ar1981

I am going to be in Siem Reap for 4 days and Hanoi/Halong Bay for 5 days in October.

1. I would like to explore the temples in Siem Reap by car and driver but figure by bike could also be fun. Any recommendations on knowledgeable drivers? how about companies that have tours by bike?

2. Recommendations for nice hotels in Hanoi in the old quarter for under $100USD? Any driver/tour company you recommend?

3. Would like to take a 1N/2D cruise to Halong Bay - recommendations on a reputable company, there are so many ones out there, can't seem to figure out if there is a difference in the sights you see and quality of boats.

4. Are there any non-stop flights between Siem Reap and Hanoi besides Vietnam Air? A one-way flight is $260 online. Is there a cheaper way of getting a ticket (locally) or a different flight?

Thanks for the help.

gailmo

1. If you want to really "see" the temples, forget the bike and use a car and driver. I also recommend getting a guide. These three things (car, driver, guide) will insure that you make the best of your time in SR. It will be hot and probably dusty. Riding a bike would be somewhat of a challenge...unless you want to focus on biking and not the temples. It is a HUGE area....

We used Dara, Ponherny's brother for the entire six days we were in SR. He is great and we loved how he was able to shuttle us from place to place based upon our preferences and energy.

2. Sorry...can't help you here--I lived in Hanoi for 5 months last fall, but stayed on a university campus.

3. Wait until you arrive to book something. There will be hundreds of people/tour agencies willing to help you. By waiting, you will get a good price and you can watch the weather to make sure it isn't raining.

4. I looked carefully for flights and ended up just "biting the bullet" and paying the high rate that Vietnam Air wanted. I felt that the non-stop flight was worth the extra cost (and it was!). You can opt to go through Bangkok or other places and change planes, but it will add several hours to your flight time. When we did this trip last fall, our flight to Hanoi was in the late afternoon-basically giving us an extra day in SR. We arrived in Hanoi in the early evening...so it was perfect timing for us.

Kathie

I agree you'll want a car and driver - not a bike - for Angkor. Some people do bike the small circuit, but it is very hot and unless you are acclimated to the temperatures you'd be miserable. Whether to have a guide is a personal decision. We chose not to as we'd done lots of reading before our trip and took Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor with us. I consider it to be the best guide to the temples. If you don't know much about the temples, I expect you'd benefit from a guide for at least one day. If you only want a driver there are hundreds of knowledgeable drivers. Remember they are drivers, not guides, and will not enter the temples with you. But they will know about the usual tour bus routes so you can avoid them and can drop you at one entrance and pick you up at another. If you only want a driver, wait until you get to Siem Reap. You hotel can recommend one for you. If you want a particular guide, you may want to book ahead.

In Hanoi, decide if you want to be in the old quarter or not. There are advantages and disadvantages. Note Kristina's report, in progress, where they stayed at the Elegance in the old Quarter. There are many similar places.

Do you really want a tour in Hanoi? Several Fodorites have used Hanoi Kids for a private tour. Read about them in Kristina's report or in Craig's report. Hanoi is a city where there is no need for a car and driver. Taxis are readily available and cheap. Your hotel can tell you which ones to take or not.

The various boats on Halong Bay all see the same things, the difference is in the quality of the accommodation and food. You'll pay much less if you want to book until you are there.

rhkkmk

a bike sounds like a wonderful idea, but the heat is unbearable and it would not work for most people....escape to the cool a/c car after touring sites is what keeps you going...for SR...

also the area is large and a bike would not work except for the very close temples..

we also prefer to have a guide who can lead you quickly to the main sites within the sites and the best entrances and exits, plus the best photo sites... it also allows you 100% of your energy to be focused on the sites rather than reading a guidebook or similar

Kristina

We stayed at the Hanoi Elegance 4 and it was just fine. $95 a night for a Junior Suite. They have 4 "boutique" hotels in the old quarter. I liked the location of #4 the best. Numbers 1 and 2 are right in the center of the backpacker area. Not sure about the location of #3.

For a Vietnamese travel agency, I can recommend Tonkin travel. They were great to work with and can book just about anything you need there, including flights.

I can also second the recommendation for either Ponheary or Dara Ly as guides in Siem Reap. And yes, get a car and driver (they will provide this). It's WAY too hot to do it any other way.

offwego

If you hire Ponheary or Dara, pay the extra $10 one day and take the van (rather than the car), then rent bikes from them ($2 a day-proceeds benefit the bike program at www.theplf.org) and they will load them up, take you out there and set you free to cruise around if you like (of course then you won't have the benefit of a guide with you during the cycling part)

Riding around the temples on bikes is just outstanding. Roads are flat and shady, temples are close to one another if you stay on the small cicuit. There's plenty of places to stop and have a cold drink in between. The part that's tough is the trip there and back, so letting them haul bikes is the way around that.

