Vietnam, Ho Chi Mihn - Grand Silverland Hotel and SPA / Cu Chi tunnels / War Remnants Museum

Rich and I visited Vietnam in February 2015 and stayed on the following locations: 

• Ho Chi Mihn - Grand Silverland Hotel and SPA
• Phu Quoc Island - Salinda Resort 
• Nah Trang

Ho Chi Mihn - Grand Silverland Hotel and SPA
The hotel had a great location with waling distance to restaurants, to the central markets and to the Vietnam museum and only 30 minutes away from airport in a tax

We particularly liked the roof top terrace and enjoyed the happy hour two for one cocktails. 

When we arrived to the hotel the first night it was double booked but the team took good care of us and drove us to a hotel nearby where we were upgraded to a suite and got a complimentary foot massage. It also meant that we got to try two nearby separate locations. 

 

Rating
I would give the Overall Experience (4 of 5). 

Links 

• Link to hotel website: http://www.silverlandhotels.com/grand-silverland-hotel-spa.html
• Link to tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293925-d1178145-Reviews-Silverland_Central_Hotel_and_Spa-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.htmlhttps://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293925-d1178145-Reviews-Silverland_Central_Hotel_and_Spa-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

War Remnants Museum
A must when visiting Ho Chi Mihn. I was reluctant to go but was persuaded and now so happy that I did as it was very interesting and very much exceeded my expectations. 

     

Rating
I would give the Overall Experience (5 of 5). 

Links 

• Link to website: http://www.cuchitunnelstours.com/
• Link to tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g293925-d311103-Reviews-War_Remnants_Museum-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

Cu Chi Tunnels 

I would very highly recommend the Ci Chi Tunnels whilst visiting Ho Chi Mihn. We booked a half day tour through the hotel. The story was interesting and the outlay of the area. Although the guides are great at telling the story and the history, I would recommend the trip to the was remnants museum before so that you have the whole story behind it refreshed in your mind before you go there.

We also booked the speedboat tour after which was nice as we got to see the canal and didn't need to spend as much time on the bus. 

     

Rating
I would give the Overall Experience (5 of 5). 

Links 

• Link to website: http://warremnantsmuseum.com/ 
• Link to tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g293925-d2005826-Reviews-Cu_Chi_Tunnels-Ho_Chi_Minh_City.html

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam - Salinda Resort

Salinda Resort 

The resort was newly built when we visited and the experience was amazing from the pick up at the airport to check out. We visited some other hotels nearby in the evenings for dinners and we were so happy that we chose this one. The other hotels were nice also but this one was definitely the nicest, most exclusive with pure luxury throughout. 

The room was extremely comfortable and had great views. 















The gym was great too. 

We liked the location as we like to venture out for drinks and dinner, and the resort was also very nice and relaxing and we spent most of the days around the pool or on the beach. 

We also enjoyed the massages (both of us) and manicures (me) on the beach. 

 

Valentines Day at Salinda Resort, Phu Quoc
The restaurants were great with delicious food and a very nice breakfast buffet with the prosecco making it even more special! We spent valentines day here and the resort made it very romantic and special. 

Rating
I would give the Overall Experience (5 of 5). 

Links 

• Link to hotel website: https://salindaresort.com/
• Link to tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g469418-d6406839-Reviews-Salinda_Resort_Phu_Quoc_Island-Phu_Quoc_Island_Kien_Giang_Province.html

To do in Phu Quoc 

We rented a motorbike one day to tour the island which was great too. We made it around most of the island and saw the Phi Quoc waterfall, Sao Beach and the pepper farms. 

Nah Trang, Vietnam

Sherathon Nah Trang Hotel & SPA
This hotel was really nice and we paid extra to receive club access which was definitely worth it. I loved the roof top swimming pool and the gym was lovely too. The room was big and spacious and the location was excellent, just on the beach and walking distance to restaurants, bars and markets. 

Rating
I would give the Overall Experience (5 of 5). 

Links 

• Link to hotel website: http://www.sheratonnhatrang.com/
• Link to tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293928-d1534400-Reviews-Sheraton_Nha_Trang_Hotel_and_Spa-Nha_Trang_Khanh_Hoa_Province.html

Vine Pearl Amusement Park

Accessible by a Guinness record 3,320- meter long sea -crossing cable car system. We enjoyed the waterpark and the aquarium.

