Don't think I have not thought of that, although I did give him a deposit. Of course I am already kicking myself for not doing it myself....let this be a lesson to me for next time..

Well I have gone ahead and contacted the Life Resort in Hoi An directly; they appear to, indeed, have rooms available for my dates and I will be interested to see if they confirm via e-mail...

Interesting, you might want to check with teh Park Hyatt either directly or through the Hyatt 800 number and see what kind of price they can give you...

Kathie thanks. That will be my next step.

The Peninsula publish theer rates for Jan later this summer. I personally prefere the balcony room as its nice to sit out and watch the little boats go by!
If you want to book Tong i suggest you do that ASAP as she gets very booked up. When we were with her last Nov she allready had a number of bookings for 2007 incl the christmas period!! She really is FANTASTIC , i think someone posted she is like the friend you didnt know you didnt have!!!

ekskrunchy, We are planning a trip to Vietnam for February 2008and are finding that for rates, availability and flexibility booking directly with the hotels through their web sites is surprisingly better than through the local Vietnam travel agencies that have been recommended. Keep us posted on other details as you go -- flights, drivers, etc. We're starting to look into that now with local agencies.

Thanks, everyone. And thank you for mentioning Tong..I do want to book her for a day or two and would like to contact her now since I have my dates for BKK. I know that her e-mail is here someplace but if anyone has it handy, would you mind posting it again... many thanks...

Today's news is that the travel agent has now turned up a room at Life Resort in Hoi An..so that is one hurdle vaulted..(maybe that is not the right verb..?)

Never mind...I found Tong's e-mail. I will write to her and see if she is free during my stay..

If Tong is booked, who should I try next? Ratt?

Anyone have any good guide or driver recommendations (like Tong in BKK & Putu in Bali) for any areas in Vietnam?

Yes, I would also like recommendations for a guide in Vietnam (Hanoi and HCMC)..

Sooner than expected, here is the update: Tong has responded to my e-mail and is free for my dates in Bangkok. I have proposed that we spend two days together, one day with the car (large SUV it appears..) and one day without. Shopping is a priority. I have been to BKK before but might like to re-visit Jim Thompson House and Grand Palace..are these best done on my own to save Tong for more out of the way spots?

I would love to hear recommendations of how to best spend the day with Tong and the car. The Prasart Museum sounds like a must; I believe it is closed on Mondays. How long is the drive from the Peninsula to this museum and about how long whould I allot for a visit? How else to make use of the car?

On the day without the car, I can discuss with Tong and come up with a plan based on my shopping "needs" and any other places of interest..I am open to anything!

Many thanks..

We loved the Prasart. I'd estimate the drive from the Pen being about 45 minutes or so. Plan at least two hours at the Prasart.

If you have an interest in SE Asia antiques, you might have Tong take you to Amantee, a lovely place near the old airport. The man who owns it is very nice and very knowledgable. There is also a small restaurant on the premises. We've spent a couple of hours there each of our last two trips. Check the website www.amantee.com and see if it is anything you are interested in. It would be a fine follow-up to the Prasart.

I seems as if I first posted this a lifetime ago. Now the time is near and I have another question regarding malaria meds:

The CDC site says that all of Laos except Vientiane falls within the malarial zone. For a January trip which will only include LP, this means taking malaria meds. I am tempted to skip these...any opinions?? Didi you all take them for LP in winter? I will be there 5 nights and will not need the meds for the rest of the trip..

We did take anti-malarials for a winter trip to LP. We found mosquitoes (or they found us) in Nov.-Dec in LP. We both got a few bites in spite of the deet.

Talk with your doctor about the pros and cons. If you do take anti-malarials, you'll likely want to take malarone, as you start it one day before entering the malarial risk area and 7 days after leaving it. For the other antimalarials, you have to contiue them for one month after leaving the area.

Find a travel medicine specialist!

Taking meds vs getting malaria, no brainer. Malaria is a very serious, potentially life-threatening disease, easily caught with a single bite from an infected mosquito.

All of Laos, except Vientiane, is listed as malarial risk. Doxycycline can be taken for prophylaxis. A very strong (30%+) DEET repellent is a must. Even rooms with AC are not guaranteed to be without mosquitoes. You and whoever is cleaning your room are going in and out, allowing possible mosquito entry.

Again, see a travel medicine specialist for recommendations!

Ok..I will ask my doctor for advice. I took a course of Malarone in October while in southern Africa and had no problems with the drug.

