Long Dao

We were not impressed with this hotel especially since we paid more for it and thought it was going to be the best hotel of our stays in Vietnam. Our room was sparsely decorated, looked like a college dormitory room. The bed was comfortable but our bathroom often smelled like urine. This may have been a drain issue. Housekeeping did refresh our room daily. The hotel grounds were lovely with some very nice restaurants. The Breakfast Buffet was excellent. The pool and beach were nice. Lounging by the pool in the breezy afternoon did feel like we were on vacation. Going back to our room dampened this feeling. The gym was nice, though small. All of the equipment I used: elliptical, bike, and rowing machine worked well. I got my best mini workout here. The spa with the croaking frogs was nice to visit in the evening - spa was closed but you could sit and listen to the frogs. My husband got a massage, during open hours, which he enjoyed.

I was very pleased with Little Oasis in Hoi An though it is a 20 to 25 minute walk to the Old Town area. The location was convenient for the tours we took. There are restaurants near by. The hotel has a lovely restaurant too. The 5th floor pool was large enough for a bit of exercise and towels were abundant. You can easily get filtered water for your room. They also welcomed us with some delicious and lovely food gifts upon arrival. Our room was very comfortable with a serene view of the garden and water buffaloes. The Breakfast Buffet offered many varieties of food for different breakfast tastes. There were bikes to use and a shuttle service into Old Town. I really missed this hotel when we moved on to Da Nang. It became a lovely temporary home. The gym was a let down. It looks impressive but most of the aerobic equipment did not work and the weight machines all worked the same muscle groups. The gym needs an elliptical machine, one that works.

Decent hotel. The Breakfast Buffet was very good. The gym is tiny but did have an elliptical machine which made me happy. It's in a very walkable area of Ho Chi Minh City. The staff was outstanding.

It was nice to take a rest from early morning starts but our last stay at Naman Retreat in Da Nang was a bit underwhelming. The room was disappointing as mentioned earlier (I kind of ragged on it). I've got to give the grounds, hotel restaurants, pool, gym, beach, and staff high praise. These parts of our stay were nice but the room was a downer. It was a real mismatch with the Retreat grounds and amenities. Our Local Specialist could not get us into two of the hotels he was arranging so we ended up paying more for Naman Retreat. Our son who by chance was in Da Nang staying at Koi Resort said his room was a lot nicer and he did not pay much due to his budget. I considered moving to a new hotel but doubted we could get our money back. We spent time at Han Market and Lotte Market. I was disappointed with Han Market after being at the Hoi An market. It was difficult to walk around due to crowds though I understand it is the market locals use. Lotte Super Market was more modern and you could buy some groceries there.

I really liked Marble Mountain - challenging climb and beautiful scenery. The cave with the open ceiling was a photo op. We got a later start than planned due to a stop at a marble carving store (which was really fun) so the heat of the day was forceful. Our Guide Vinh Bui was as wonderful as ever. He has so much knowledge to share regarding these mountains. We really enjoyed the two stops or so to catch an amazing breeze in the shade. We did not see any monkeys on Monkey Mountain but we saw Lady Buddha, impressive. It was a quicker trip but still nice.

We had issues with this tour. It was extremely chaotic and crowded. Our guide was young and inexperienced. We did not do some of the stuff mentioned in the tour description that we received from our Local Specialist. The snorkeling was short and the beach wait to go home was long. The lunch on the beach was tasty. The morning glory was delicious and I loved the sweet potato soup. We felt let down with the tour. There were so many snorkelers and scuba divers in a small area that it felt congested. The coral was nice and if we had been there with less people, it would have been more enjoyable. The coral looked healthy.

We really enjoyed the Teh Dar Show to our surprise. I thought it might be like Circus Soleil but it was so much better. It had a touch of the Lion King on Broadway along with indigenous people and drums. The acrobatics were impressive. It was done so well and lasted about an hour. I'd go see it again. The REU Restaurant was not my favorite restaurant but the food was good. They made sure to include non-meat foods for me.