I used to advise against bike riding at the temples, but after living here a while I find it to be very enjoyable. Of course, I'm acclimated and in no big hurry. If you are very heat intolerant or not very fit, you may not dig it too much. And in the afternoon it might be wet in October. Of course, if you have a van waiting around to come rescue you, I guess that takes care of that.

When in October?

Tickets to Vietnam are cheaper when buying them locally, but not significantly. I wouldn't risk it in the high season but in October should be fine.

I took the Emeraude at Halong and it was lovely.
http://www.emeraude-cruises.com/

ar1981

Thanks for the replies/advice - its very helpful. I am going to be in Siem Reap for 4 days in the first week of October. What is the weather like then? If it is very hot, then biking for one of the days doesn't sound ideal, but thought it would be different and enjoyable way of seeing the temples.

What I am confused about is how to see the temples and wich ones to see (while we have 4 days in Siem Reap, would like to use 2.5-3 days to see the temples).

Which "temple circuit" would we do by bike versus by car?

If we only got a guide for one of the days, which temples would you see with the driver+guide versus seeing on your own with a driver?

Do the guides recommended above have websites/emails so I can contact them?

Thanks.

rhkkmk

there are a series of temples that are the closest to SR...banyon, elephant terrace and the main temple angkor wat....there may be a few more too but these are the major ones..

i think lori has hit the nail on the head...."aclimated to the climate..."---most of us are not and its a killer....i found SR to be more warm and more humid than bangkok, plus you are climbing around temples with unsure footing, etc....

btw, you want good walking shoes...no sandals, open toes, etc...

surfice it to say its hot as hell and you really need the car with a/c or van....fit or not...

ourside the general area there are another series of temples, some very worth while, plus the lake which many people visit....i suggest you buy a guidebook immediately and study about the temples and their locations....don't wait until you get there.....but if you have a guide they will largely have selected the major things for you to see...

we felt after our trip that the car and the guide were the two best things we spent our money on during that trip...

Kathie

Start by doing some research about the temples. I'd highly recommend Dawn Rooney's book, Angkor (get the most recent edition, 2006, I believe). This will help you decide which temples to see.

You are also welcome to view our Angkor photos at www.marlandc.com We were there for a week (6 days at the temples and saw 26 of the dozens of accessible temples.

In October, the temperature will be in the upper 80s and it will be very humid. There is a fair amount of rain in October, so you'll want to consider that as well if you decide to use a bicycle.

Jen

Agreed about the bike-- way too hot, and some of the stuff you might want to see is too far out. I took tuk tuks everywhere... you get the open-air experience, but get some relief from the sun... and a nice breeze to cool you off! It is dusty though... if you wear contacts, I'd bring glasses with.

The Lonely Planet Cambodia guide has a few suggested itineraries for seeing the temples, which helped me get started with my planning.

offwego

My two cents about itinerary planning:

If you're planning on hiring a guide (which I recommend highly) then email a couple of them and let them plan the itinerary for you. No matter how much you study, you'll never know the temples like they do, when to go to which temple to get the best light, to maximize your time, to avoid the crowds.

If this is your first trip, you'll want to do the grand circuit and possibly Bantey Srei. If you're staying 5 days or longer, you'll want to branch out to Roulus group, Bang Melea, Kbal Spean, Koh Ker, etc etc.

I'm not advocating a 4 day bike tour, I'm just saying that a cool morning (yes there is such a thing) ride around the temples is a great way to spend a couple of hours. Do your touring of the temples with your guide, but then just ride around the complex on your bike. I've been taking guests of all ages and fitness levels from the guesthouse out there the last couple of months and they have all loved it. My opinion about how do-able it is is definitely shifting.

You can always decide about that when you get here.

First week of October will be the tail end of rainy season. Cool early mornings, heating up in the mid-day, blessed relief of rain in the late afternoon and again at night. I think it's one of the most beautiful times of year, everything lush and the sky more dramatic, better for photography than the cool (dusty/dry) season when everybody else shows up. The rain will not impede you one bit, especially if you push your activities to early in the day.

MichaelBKK

Lori, I really must make sure I make it there in October this year. That is, if I'm not in Delhi & Jaipur.

offwego

Michael yes you must. Don't come October 7-14 when I'm in Bali!

Smeagol

Hey Lori, you still planning on visiting Vietnam in November?