I have always wanted to go back to Vietnam for a holiday. I specially liked the food when I was in Ho Chi Minh which was my first travel abroad.
This time I ventured farther north, in Central Vietnam specifically in the cities of Hue and Hoi An. I had an red eye flight again with Cebu Pacific from Puerto Princesa with a connection in Manila. The flight arrived midnight in Than Son Nhat. I looked for a bench where I could sleep and found one in the arrival hall but my sleep was interrupted by a guard to shoo us as the building will be closed. So it's just less than two hours of sleep for me.
I walked my way towards the Domestic Terminal. There were many people there waiting but it's also closed. Apparently, my flight is one of the earliest so I had to wait for around an hour more.
My flight is with VietJet, a budget airline. Check in was fast and the flight was uneventful, except that it took us a few circles around the airport to give way to earlier aircrafts, I suppose.
When I arrived, I immediately saw the driver of the car rental I contacted in advance. He's connected with Hue Car Rental which I think is a one man company. I didn't ask. I told him that I want to see some Hue tombs first and the citadel before we go to Hoi An, and we did just that. It was a hot and humid day, just too hot and too humid for me but we were able to finish the itinerary.
I specially liked the stop in Hai Van Pass. From that point, Danang could be seen in the horizon and when we were there, a photo shoot with newly weds was ongoing so I had a chance to ogle at them young couples. I refused coffee. It was all downhill and freewheeling from this point until we reached Danang, and later Hoi An.
I was dropped at the hotel by the car rental guy. The receptionists welcomed me but there was a problem with my booking. Later on I found from their marketing officer that I should have emailed them again, to "reconfirm" my reservation. It was like they did not treat seriously my email! Anyway, I was given cold towel and welcome drinks and after a few minutes I was escorted to my room.
The room is nice! Well, I'm comparing it to similar-starred accommodations in the Philippines. It's clean but not very clean, but I think it's just the effect of having unpainted rough cement for some of the walls.
Oh the buffet breakfast! Even if the options are limited, it's fine with me. The essentials are there and they also change the menu everyday I was there. I specially liked the yogurt which I learned they make at the hotel. It was so nice that I usually pick two!
The cons: It's near the old town of Hoi An, the Japanese bridge is only a short walk away but the problem is that when I asked, I was pointed at the wrong, circuitous way! It must be due to the limited English of the staff I asked. Another negative is when I was there, it was summer vacation for the Vietnamese, and the families that stayed there are a little noisy at the pool.
When I stayed, it was just the third month of operation of the hotel. The manager is a Filipino guy who is a former cruise director in Hanoi and comes from Rizal.
I specially liked the stop in Hai Van Pass. From that point, Danang could be seen in the horizon and when we were there, a photo shoot with newly weds was ongoing so I had a chance to ogle at them young couples. I refused coffee. It was all downhill and freewheeling from this point until we reached Danang, and later Hoi An.
I was dropped at the hotel by the car rental guy. The receptionists welcomed me but there was a problem with my booking. Later on I found from their marketing officer that I should have emailed them again, to "reconfirm" my reservation. It was like they did not treat seriously my email! Anyway, I was given cold towel and welcome drinks and after a few minutes I was escorted to my room.
The room is nice! Well, I'm comparing it to similar-starred accommodations in the Philippines. It's clean but not very clean, but I think it's just the effect of having unpainted rough cement for some of the walls.
Oh the buffet breakfast! Even if the options are limited, it's fine with me. The essentials are there and they also change the menu everyday I was there. I specially liked the yogurt which I learned they make at the hotel. It was so nice that I usually pick two!
The cons: It's near the old town of Hoi An, the Japanese bridge is only a short walk away but the problem is that when I asked, I was pointed at the wrong, circuitous way! It must be due to the limited English of the staff I asked. Another negative is when I was there, it was summer vacation for the Vietnamese, and the families that stayed there are a little noisy at the pool.
When I stayed, it was just the third month of operation of the hotel. The manager is a Filipino guy who is a former cruise director in Hanoi and comes from Rizal.
