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Published: June 11th 2010
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Ancient town Hoi AnSo on the 4th, after our sleeper train from Nha Trang (which was disgusting) we arrived into Danang to meet our transfer ride to Hoi An (approx 40mins) and hit the ground running. We were dropped off at a cafe while Maureen searched the street for accommodation. The cafe was called Light Cafe and they served the best fried spring rolls so far and also delicious Mango shakes!The owner is called 'Mamma' and took a shine to Ella straight away. We went there a few times during our stay.
Maureen came back with two places within 30metres of us and both were excellent deals but one manager was similar to Basil Fawlty- rude and arrogant so he lost out. We ended up at the Long Life Hotel. This offered two beds, a spa (in the room), swimming pool and buffet breakfast all for $30US a night for all of us. We all really enjoyed our stay at this hotel. The staff are friendly and polite . We simply could not fault the place and if anyone is heading to Hanoi and you are on a budget but would like to have a treat as well, then this is definitely the place
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Long Life Hotel to stay. The breakfast included fruit juices, coffee, fresh fruit, cereals, toast, pastries and eggs in any way you want ( banana pancakes have to be tried-yum yum). There was even one day when Maureen came back from the tailors and went to reception to speak about something and thought she was looking down on one of the staff but it was actually Ella's head. She was getting her nails painted by the staff. I could go on and on about this place but seriously, we all loved this place and unfortunately any other hotel will really struggle to match it.
So... about Hoi An. This is a quiet town that has a river separating the town and the famous stretch called China beach just a short taxi drive or comfortable cycle ride away. This town is famous for its tailoring services and shopping,which Maureen had been fanging for. At night the town lights up with beautiful Lanterns adorning every cafe, restaurant and shop and it has a great vibe about it. We stayed here longer than most places and it was a great decision way back in Perth by Maureen. The first day, we started the tailor hunt
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Great Bathroom for clothes. Our first stop was at a place called 'Kimmy's', recommended to us by some girls we met in Nha Trang who had just come from Hoi An. I had some pants made and Maureen , a skirt. It was not the best experience but we did not give up and tried other places as well. Maureen came across a tailor called, Cloth Shop 23, just across the road from our hotel, who ended up being her preferred choice. I had two business shirts made up at a shop next store to our hotel as well so I did all right in the tailoring stakes and so did Maureen.
Prescription glasses are also very cheap so Maureen has a new pair at around $40!!!. But the real pleasant surprise for us was the food. We visited a few places (well we were here for 5 days) and none were unpleasant.One night we had an expensive dinner( by our standards) at a cafe called Morning Glory and it was superb. We came across an egg plant dish that rocked!There was also the claypot dishes we discovered as well. But we also came a across another restaurant called Thang Phu'o'ng
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The high life which was across the river. This was a cheap and cheerful cafe with pretty simple decor but the service and food was probably the best we have come across in Vietnam so far and.... beers were 25cents for a icy cold glass!!!! A clincher in my books and we came back on our last night. This is one of those places where the food speaks for itself and word of mouth gets around.
The kids had a swimming pool so they did not complain as much as normal nor were they at each other's throats so, we were all happy here.
One afternoon, just before sunset, we booked 2 cyclos for an hour to take us for a cycle ride around the town. You sit in the front in a sort of buggy while the driver sits on a seat behind you and cycles around and points out locations which you try to decipher. We saw parts of Hoi An that we would have probably missed if not for the cyclo ride and absolutely loved it. Tane and I in one and the girls in the other. The drivers were funny and we have some great pictures that will
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Fruit smoothies at the market bring back wonderful memories of this town.
Our last day was spent at Cua Dai beach. This is the southern most stretch of China Beach and we had an awesome day 'chillin' and swimming. The kids learnt to catch waves and had a ball while we swam and relaxed on the beach chairs. A nice way to end our stay and like I said, some wonderful memories that will stay with us.
Next is our quick train ride to Hue for 2 days. see ya soon
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alicia
non-member comment
love it
Hi Guys, still loving the blog. Great stories, love maureen telling off taxi driver and then getting attacked in pool by kids. So many great adventures. Take Care. xxxx