-spirited, spectacular evening.

Emperor: Note -- those of us who ordered the prix fixe menu were delighted with our dinners while those who chose to order a la carte were less thrilled.

Au Lac café (across from the Metropole): Great bananaflower salad, lime soda and coffee among other things

Au Lac House: charming villa, delicious prix fixe lunch menu with lovely service

Ba Kiem: This sleek new restaurant at the Hilton replaces Turtle’s Poem. The $20 prix fixe dinner special was fabulous. The staff is so excited about their newly opened restaurant that each course was presented by two or more servers with tremendous drama and flair.

Hoa Sua Training Restaurant: The young servers work so hard that surely it will touch your heart. Go. We enjoyed our table upstairs on the terrace.

Indochine: Perfect for our first evening. Intimate size, friendly service, popular with expats – we chatted with most of the patrons in our cozy dining room before leaving.

What was overrated in Hanoi?

First, much to my disappointment, the Thang Long Water Puppet show was lackluster. I have never seen such bored musicians and singers. This art form is fascinating, but there was no joy in the performance. The theater, as has been noted, is very poorly raked so it is difficult to see if you are not in the front rows. Second, people pay a fee to use their cameras during the performance and consequently theater-goers are constantly jumping out of their seats to get that perfect photo. The experience failed to deliver. (To the contrary, we enjoyed our evening with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House.)

Second, the cathedral and adjacent shopping street didn’t live up to advance billing. Bait and switch overcharging at one of the well-known cafes there didn’t help matters.

We loved Hanoi and very much regretted not being able to see more of the country on this trip. Next time!

I hope that some of this – albeit written in haste -- is helpful. Fell free to ask questions.

sallyho

Marya,
Thank you so much for all the information you provided. I am beginning to think that all the excursions from Hanoi are beginning to feast on tourism.
We have reservations at Sofitel Metropole for 6 nights. I was considering Tam Coc, but the experience with the Hawkers does not sound pleasant. I have heard similiar experiences on the perfume river.
I am looking into Mai Chau since it is a little further afield.

Or we can just spend some time with our daughter and see Hanoi.
Thanks for the list of sights good and not so good.
Also having a current list of restaurents will be a big help. Our daughter will be very busy during the day but will welcome some good meals at night.

After your report we may take 2 days of our 13 in Vietnam off and add a day to both Siem Reap and Laos.

Thanks again for the information.
Sally

marya_

Sally, I imagine that more experienced travelers who have been through, India, for example, are amused by my rant about the Tam Coc experience. It all depends upon your experience and your threshold for discomfort about these matters. I felt a keen responsibility toward the oarsman and helmsman for physically laboring to row us for about two hours. I was frustrated that I couldn't have even a minute's peace to sit quietly and enjoy the beautiful view. Maybe I am too easily distressed, maybe he was more insistent than some waterborn tablecloth salesmen -- who knows?

The important thing is to share that experience so that you will be prepared for it if you go. I certainly don't want to dissuade anyone from seeing that area of Vietnam but it would be irresponsible for me to just rave about the scenic beauty without sharing the rest of the experience.

As to the Sofitel Metropole, the common areas are exquisite. You will be delighted when you step inside. The pool area is also lovely.

The Metropole has an afternoon "Chocolate Bar" alongside tea-time. I brought my children. It is $8 ++ per person for coffe or tea and unlimited visits to a very artfully arrayed chocolate buffet. We enjoyed sitting for a couple of hours, savouring desserts slowly and reading various newspapers.

One of my regrets is that we didn't have time to take one of the hotel's cooking classes. They sounded like fun, particularly the one that includes a morning market run.

FYI
* there is a citibank atm next door to the hotel on the right-hand side as you face the hotel's front door; walk in toward the guards and veer left.
*The AU Lac Cafe withoutdoor seating is across from the back door of the hotel. Lovely staff, good Vietnamese coffee and other local specialties like lime soda and banaflower salad but also western foods. (The latter made my teen-aged son happy on two occasions.)
*Finally, one long block's walk down the nearby main road toward Hoan Kiem Lake and you come to a multi-story department store with a good food market and personal care store on the top floor. Your hotel can direct you -- the point is that all conveniences are nearby.

You will have a wonderful time. Enjoy!

sallyho

Marya,
I was away for the weekend and just read your post. Thanks for all the detailed information.
We have been told by friends to book a private junk in Halong bay so we have more flexibility. But your experience sounds great. Would you reccommend booking from the states or when we get to Hanoi?

Also I appreciate your rant about Tam Coc. I was in India last year and found the people to be extremly hospitable. A lot of that was due to our fantastic guides and the way our trip was organized. I have been to many developing countries and I get very uncomfortable with persistent hawkers. I appreciate the forewarning.
Sally

marya_

Hmmm...I think that you said that you will be traveling in Nov-Dec, Sally. I just don't know what the need for advance bookings is then. We went in July -- low season -- so I imagine that that was much easier.

We just went over to Handspan at the Tamarind Cafe on the 2nd day of our 11-day visit to Hanoi. With one eye on weather forecasts and one eye on available boats, we were able to schedule our overnight Halong Bay excursion for later in the week. (We kept our Hanoi hotel room in our absence and just traveled to the boat with daypacks.)

I don't know if you would have that flexibility in Nov-Dec. Can someone out there speak from experience?

The boat that we enjoyed so much -- with the dearest kindest cabin attendant -- was the Lagoon Explorer II. Supposedly it first set sail in April. Everything is high varnish and crisp white linen. There are 4 private cabins; the one occupying the bow is very spacious, the others modest but quite adequate.

With 4 family members, you could book it up for yourselves or you could take your chances on fellow passengers. Since my husband was working and unavailable to accompany us, my daughter and I bunked in together and I paid a single supplement so that my son would have his own room under any conditions. We gambled and got quite lucky with our fellow passengers as I told you.

The larger boat would be enjoyable in a different way -- and it is also less expensive -- but the availability of kayaks on the smaller boat was the deal-breaker for us.

Sorry I can't assess demand and the advisability of booking ahead in Nov-Dec. I hope someone else will jump in to advise you.