     

Rating
I would give the Overall Experience (4 of 5). 

Links 

• Link to website: http://vinpearl.com/en-US/Vinpearl-Resort-NhaTrang/VAP-550/2012/Vinpearl-Amusement-Park-572
• Link to tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g293928-d1451754-Reviews-Vinpearl_Land_Amusement_Park-Nha_Trang_Khanh_Hoa_Province.html

Hong Kong

We went to Hong Kong in February 2015 and combined it with our trip to Vietnam. We flew with British Airways to Hong Kong, stayed one night, before flying to Vietnam. After Vietnam we flew back to Hong Kong and spent another three nights before flying back to London. 

After reading this, we stayed 1 night at at Kowloon which is very central and walking distance to restaurants, bars and shopping. A tip is to stay close to a MTR station so that you can easily access other areas (we stayed close to Tsim Sha Tsui which was great).

There is so much to do in Hong Kong. We went during Chinese New Year which was amazing and I will post a separate post about that.

The Peak Look Out

Before we arrived in Hong Kong we had been recommended to try the Peak Look Out so we had booked it in advance. It is located at a high hill with great views over the Hong Kong sky line. There are a shopping center next to it so we went there first for some shopping and inside were many other restaurants with great views which I would have been happy to try also. By combining it with some shopping in the afternoon we got to sea the view in daylight (although not the best weather when we were there) and also at night with everything lit up. The shopping center is not huge so we got there around 4.30pm with dinner booked for 6.30pm. 

The food at the Peak Look Out was great and the service as well. The restaurant is in a beatiful setting with both indoor and outdoor seating with panoramic views. The menu offered a wide variety of choices and especially a great selection of seafood. I had really nice sushi and Rich went for a Tandoori chicken dish which was lovely also.

Link to website: http://www.peaklookout.com.hk/

Link to trip advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g294217-d788642-Reviews-The_Peak_Lookout-Hong_Kong.html

Afternoon tea at the Peninsula 

A trip to the Peninsula for afternoon tea is a must. The Peninsula is a hotel so you can of course stay there but it is very expensive. The afternoon tea is open to non-residents but hotel guests do not have to queue . And the queue is loooong. We arrived early but still had to queue for 2 hours.

The service is impeccable and the tables are laid beautifully. First you order tea which is strained before serving and then the three-tier tray arrives with a selection of beautiful cakes and macaroons, finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves. We did not managed to eat it all but the staff was only too happy to wrap it in a lovely box to take away.

It is a great way to spend an afternoon. We spent the morning shopping after a big breakfast at the hotel, then arrived at the Peninsula around 1pm and took turn queuing whilst the other had a look around the shops in the hotel. After the afternoon tea we took the lift to the top to have a sneak peak into the roof top bar Felix and used the toilets which have glass windows and the best view over Hong Kong. 

Link to website: http://hongkong.peninsula.com/en/default

Link to trip advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g294217-d878088-r86604230-The_Lobby_at_the_Peninsula_Hong_Kong-Hong_Kong.html

 

M&C Duck 

Whilst whipping we visited M&C Duck at Level 3 of the Harbour City shopping center and had the best duck I have ever eaten. There was a small wait to get in but so worth it and I would highly recommend having a casual dinner there after an afternoon of shopping in Hong Kong.

Link to website:http://www.maximschinese.com.hk/eng/restaurant/outlet_facts.aspx?sId=80

Link to trip advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g294217-d5952764-Reviews-M_C_Duck-Hong_Kong.html

Avenue of the Stars  

Worth a visit (currently closed).

Link to website: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/us/see-do/highlight-attractions/top-10/avenue-of-stars.jsp

Link to trip advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g294217-d1642695-Reviews-Avenue_of_the_Stars-Hong_Kong.html

Shopping 

You are spoiled for choice when it comes to shopping in Hong Kong. Hong Kong offers a range of products, from international luxury goods to local souvenirs.  Most goods from all over the world, except for wine and cigarettes, are tax free, and the prices are relatively low. You will enjoy the best service as the shopping assistants are always well-trained and put customers first.

We enjoyed the IFC mall, the Harbour City mall and also just walking around all the streets and looking into the many pharmacies with traditional Chinese medicine.  We also enjoyed some of the markets especially the temple street night market in Kowloon.