I also took Malarone while I was in Laos. Interestingly, I'm normally a magnet for mosquitoes, but when I'm taking Malorone they mostly leave me alone even when I don't wear insect repellent.

Hi, I've read some but not all of the threads of this conversation so forgive me if you have already settled on things. In no particular order:

I've been to LP many times and never took anti-malarials and they were not suggested. I used to work for the USG and they are quite conservative about things like that.

As of 2006, there are direct flights between Hanoi and LP so you don't have to transit through VTE. I'd skip VTE if I had the choice. I just went in November and there are 2-3 flights each day, I think. so easy, less than an hour.

Somebody recommended Pansea, which is a very nice resort in LP, but you'll need to take a shuttle into town and one of the loveliest things about LP is wandering around idly on foot and at your own pace from your doorstep. You might check out 3 Nagas to see if it's nice enough for you--if you get their upstairs rooms/suites, they have high ceilings and balconys. The Apsara also has a traditional house they rent in town on a weekly basis.

The Victoria Hotel and Resort is the best spot in Hoi An.

The Sofitel Plaza (versus the Sofitel Metropole) has a great pool. Friends of mine in Hanoi were members there just for the pool. It is located a 10 minute cab ride from town center (it's a small place). Not nearly as charming as the Metropole, but a very high level hotel and not completely out of town. If the weather isn't bad you can walk down from the Sofitel Plaza between West Lake and Truc Bac Lake to HCM's Mauseleum, then head downtown to the old quarter from there. There is a great Highland's Coffee on a boat on West Lake not far from the SPlaza.

If you are really into eating locally when you travel you should check out Savour Asia--http://www.savourasia.com, which is an online guide to street food, restaurants, cooking schools, and other things to do in Asian cities (though they only have information up for Hanoi so far).

A personal restaurant favorite of mine is Quan An Ngon (18 Pham Boi Chau), a place that collected all types of street food from across Vietnam (including Hue and southern dishes) and put them in a big courtyard restaurant where you can sample them all. There is also a place called Bun Ta (next to the tourist information office at the top of Hoan Kiem Lake) which serves all different kinds of noodles. It's pricey for noodles in Hanoi, but if the weather isn't so great, it's a good escape and it's clean, bright and tasty.

If you aren't staying at the Metropole, you should go there anyway to have a drink at their Le Club Bar, which will give you a cool reprieve from wandering the old quarter. Le Beaulieu, their French-Vietnamese restaurant, is fabulous and a great value. I haven't been there since Didier Courlou left to open his own place, but the standard of the kitchen is very high so I'd hope they've kept up the quality food.

Forgot one thing. If your beach destination in Thailand isn't set yet, considering flying from BKK to Krabi, then heading down to Koh Lanta and staying at the Layana Resort and Spa--http://www.layanaresort.com. Because it's a little futher south (2 hours from Krabi), there are a lot fewer people there. The beaches are gorgeous and the island is not yet overrun with high end condos and resort development. The Layana is an extremely nice resort (they have beach front bungalows and ones slightly set back with an open second floor for lounging and watching the sunset)and have a speed boat they can send for your airport pickup (after a short ride to the dock!).

BK: Many thanks for all the info! Most of the trip is set but your tips are very welcome. I am not going to the beaches on this trip. I have not been to any Thai beaches since the mid-1980s when I spent some time in Koh Samui and Phuket and I am kind of afraid to see what those places are like today!

I loved the SavourAsia site and have printed out much of the information on Hanoi...

As for the malaria meds, my inclination was to skip them for LP since I got some conflicting information in searching on the net. My travel agent tells me not to bother with them for LP. The doctor is giving me Malarone and I suppose I will take it to be safe..

In LP I am at the Res. PhouVau. I know now, of course, that the it may be too cool to swim in their pool, so will have to deal with the distance from town which sounds like kind of a pain. And in Hanoi, I am at the Hilton Opera....the price was a lot better than the Metropole and when I arranged this, I thought the Sofitel was too far out...

Well, live and learn, right?! Please feel free to add any more tips that you think of..I leave in less than 3 weeks!!

And as for Vientiane..I did decide to skip it and only learned recently that some friends of mine will be renting there for the winter...they also are fans of Ko Lanta. One of these days I will need to check out both of those places..

Eks, travel agents are notorious for telling people they don't need anti-malarials. I wonder if they think people won't go if they are told that anti-malarials would be wise. In any case, I'd trust the cdc and who websites and my own travel med doc rather than a travel agent!