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Published: March 10th 2015
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Sunrise Resort
The reception area It's
Saturday morning and I have a flight to Danang at midday, and I'm moving slowly. I still haven't booked any accommodation for next week, in fact nothing is set in stone after
tomorrow night. I need to spend some time on Trip Advisor and get myself sorted.
But, in the meantime I have two nights of luxury to look forward to. I am heading to The Sunrise Resort at Cua Dai beach, outside Hoi An. This resort is way outside my trip budget, this luxurious couple of days is a birthday gift from my daughter Petra. I've stayed in budget and mid range accommodation over the past couple of months, dragging my suitcase up and down stairs, hard beds, dodgy wifi, and I was looking forward to chilling out in the lap of luxury.
The taxi to the airport in HCMC only took 20 minutes and cost $8.50. Once in Danang, I shared a cab to Hoi An with the couple I sat with on the flight, my half costing $16.50. There is no airport in Hoi An, Danang is the closest and about 37klm away.
Sunrise Resort was quite magnificent! My room overlooked the pool area with ocean
Sunrise Resort
The 'wet edge' pool near the beach views. I could hear the waves crashing on the sand. I had everything you could possibly need for an enjoyable stay - a soft bed that could easily sleep four, feather pillows, a wicker lounge on the enclosed balcony, which was separated from the bedroom with sheer and blackout curtains. Sliding doors opened wide just inside the balcony railing allowing sea breezes to enter the room. The bathroom, which was separated from the bedroom by a glass wall, was complete with a granite bench where you could sit and enjoy the hot water pouring down from a hand held shower just above you. There was also a rain shower. For those who prefer to shower in private, there was a blind that could be pulled down over the glass.
After settling in I booked myself onto the free shuttle into Hoi An Old Town, leaving
at 4.00pm. In April 2014, a $6 entry fee was introduced to get into the Old Town. I saw several manned booths playing recorded messages, reminding tourists to purchase their tickets but it wasn't being enforced. I didn't buy one and had no problems.
Little has changed in Hoi An Old Town except the
A shop front in Hoi An
I have these chairs in a different photot taken at the same shop in 2013. restaurants and shops have extended further down the riverside. I looked for the art shop where I bought original works in 2013 but it was gone and the ice cream shop now sells pizza. Progress!
I enjoyed wandering around, camera in hand, then headed to Seedlings for dinner. This is the same restaurant where I had my first meal in 2013, but no roast duck on the menu now. Maybe this could become a tradition, which would mean another visit in time to come...
There are more lanterns hanging in the streets than I remember, and more boats in the river. They all create a fabulous ambience and endless photo opportunities.
I returned to the resort on the
8.30pm shuttle and fell into that wonderful soft bed. Next day (Sunday) I decided to spend at the resort and enjoy the facilities there. There are two swimming pools to cool off in, the main pool and a smaller 'wet edge' pool set closer to the beach. I enjoyed dinner and a couple of drinks in one of the restaurants later that evening.
Unfortunately access to the main beach isn't available directly from the resort. There is obviously
a problem with erosion as enormous sandbags lie half buried in the sand along the beach front. There is a tiny beach to the right of the resort about 50 metres long. Plenty of space to throw down a towel but I wouldn't swim there. The beach is unmanned and if you got into difficulties, you're on your own. A huge concrete retaining wall continued along the beach with a concrete roadway behind it, all the way to the next resort further down.
My weekend ended all too soon. I'm up early
on Monday morning, and with a breakfast box at hand, I'm ready to catch the shuttle bus back to Danang airport
at 6.15am. Next stop - Luang Prabang in Laos.
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Ivan Mendis
non-member comment
Luxurious hotel
Going for an vacation that too in one of the luxurious hotel was really amazing. Thanks for sharing this post. http://bit.ly/1BQHBeE