offerendum

After we left the zoo we visited the Museum of Vietnamese History. Entrance fee was 15000 Dong (70 cent). It has many artefacts from prehistoric times to 1945. Especially we liked the section with the cham-artefacts. This section is relative new and well done. The other parts are not as modern but also interesting. I would recommend the museum for a visit. At the end you can also visit a Vietnamese water puppetry for an etra price (I think 50000 Dong). It was an interesting experience but nothing I need every day.

Some impressions:

FLYGVA

Great report - and I am sorry to hear about you worse experiences with CX. My experiences with CX are so far quite good, but I will fly them in AUgust longhaul and medium haul in Sout East Asia and most likely report.


From my fond memories of an overland trip im Cambodia back in 2001 and 2004 driving overland outside of the big cities could be very eventful and adventurous (my friends in Cmabodia used to have a Mercedes G Class and it was well worth the money to bring it along to Phnom Penh).

Looing forward for the next parts to come.

Flyingfox

it's the typical Cathay Pacific F food - it has not been good in years. About 10. And the fairly-recent "enhancement" of their caviar service is sad. They did all of this much better in the 1990s. The only thing better now is the seat width.

There was nothing quite like CX in F on the 747 with the older (blue) seats. The good old days are gone.

The bear pics are just sad. Talk about a concrete jungle. At least they aren't stuck in those horrific cages for 20 years like they are in China to obtain their bile.

offerendum

Thanks! Next part will be Independence Palace followed by Hong Kong

Bears in Zoos are mostly sad, but as you said it could have been worse

offerendum

Our last stop in Saigon was the Independence Palace or Reunification Palace. Itīs the old workplace of the president of South Vietnam. It was built in 1966 and remainded in itīs historic form in many parts. I woudnt call it really pretty, but itīs an interesting place.

Outside view:




war-relicts in the garden:


staircase and floors:



dining room:


congress room:


cabinet room:


audience room:




ambassadors room:



view from the famous balcony:


presidents office:


old war-room:


presidents flat:


presidents wife rooms:


conference room:


theatre:


library:


party room:


roof:



bunker:






kitchen:


presidential car:

offerendum

After visiting Saigon it was time to visit Hong Kong. Again Cathay should bring us to our destination.

At the airport check-in was fast and we headed to the Rose Lounge. The lounge was pretty good with noodles and a proper food selection. We were told, that our plane would be late (2 of 3 flights so far).


In advance I had seen, that they use an international 3-class 777-300 for the flight. I was excited to try the highly praised international J-product as I doubt I will really try it on a long haul.


Boarding was really slow and bad organized. That meant onother additional delay. At the plane we headed to our seats which were pretty good. Perfect for a not even 3 hour flight, not my cup of tea for a 12 hours flight. Entertainment was very limited, a documentation about Asprey was the best bet (!).


Food was surprisingly good even if it look not so good....


At HKG we had to wait for a free slot, so another delay! Really not impressed!!!

offerendum

I already did a report about our Hong Kong hotel at the Luxury Forum but itīs in the new format and very hard to read. So I did another one, hope itīs OK.

After a lot of sleepless nights I choosed the Four Seasons. I booked a Harbour View Suite via Virtuoso.

We arrived at 11 pm at HKG and had booked the FS-transfer. At the gate we were greeted by a guy from the HKG-service-company who picked us up with a buggy, brought us through immigratian and helped us with our luggage. All went very fast and smoothly. After custom a member of FS-staff took over and led us to our waiting car, a S-class, which we had booked. The car was in good condition and the ride was pleasant.

Outside view:


Lobby:


At the hotel a lady was already awaiting us and led us directly to our suite, where the check-in took place. We got an upgrade to a Grand Harbor view suite on the 42nd floor; Iīm still not quite sure if this category is really that „Grand“ compared to the more than 20sqm bigger Harbor view suite.

Floor:


Never the less the suite was well equipped, and had a nice view due to its corner location. Of course, thanks to the almost non-stop fog the view left something to be desired. To be honest I canīt understand the hype for Harbor view as it is nice but nothing I would pay money for. The suite was furnished in Asian-style, which we really liked.The condition of the room was perfect and all furniture seemed to be of high-quality.

