Please help with Cambodia and Vietnam - flights and itineraries
 

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Vietnam and Cambodia at the end of May/beginning of June. We are seasoned travelers but, other than China, we've never been to Asia and aren't quite sure what to expect (except for a great time in hot weather, of course). We're on the ground for 10 days. We typically like to take our time in a city...seeing sights, eating long lunches and generally not rushing around, though we're both active, love to hike and get rather bored sitting on a beach. A few questions for anyone who can help:
1. Is 5 days in Ho Chi Minh and 5 days in Siem Reap too much time in each location?
2. Has anyone stayed at the Sheraton Saigon Hotel (HCM) and Le Meridien in Siem Reap? We get friends and family rates at Starwood properties but are open to staying elsewhere, especially if it puts us in a better location.
3. Can you recommend a guide in SR to see the floating city?
4. I know I saw info on this somewhere in the chat rooms, but can you recommend an airline for flights between HCM and Siem Reap? Vietnam Air has roundtrip flights for about $300. Are these flights usually on time? I'm asking because the return trip to HCM gets in 1.5 hours before our scheduled flight home to Chicago and want to make sure that's enough of a layover to catch the next leg.

We literally just decided on this trip, we're leaving in 5 weeks and we don't have time to research as much as we normally would so any other tips on great sites, hidden gems, etc. would be much appreciated!

i think 5 days in HCMC might be too long...

Why not split your trip between Siem Reap (4-5 days) - to Phenom Phen and then take boat through the Delta to Saigon with 2 days at the end for Saigon before flying out.

I stayed at the Sheraton Saigon last year and it was really nice. We upgraded to a tower room using points so I didn't see a standard room. The location is great, very much in the center of things. You can see photos of the room on my website (click on the link in my profile if you want).

I don't think 5 days is too much in Siem Reap, but maybe for Saigon, unless perhaps you want to do some day trips.

Just about any guide you hire in SR for the temples can arrange a trip to the lake for you too.

I'm not sure I'd risk a 1.5 hour connection for an international flight, especially if you have checked luggage. Why not end the trip in Saigon?

Definitely take 5 days in Siem Reap. I was there in March, and had 5 nights,4 days.
Three days were spent at the temples.(Day 1,2 and 4)
After two consecutive days walking the temples,my mate and I decided that day 3 was a rest day.

Three days exploring the temples wasn't enough, and I want to go back again this year for a week or a little bit more.

I can recommend a very good Tuk Tuk driver if required. Great guy, polite . I have his e-mail address if required.

You must take in Banteay Srei. Amazing carvings there. It's an hour ride each way by Tuk Tuk, and you go past some interesting little villages,that I wish I had stopped to explore. You also go past the museum there that has information about the war. My mate didn't want to go in,so we missed that as well.

Hope this helps..

My husband and I stayed at Le Meridan in Siem Reap the end of February and it is lovely and well located. We also hired a guide and driver who met us at the airport and took us to all the temples in his air-conditioned van., You can get to many of the temples easily from Le Meridan with a tuk-tuk...even a rented bicycle....but to get back into an airconditioned van after an hour or more climbing around a temple is heaven.

We spent 3 days in Siem Reap....but never had much time to relax....we did go back to our hotel mid day but never used the beautiful pool or spa since we went out again each afternoon to see more temples and the floating villages around Tonie Sap Lake. We took tuk-tuks in the evening into town and had dinner at local cafes.

Also went to HCMC, Danang, HaLong Bay and Hanoi and I would recommend you spend 4 days in Cambodia and 6 days in Vietnam, but maybe route yourself so you can see more of Vietnam than just Saigon. We stayed one night at the Sheraton in Hanoi..an OK hotel but not the greatest location for walking around. 2days in Saigon was enough for us and we took a side trip to the CuiChi tunnels (sp?) which was very interesting.
We skipped the Mykong Delta side trip since we thought the countryside would be much like the countryside around Tonie Sap in Cambodia. But we found HoiAn a charming side trip from Danang.

Hope all this helps...if you want the name of our guide in Cambodia...let me know.

5 days in HCMC is too much imo. Hanoi is much nicer, I would spend more days in Hanoi instead of HCMC!

Okay, this is great information and now you all have sooooo distracted me from work, and that's a good thing. Does anyone have information or a link to the Delta boat trip from Phenom Phen to Saigon? That sounds great.

We're flying All Nippon to/from home in Chicago, using miles, and they don't fly into Hanoi or Seam Reap so I'm thinking:

HCM - 2 days, then fly to:
Siem Reap - 5 days, then fly (?) boat (?) train (?) to:
Phenom Phen - 2 days, then Delta boat to:
HCM - 1 day (then transfer back to Chicago)

Clearly we need more time on the ground but we just don't have it.

I'll take any and all recommendations for tour guides and Tuk Tuk drivers! Oh, and a hotel in Phenom Phen.

Thanks so much.

The contact e-mail for my Tuk Tuk driver in Siem Reap is

"Mr. Rattana" <[email protected]>,

Nice guy, and I thoroughly recommend him.

All the best.... Peter

Contact for my guide in Siem Reap is <[email protected]>

Hi kvinny,

My family has a wonderful trip with Cambodia for 6nights.

We have stayed 4 nights in Siam Reap with Hotel De La Paix then fly to Phnom Penh 2 nights at Raffles Le Royal. My husband, 2 children, and myself booked private trip with Global Travel Cambodia last 24-30Jan’10. They did a very great job. We have never felt so pampered. The suggestion for hotel rooms was wonderful, the helicopter trip over Angkor was a delight, and the cars for our touring were the best. Of course, it was the people who made all the difference. I could never say enough about our guide in Siem Reap he was so knowledgeable and accommodating, a pleasure to spend so much time with. Our driver made us feel safe he was so pleasant and always exactly on time. Our guide in Phnom Penh helped us make the most of our short time in that beautiful city. The visit to Angkor Temples was a dream comes true for our family.

This is a very professionally run operation, we all loved the personal service and the ability to plan our day. I would highly recommend Global Travel Cambodia to anyone. This should be the model as to how tours are done. Excellent cannot wait to return

Again i would highly recommend Global Travel Cambodia to everyone for visit to Cambodia.

Katina

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