I truly enjoyed this Organic Farm Tour! I attended alone since my husband was having knee problems after riding the small Vietnamese bikes the day before. He is 6 feet tall with long legs. Meeting the local farmer, having tea and sweet potato at the start, and continuing on with some conversation through my Guide, Mr. Linh, was a pleasure. I was able to garden: plow, fertilize with dried water buffalo dung, plant, and water the beautiful green plants. I think it was lettuce. I also got to sample many types of basil, mint and other herbs. It was peaceful, tranquil and educational. I would love to volunteer there if I lived in Hoi An. The bike ride to the restaurant was nice though my brakes were a bit wonky. The restaurant where I cooked my own rice pancake with mushroom was Excellent. The chef and his helpers prepared a lovely and delicious meal for me which I shared with Mr. Linh since my husband did not attend. It was one of my favorite meals in Vietnam. The basket boat ride was an adventure. The older woman who captained the boat was friendly and a very hard worker. Fun, fun, fun!!!

This was very touristy but fun. The lantern release is pretty but it was crowded. I did fall in love with Hoi An. We had an exceptional Guide who spoke very, very good English. I cringe at these words since I do not speak any 2nd language and have the nerve to compliment a foreigner's English. I'm grateful he could communicate so well. We got a lot more out of the tours with his extensive knowledge and kind, caring, thoughtful manner. Many, many Thanks to Vinh Bui. I would highly recommend him as a Guide for a stay in the Hoi An and Da Nang areas. He is from Ho Chi Minh/Saigon so he may be equipped to provide tours in other areas of Vietnam.

MeKong Delta was fun and educational. The boat ride with the coconut water (best coconut I've ever drank) and our custom bamboo straws were so enjoyable. The stop at the coconut candy making factory on the water was really fun. We got to see a glimpse of the entire candy making process. We bought some candy and had a sip of snake wine. The owners served us tea and fruit with a custom seasoned dipping salt that gave the fruit so much flavor. We sat in a lovely shaded area, just us two and our guide. It was a Great Tour! We took bikes to the restaurant which was a bit precarious due to not having good bike brakes on my bike. The bikes were a bit small for my tall husband so he could not ride for long. The restaurant food was delicious - loved the Elephant Ear Fish! We also received custom bamboo chop sticks - a nice touch! We briefly stopped at a mat making place as we waited for our bicycles. We saw a bit of how it is done but there was no way we could pack one of those mats for travel back to the USA. We also had stopped at the bamboo shirt, towel, etc factory on the way to the boat ride. We got a demonstration of how bamboo was superior to cotton and saw many of their products. At the end we had to snake through the aisles of products to exit. We sensed they wanted us to buy something but we found the push for that unappealing, plus there really wasn't much I would have wanted, especially with our limited packing space.

The food tour was okay. I'm not an adventurous eater so I knew going into it that I probably was not going to enjoy it much but my husband eats almost anything so he enjoyed it. The adventure was in traveling around the busy streets with food vendors. I do not eat meat but do eat seafood but I could not eat seafood when I saw the live creatures in the aquariums of the food vendors. I ate vegetarian that night at a noodle place where I believe our guide ate. He was vegetarian. It was tasty with a wonderful vegetarian broth and yummy tofu. I was very pleased. Our guide took us to a special Coffee Cafe where I had my first Egg Coffee, hot - amazing! It was like a decadent mocha dessert with layers of flavor. My first Egg Coffee but not my last.

We enjoyed seeing the war museum and other official buildings in Ho Chi Minh City. The visit to the lacquered art studio was educational and fun. We almost bought a piece but shipping to the USA could not be easily done. We were unable to carry the piece due to all the other luggage we had with us. Andy, our guide was informative, friendly, and fun. We had an excellent driver with a kindness in his heart. He navigated the streets with ease.

This was an excellent experience - so discrete and quick. The man helping us was extremely professional and moved us along the process at lightening speed with no snags.