Vietnam/Cambodia Trip Help
Nov 4th, 2015, 07:16 PM
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Vietnam/Cambodia Trip Help
Four of us are planning the below trip for March and would appreciate advice on our plan. We have not booked anything yet, just doing the planning and getting advice. Cooking classes and hiking interests us. Do you believe we have a good amount of time in each place etc. Two active couples in our sixties. I copied and pasted an excel sheet hope it is readable. THX
DAY
0 LAX - Hanoi EVA
1 Transfer to Hotel HANOI Hanoi Royal Palace 2 Hotel
2 Red River Delta Day Tour
3 (Free Day)
4 - 5 HA LONG BAY Ha Long Bay - Junk
6 Hanoi to Sapa Overnight: Orient Express (2 person berth) 7 SAPA Sapa Elite
8 Outlaying Day Tour - Sapa Sisters
9 Outlaying Day Tour Sapa - Hanoi Overnight: Orient Express (2 person berth)
10 HANOI Hanoi Royal Palace 2 Hotel
11 Hanoi to Da Nang (air) Fly Vietnam HOI AN An Huy Hotel
12 Food tour by night 13 Cooking School Green Bamboo Cooking School
14 Da Nang to Saigon Fly Vietnam Saigon - Elios Hotel
15 (Free Day)
16 Outlaying Day Tour
17 Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap Silk D' Angkor Boutique
18 Angkor Wat on our own
19 A Day in the Life Mango Journeys
20 Siem Reap to Phnom Phen - Silver River Hotel
21 Killing Fields
22 (Free Day)
23 Phnom Penh to Saigon Saigon - Elios Hotel
24 Saigon to LAX
DAY
0 LAX - Hanoi EVA
1 Transfer to Hotel HANOI Hanoi Royal Palace 2 Hotel
2 Red River Delta Day Tour
3 (Free Day)
4 - 5 HA LONG BAY Ha Long Bay - Junk
6 Hanoi to Sapa Overnight: Orient Express (2 person berth) 7 SAPA Sapa Elite
8 Outlaying Day Tour - Sapa Sisters
9 Outlaying Day Tour Sapa - Hanoi Overnight: Orient Express (2 person berth)
10 HANOI Hanoi Royal Palace 2 Hotel
11 Hanoi to Da Nang (air) Fly Vietnam HOI AN An Huy Hotel
12 Food tour by night 13 Cooking School Green Bamboo Cooking School
14 Da Nang to Saigon Fly Vietnam Saigon - Elios Hotel
15 (Free Day)
16 Outlaying Day Tour
17 Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap Silk D' Angkor Boutique
18 Angkor Wat on our own
19 A Day in the Life Mango Journeys
20 Siem Reap to Phnom Phen - Silver River Hotel
21 Killing Fields
22 (Free Day)
23 Phnom Penh to Saigon Saigon - Elios Hotel
24 Saigon to LAX
Nov 4th, 2015, 08:00 PM
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Looks like a pretty good spread of your time. A few comments:
Not sure I would bother with a red river delta tour as there is more than enough to keep,you occupied in Hanoi.
We just did a two night cruise of Halong Bay. The second day/ night was entirely repetitive and a waste of time. Of course that may have just been the operator we used. One night would be enough.
Most trains to Sapa leave in the late evening so you could get your cruise operator to drop you at the station if the timings work and save yourself the hassle of checking in and out for one night which always seems to waste my lot of time
Years since I have been to Sapa but I have heard good reports of Sapa sisters. However, do insist that they the you away from the over trodden tourist routes otherwise you may find yourself in a long line of hikers all going through the smae villages. If you can, try and fit in a homestay.
Many would say you need to spend longer in Angkor but we found it VERY overcrowded when we took my in laws there this March. I would gladly have missed it out. That said, they really enjoyed it and it was our third time there.
Not sure I would bother with a red river delta tour as there is more than enough to keep,you occupied in Hanoi.
We just did a two night cruise of Halong Bay. The second day/ night was entirely repetitive and a waste of time. Of course that may have just been the operator we used. One night would be enough.
Most trains to Sapa leave in the late evening so you could get your cruise operator to drop you at the station if the timings work and save yourself the hassle of checking in and out for one night which always seems to waste my lot of time
Years since I have been to Sapa but I have heard good reports of Sapa sisters. However, do insist that they the you away from the over trodden tourist routes otherwise you may find yourself in a long line of hikers all going through the smae villages. If you can, try and fit in a homestay.
Many would say you need to spend longer in Angkor but we found it VERY overcrowded when we took my in laws there this March. I would gladly have missed it out. That said, they really enjoyed it and it was our third time there.
Nov 4th, 2015, 11:17 PM
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Day 11 + 12 in Hoi An. If you want to look at an alternative hotel, then the Travel Lodge is central and 'as new'. It only opened in July. Crellston also stayed there, and recommended it to me.
Day 21 Killing Fields [KF]. Hire a Tuk Tuk for the day. Visit, in this order...
- Killing Fields. It's out of town, and takes about 40 minutes to reach. Part of the road there might be dusty, so take a mask. Included in the ticket price is an Audio Guide, which will guide you round all the various points (19 I think). As soon as you put the headphones on you'll be totally immersed. Despite what the KF represent it's very tastefully presented. Allow at least 2 hours...
- S21 Genocide Museum. S21 is back in town, and will take about 30 minutes in the Tuk Tuk. Unlike the KF, S21 is raw! I think there's a [not very cheerful!] film show twice a day, so check the S21 website.
- Lunch.
- Russian Market. Very close to S21.
- Back to hotel. Pay off the Tuk Tuk driver (about US$20 including small tip). Freshen-up
- Happy Hour (1700-1900) at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Sisowath Quay...
http://fcccambodia.com/fcc-hotel-phnom-penh/
You can walk there from the Silver River Hotel. Get there a little early, and grab seats on the balcony overlooking the river and the traffic chaos on the Quay below. There's plenty of restaurants along the Sisowath Quay for dinner.
A day out you won't forget!
Day 21 Killing Fields [KF]. Hire a Tuk Tuk for the day. Visit, in this order...
- Killing Fields. It's out of town, and takes about 40 minutes to reach. Part of the road there might be dusty, so take a mask. Included in the ticket price is an Audio Guide, which will guide you round all the various points (19 I think). As soon as you put the headphones on you'll be totally immersed. Despite what the KF represent it's very tastefully presented. Allow at least 2 hours...
- S21 Genocide Museum. S21 is back in town, and will take about 30 minutes in the Tuk Tuk. Unlike the KF, S21 is raw! I think there's a [not very cheerful!] film show twice a day, so check the S21 website.
- Lunch.
- Russian Market. Very close to S21.
- Back to hotel. Pay off the Tuk Tuk driver (about US$20 including small tip). Freshen-up
- Happy Hour (1700-1900) at the Foreign Correspondents Club on Sisowath Quay...
http://fcccambodia.com/fcc-hotel-phnom-penh/
You can walk there from the Silver River Hotel. Get there a little early, and grab seats on the balcony overlooking the river and the traffic chaos on the Quay below. There's plenty of restaurants along the Sisowath Quay for dinner.
A day out you won't forget!
