modeb

Hi,
Request suggestions on spending 6 nights in and around Hanoi for our family with 2 kids. We will be staying in Hanoi and also have decided to stay at Halong Bay as everyone is recommending it. But unable to decide about whether to also visit Sapa via overnight train trip or rather do a day-trip to Mai Chau? So have thought of 2 possible itineraries and want suggestions on whether it is too rush-rush and we should drop Sapa etc?
OPTION1:
> Day1 - overnight at Hanoi
Day2 - Overnight Cat Ba Island (Sunrise resort -anyone would recommend this?)
Day3 – back to Hanoi and take overnight train to Sapa at 9:50pm
Day4- – Arrive at 6:30am and Stay in Sapa (Victoria Resort -anyone would recommend this?)
Day5 – take night train to Hanoi at 8:45 pm arriving Hanoi on Sat morn at 5:45 am
Day 6 – Stay in Hanoi
OR
OPTION 2:
> Day1 - overnight at Hanoi
Day2 - travel to HalongBay n Overnight Cat Ba Island (Sunrise resort -anyone would recommend this?)
Day 3 - STay at CatBa island
Day4 – back to Hanoi and overnight stay at Hanoi
Day5- – Daytrip to Mai Chau
Day 6 – Stay in Hanoi

Any other suggestions on hotels, things of interest for kids etc also appreciated. My kids are 10 and 12 yrs old.
Thanks!

rhkkmk

usually the benefit of halong bay is to stay on a boat...

KimJapan

My 13 yo is more interested in hiking around the Sapa area than in staying on a boat. She also dislikes frequent hotel changes, preferring to settle into a place and get to know other guests and staff.

modeb

Thanks KimJapan and rhkkmk for your inputs! Kim, wanted to ask about the Sapa experience - was the train journey comfortable for your family? We were planning to take the overnight Victoria Express train and since we would be spending 2 nights on trains, want to make sure that everyone gets good night's rest. Else it becomes difficult to enjoy a holiday where out of 3 days for Sapa, 2 nights you wouldnt have slept properly!

KimJapan

We haven't been as yet, but in research that's what she said she wanted. Were we to go, we would certainly stay 2 nights at least between overnight train journeys - for us and our style, actually, we'd probably stay a week or more in Sapa and the surrounding villages. We would not enjoy the amount of long distance travel described in either of your itineraries, bit that's us. We like to settle in and get to know people and places. It's not unusual for us to spend 10 or mire days in one place. But everyone has their own style. If this is your first trip to Asia you may not realize that you need more time to travel between places and to see places that you might in Europe or the US. Things just go slower.

crellston

Modeb -We did the Hanoi - Sapa train journey 4 years ago travelling in the Victoria carriage and staying at the Victoria. The cabins are reasonably comfortable but the rolling stock is old. As a result it is quite a rough ride and we got very little sleep.

Sapa is ok for a day or two but no more. the real attraction is, as KimJapan says, to get out into the surrounding villages where staying with local hamilies is a great option (but don't expect luxury accommodation). The Sunday market in Sapa is now a bit of a human zoo with tourists agressively taking photos and the minority tribe people agressively asking for money. Much quieter in the weeek and less hassle.

Victoria was teh "best place in town" but I was not particularly impressed (although the log fire was very welcome!). Topas Ecolodge is supposed to be nice and they do some good tours of the area. We used them to drive the Bien Bien Phu loop from Sapa to Hanoi.

As rhkkmk says the main point of Halong is to stay on a boat. Picturesque it certainly is but it would not be high on my list with just 6 days to play with.

You do appera to be rushing around a lot and I wonder how much time you will get to actually see the places you are visiting. You don't appear to have very much time in Hanoi which is a real shame because there is so much to see and experience. My favorite place in Northern Vietnam is Mai Chau which is only about 5 hours from Hanoi and well worth a night or two. A bit further afield is Ba Be lakes, again very picturesque (but very quiet) - the kids might enjoy exploring the lakes and caves by boat.
Some photos of bothe places are on our blog:

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/3/tpod.html

and

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/1/tpod.html - entries 13 &14 cover Hanoi and Ba Be

Southam

You are suggesting a huge amount of travelling around in a short vacation. Your youngsters will be couped up in moving conveyances for longer than they are likely to enjoy. I know I would be exhausted, and I'm a senior who has spent his life looking out the window as the scenery passes by.
If you sat down longer in Hanoi, you might have time for a half-day at a cooking school. These programs are cheap compared to those in more developed nations. Your offspring would get a hands-on lesson in both the food and the culture of this fascinating country.