Days of The Dragon

Here is the first post about my travel experience to VN…more to follow.

In Vietnam, I stayed at the following hotels:

Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City
The Rex - The night of May 12th. The Rex is ok in my book, nothing great. It badly needs to be renovated and updated. It’s not bad, it’s clean, the staff are wonderful, the internet is free…it’s just the building itself is looking a little ragged and needs a serious facelift. The rooms are kind of small, and the locks on them could be broken by most 5 year olds (use the in-room safe!!!). The breakfast buffet was very nice, and one of the ladies at the front counter translated some instructions into English for me…which was very nice of her. Until it’s remodeled I’d avoid the Rex if possible.

Danang
The Sandy Beach Resort - Night of May 13th though the night of the 16th. This is a very nice place to stay. Wonderful staff, beautiful surroundings (the beach and the surrounding view are awesome), good food, free transportation to Danang and Ha Noi for shopping, free internet. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone, it will not disappoint.

Saigon
The Duxton - Night of May 17th through the night of the 20th. Very nice hotel, a high-rise and very western in style. Wonderful staff, nice rooms, expensive internet, nice breakfast buffet and afternoon “tea” in the lounge. They also have a small casino, though I didn’t go in. Great room service meals, they put nice little boxes of chocolate on your pillow each evening. I would definitely recommend the Duxton to others. It’s a 10-15 minute walk to the Saigon Zoo, just under 10 minutes to the Diamond Plaza (nice shopping and food court). There are several local markets close by as well. It’s about 2 blocks down from the Rex.

Hanoi
The Horison - Night of May 21 until we went home. Very nice hotel, western in style. Great pool, amazing food, good staff (especially housekeeping and the restaurant staff - except the bitchy guy who must be the restaurant manager). Rooms are a good size, big enough for a crib (or two) if you want one. Internet is $35 for 5 days, which is what I went with…it’s more expensive if you do it by the single day. The counter staff is nice, but could use some more English to help travelers out. You will definitely see other adoptive families there, as the hotel is popular with agencies. There is a school just about a half-block down the road, and it’s fun to watch the kids leave and buy ice cream or get picked up on moped by their parents. It’s close to the Temple of Literature and Ho Chi Minh’s tomb. Not very close to much else. There is a nice little grocery store right next to the Horison where you can buy drinks, baby food and supplies, etc…and in the evening a woman sells freshly cooked duck out front of it (her duck was very delicious!). Buy some pineapple from one of the women on a bike (ask for one that is NOT cut to avoid possible illness, and cut it using silverware at the hotel)…this pineapple is 1000 times better than any you will ever get in the USA. I would definitely recommend the Horison to others.

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