Entrance:


Guest bathroom:


Living room:


Bedroom:



Bathroom:


Closet:


View from our suite:


The service at the hotel was great without exception; we coudnīt have wished for more. Always very attentive and friendly on every level.
The first morning we decided to try out breakfast at the Blue Bar, which serves a buffet. Quality and choices were OK, but the restaurant was a little bit unattractive without any view. Later we found out that the buffet at the club was not only equal, it was even better. Also the atmosphere was much nicer so I'd advise everyone to take breakfast at the club-lounge.
The club itself is another plus of the FS; it is simply the best lounge I've encountered so far. Yes, they have champagne (for people who can afford the room but not a bottle of it...), but this isn`t important to me. They offered a good teatime with many choices of high quality and a good light supper in the evening. They have a noodle station, which we unfortunally coudn`t try, as they only have a soup with chicken.
The pool was nice but the weather was a bit too cold to lounge on the sunchairs. The view is great, and with 4 pool options (cold swimming pool, warm swimming pool, warm sitting pool and hot tub) there's something for everyone. We had drinks at the pool, which were good but pricy (2 smoothies: 280 HKD). The pool-area reminded me more of a resort than a city-hotel.



My wife also had a SPA-treatment and was very satisfied.
On our second evening we had dinner at Lung King Heen, the 3-star Cantonese restaurant. First I had to learn that I was totally overdressed with my dark suit. The food was nice as it was something new for us. I canīt say if itīs really worth 3 stars as it can`t be compared to „usual“ 3-star restaurants, but all dishes were tasty. Service was good and the bill was surprisingly low with aprox 2700 HKD for 2 people.
On the third day we ate at Caprice and again I was overdressed. The room itself is very elegant. We had the Signature menu, except for the 2 meat courses that we exchanged for a veggie and a seafood course. The menu was highly priced with nearly 2000 HKD. The food was good but not outstanding. It may be 2 stars (perhaps 1 good star in other cities) but definitively not more. Cheese heaven was a nice selection of french cheese, but served without the usual additions. Considering the price of nearly 6000 HKD for 2 persons I woudn`t eat there again. If you eat frequently at high-end restaurants, itīs nothing special. I would try another Cantonese restaurant next time.
Our flight left HKG at 0:35am, so I asked for late check out in advance. Our agent had told us it woudn`t be possible and that the maximum would be 2 pm. He advised us to pay a half day rate to secure late check out until 6 pm, which would have been around 750 €. Of course I didn't want to burn my money like that. On our last morning we asked for a late check-out and it was no problem to keep the room until 6 pm, of course without extra charge.
After check-out we were taken to the airport in their S-class again. At the airport FS-staff escorted us to check in and said goodbye.
Overall I was really satisfied with the Four Seasons, itīs a great hotel. I would stay there again without hesitation, especially after seeing the Peninsula which was very touristy and which I'd actually considered before choosing the FS. It was a perfect stay without any problems, so I can recommend the Four Seasons.

FLYGVA

The FS in Hong Kong looks nice (while the outside does not look that appealing). Also great pictures of Saigon. May I ask, if you were in Saigon only for a short stop on your flight to HKG or did you spent a night there? I fso, where did you stay (did not find any hint, but maybe I overlooked it?)

offerendum

Ah, I forgot to post the link. I stayed one night at the Park Hyatt, you find the report here.

offerendum

Our hotel was located inside the IFC-complex, so the IFC-mall was one of the first things we saw. The mall is huge and reminded me on malls in Dubai. You could more or less find every luxury-label you can imagain. While we stayed during Chinese New Year period the whole mall was decorated with animal-figures. Over all an impressive mall!

gandiabob

I hope your travel insurance covered the taxi bill.

offerendum

No, but it was "only" 250,00 $ and I got back nearly 200 $ from Vietnam Airlines as my tarif was flexible. So from the financial side it wasnīt really a loss....

HadesNL

Thx for finishing the report, i liked it and appreciate the effort

farbster

Nice report. Sorry you had such difficulties.

offerendum

On our first day it was (like the other days) very cloudy. So no Peak :-). First we took the ferry to Kowloon and did the Avenue of the Stars. Very crowded and all smelled of fried squid (not too nice). The avenue itself is great for itīs view, itself itīs so so. Woudnīt call it glamorous….