euromannn

$45 with tax.
SO OLD Quarter is best area to stay? Price seems ok, friend went to Lucky Hotel for $30 not sure location or quality.

travellingwineO

Definitely stay in the Old Quarter. There is plenty to see and do. Can walk most places and it is very safe.

ChiefNWA,

Thanks so much for the trip report. We visited Vietnam for the first time last spring and fell in love with it. I am itching to go back. We are headed to Taiwan for the first time over Christmas break (EVA had amazing J award availability- four seats nearly every day for weeks and weeks!) and are likely to add a side trip. My wife thinks Hanoi is too chaotic for the kids and they won't like it, so she is lobbying for Hong Kong (neither of us have ever been there either). I'm trying to make a case for going back to Hanoi for a few days....

euromannn

Travel,
I go to Taipei for 3 days in January, maybe you can be my scout and recommend a good area a hotel?

Hanoi - do you remember your hotel in Old Quarter and price?

Hong Kong - also very chaotic. Many places to see Stanley Market, Causeway bay, Macau, Nathan St Night Market, Kowloon Night Market and back alley chins places. I found HK chaotic without kids and the Night Life is great Lan Kwai Fong. Tsim She Tsui, Wan Chai. There is a small beach in HK for the kids and Star Ferry ride but not sure what else.

Vietnam - never been ---- seeking all ideas as I'll go Hanoi to HCMC. Then fly to Bali for 8 days. Jetstar seems very copay Bkk-HAN only $44.

travellingwineO

We stayed at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel. Old French colonial luxury. Pretty cool, but overpriced for what it was. Our trip was for my wife's 50th and we loved staying there but it was not worth the tariff. I don't plan on staying there whenever we return.

We had a food tour guide, who was a Hanoi native and had been in the hotel/hospitality business for years and he raved about the Essence Hotel. I haven't looked at rates, but I guarantee it is less expensive than the Metropole and it will be on my short list next time we go.

Thanks for the comments about Hong Kong. I'm enlisting my kids' help to lobby for Hanoi with my wife. We shall see if it works. If not, I'm sure we'll have a great time in Hong Kong.

I'm happy to be a hotel scout for Taipei, but I may not be the best source. We don't routinely stay at 5 star hotels, but on recent trips, we don't tend to go crazy looking for budget deals either.

euromannn

Well, what I like about your feedback since I am new to Vietnam was ideas about:
1. Food your - $22. Kind of mixed reviews of Trip Advisor but something to consider.
Did you enjoy your food tour?
2. Old Quarters - Know area to stay....Essence Hotel & Spa was $88/night which was 5 star rated. Essence Palace hotel is $46 also 5 star rated.
Any idea which one?
3. Old Quarter is hard for me to understand as I don't find that reference in hotel searches.

euromannn

Have experience one flight with Ryan Airin Europe 22KG weight, size restrictions. - trick?
Took my thick clothing like winter jacket, sweatshirt, etc and put them on before going thru security. Did they weigh at Gate or at security?

EwA seems to not have such good ratings for economy and small seat(another poster writes ) is supposedly uncomfortable.

travellingwineO

it is the Essence Hotel & Spa that was recommended. It is in the Old Quarter, as is the Essence Palace Hotel.

The food in Hanoi is amazing. We ate primarily Street food- absolutely top quality and very inexpensive. Our food tour was fantastic. Great food and a great way to glean information about how best to navigate the street food scene and the Old Quarter. We used Street Food Tours Hanoi for our tour. They are probably not the cheapest option (I believe we paid $85/person) but we felt it was worth it

The Old Quarter is the area of Hanoi that surrounds the Northern portion of Hoan Kiem Lake. It extends (roughly) to Hang Chieu to the north, Tran Quang Khai to the east, and to Phiung Hung to the west.

i hope that helps.

ChiefNWA

I've never had my carry on weighed on a revenue ticket. Ironically, as a nonrev I've had them weigh it a few times, especially in Asia. Not to charge me, just to make me check it.

hauteboy

Great report! Just planning our Vietnam/Laos trip over Xmas week.. Saigon? (already been there), Hoi An, Halong, Hanoi and Luang Prabang. Trying to figure out what hotels to book and what Halong cruise. How much was the hotel package?

ChiefNWA

IIRC, $225 per person which included two breakfasts and nights at the hotel, transportation to/from Ha Long Bay, the cruise and the short tour of the cave on the cruise. The quality difference between ships is huge so be careful booking. Originally we were going to cheap out and try to do it all on our own (since neither of us are usually ones to go on tours) but it was only marginally more for this plus we got the nicer boat.

sky303

Also one-way airport transportation. They gave us three cruise choices and those determined the package price. Oasis Bay was the mid-range one and was $225, the cheaper one was $200 and the more expensive one $247.

dhammer53

ChiefNWA, thanks for the report. We're headed to Hanoi and Halong Bay in the fall.

sky303 answered some of my questions. What's your opinion about US based chain hotels (they're so cheap) vs local hotels such as Hanoi Space. The room pictures and your report make it seem like a no-brainer.

We're arriving HAN late in the day. Do I need 3 days/2 nights, or 4 days/3 nights in the city? From what I've been reading, we plan on going out on Halong Bay for the 3 day/2 night trip (in additional to time spent in Hanoi).

I gather we shouldn't cheap out on the junk boat. Seems like money well spent.

Do you recall the Uber cost from the airport to the hotel?

My wife loved your pictures. ^

Dan

travellingwineO

I'd spend 4 days in Hanoi, Dan, but Hanoi is one of our favorite cities ever. The ability to eat 3 more meals there is enough reason to stay an extra day. I'm not much help on the hotel question, since we stayed at the Sofitel Metropole.

For our Halong Bay cruise, we used Indochina Junk. They are far from the cheapest, but they are one of a small number of companies that actually go out on Bai Tu Long bay, which is much less crowded. We booked our cruise on their 8 person boat (Princess?) and ended up with a crew of six and only us and one other couple. We were treated exceedingly well and the food was amazing. The whole cruise was great and worth the tariff.

We flew to Vietnam on CX F and back on SQ F thanks to advice I gleaned from a certain fellow FT/WB participant. This person helped ease my entry into the world of miles/points. I would refer to myself as this board member's student.....

offerendum

The last segment will be business. Sometimes they used 747 with F-section but without F-service. Also hard to book, I wasn´t able. Best bet is if they use 3 class 777 or 350.

dhammer53

You're here for 2 years and this is how we meet. I've read up on the Indochina Junk. It's a consideration.

Check out the link below for the BRT. Also, the Sunday after is the annual WineDo in NYC. You're invited travellingwineO.

dh