Notes on Hoi An

We were picked up from the airport by the driver from the Hotel  – US$18

We are booked into the Essence Hotel and Spa.  We were offered cold towels and drinks on our arrival while we were being checked-in.  Spacious rooms which included a separate living area to the bedroom and a large bathroom with a large bath and sink, plus an additional shower recess all finished in black stone(B409).  We are overlooking the pool and the rice fields.  A complimentary bottle of wine and fruit platter (which was replenished daily) plus purified water. 

Drinks and food are served by the pool.  They also provide complimentary herbal iced tea.  You have the free use of bikes and there is a bus that takes you into the township throughout the day.  A cab ride back to the resort is VND20,000 which is about $2.

RESTAURANTS:

We dined at Morning Glory, Mango Mango, Cargo and twice at the Hai Café (Red Bridge), which I would recommend.   If going to Morning Glory in the summer make sure you make a booking so that you can be seated upstairs in the air-conditioning.  Check out the Hoi An Roastery – great coffee.  Food is extremely cheap!

CLOTHES

We ordered clothes from The Bi clothing shop, which is where they drop you off from the bus.  Two suits and a couple of dresses were ready within 24 hours but some slight alterations meant we picked them up a day or two later.  The suits, including two pairs of pants and silk lining were approx. US$200 each.  All dresses seem to be around US$50.  Shirts around US$35.   Go prepared with exactly the style of clothes you want made.  They do have catalogues with a range of modern fashions available. 

Yaly Couture comes highly recommended by the locals. I have ordered another dress, US$72.   They have a much wider range of fabrics so would recommend them.

I purchased a citrine ring for US$95.  I have no idea if the stone is good or not but it is very pretty and not a fortune.

Billabong shorts for A$9, and Polo collared T-shirts for US$12 in the market.  We did not negotiate for these.  A Longchamps bag for A$20 and a serving platter – down from US$50 to US$15!  There are quite a few copy bags, mainly Michael Kors, Burberry etc plus a large range of leather bags and shoes.  I purchased a beautiful hand made baby quilt for US$100 from Mekong quilts who are a non-profit organization.

The markets are amazing, with local traders selling everything from clothes, fish, poultry, fruit and vegetables, any number of trinkets, jewellery, crockery.  It’s a cacophony of noises and smells

Glasses!  Did not realize you can buy glasses here for a fraction of the price!  I recently bought Bulgari glasses ($525 at the local optometrist, I purchased them for $335 on line, then paid $300 for the lenses!)  Have just ordered two pairs of glasses – Tom Ford and Chanel – and Gordy bought two pairs of titanium glasses, all with lenses for US$485!  Our eyes were tested and they are going to be ready to be picked up tonight at 7.30pm! (Ordered at 12.00pm!)  Gordy also bought RayBan sunnies for US$45!    This place just keeps getting better J

TOURS

I booked a bike ride L which was 10kms taking us out of the city, then through the paddy fields before boarding a motor boat which takes us to an island where a bar-b-q is cooked for us before we then motor back to Hoi An watching one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen on the way.  We even got to ride a water buffalo! US$50 per person.   A good tour but not being confident on a bike I was a little nervous.

I arranged a private tour to My Son, a religious area of the Champa Kingdom, where many temples are built so huge historical and religious significance.  Unfortunately the Americans destroyed a majority of the beautiful buildings in just one week during the war.  It is a UNESCO Heritage site in line with Angkor Wat and similar sites.  US$39 per person.

Our final tour was a cooking tour.  Picked up from the hotel there were ten people on this tour.  We were dropped at the markets where we shopped for the produce we would use during the cooking class.  We then boarded a motorboat for a 45 minute trip down the river to then board a row boat for the short trip to the cooking school.   We were taught four dishes, which of course we ate, before being taxied back to our hotels.   US$50 per person.

The first tour I booked through Urban Traveller while the other two I booked through the hotel.  I would recommend all as they all offer a unique experience.

Obviously there are many other tours you can book through the hotel and other tour offices.  The Essence also offers a cooking class for US$30 per person.

On our last full day we did the historical landmarks in Hoi An, including the Japanese Bridge, The Assembly Hall and an old Vietnamese house.

While staying at the Essence take your laundry across the road to the lovely lady opposite the hotel.  Leave it in the morning and it will be washed and have it ready for you by the afternoon and extremely cheap! 

Vietnam has approximately 90 million people and 38 million bikes!  60 thousand people in Hoi An, one million in Da Nang, seven million in Hanoi and ten million in Ho Chi Min City where we are heading next!