Thursday 21 June
If Vietnam wasn't so far away from the UK, we would definitely consider returning to the idyllic Hoi An Beach Resort, for a future holiday. I don't remember whether I've ever stayed in a 4 star hotel before (probably not), but there's no denying that a little luxury now and then does you good. One part of us feels strangely guilty about enjoying the opportunity to wallow in this opulence, when a proportion of the poverty-stricken population of Vietnam are living on our doorstep. But it is lovely to live in a luxury environment for a few days, and to have a beautiful white sandy beach, lined with palm trees and with clear warm waters to swim in, just across the road from our hotel. It's nice to have padded beach loungers available on this private beach, and to be offered a clean towel when you arrive at the beach; and to put the wet towel in the beach laundry basket after our swim, to be washed by someone else.
There are a couple of families here but not many; it's mostly couples ( a lot around our age, but some younger) who've come seeking relaxation and a break from the busyness of everyday life (or, in our case, a break from travelling!) I'd be quite happy to return here knowing that warmth and sunshine are practically guaranteed, although storms are not unknown at this time of year.
We have a good breakfast, hoping this will keep us going until our evening meal (with perhaps a few crisps on the beach in the afternoon). Then it's our daily "clothing" trip into Hoi An, on the shuttle bus.
First stop is the dress fitting. The seamstress and Reg enjoy a bit of a repartee while I try on my dress. I thought she'd given up on trying to persuade Reg to buy a suit.
"It'll make you look beautiful," she tells Reg. "You can't have your wife in a new dress and you in an old suit."
"But I don't want to look beautiful, " quips Reg, grinning from ear to ear.
"Handsome! I mean handsome!" laughs the woman. She can see she's met her match in Reg, and that she isn't getting anywhere (Sorry, Kirsty, we tried).
My dress fits beautifully; we settle our bill and I tell the woman that I will recommend her on Trip Advisor. We then go to collect my trousers, which are also ready .. all in all we've had a successful morning. We head for the cafe we went to on Tuesday, on our first visit to Hoi An town, where we know we'll get a great cappuccino and a big mug of steaming hot black tea for Reg.
In the afternoon we enjoy a couple of hours on the beach and in the sea - Reg comes swimming yet again! In the sea I get talking to an Australian woman who's just arrived at the resort. There are a lot of Australians here; we are told that it's cheaper for Australians to come to Vietnam than for them to holiday in Australia.
The woman asks me if I can recommend a tailor in Hoi An. After our swim I pop back to our bungalow and get the business card of the tailors we used to make my dress - I also bring the dress to show her. She's impressed.
We really like our little cafe where we had coffee this morning and decide to try it for our evening meal. This means yet another trip into Hoi An on the shuttle bus but it turns out to be worth it. We enjoy a delicious meal in the upstairs restaurant overlooking the street.
There's a tailors shop opposite the restaurant; from our vantage point we have a clear view of the room above the tailors, where a young man is busy at a sewing machine, making someone's outfit for a fitting the next day.
If Vietnam wasn't so far away from the UK, we would definitely consider returning to the idyllic Hoi An Beach Resort, for a future holiday. I don't remember whether I've ever stayed in a 4 star hotel before (probably not), but there's no denying that a little luxury now and then does you good. One part of us feels strangely guilty about enjoying the opportunity to wallow in this opulence, when a proportion of the poverty-stricken population of Vietnam are living on our doorstep. But it is lovely to live in a luxury environment for a few days, and to have a beautiful white sandy beach, lined with palm trees and with clear warm waters to swim in, just across the road from our hotel. It's nice to have padded beach loungers available on this private beach, and to be offered a clean towel when you arrive at the beach; and to put the wet towel in the beach laundry basket after our swim, to be washed by someone else.
There are a couple of families here but not many; it's mostly couples ( a lot around our age, but some younger) who've come seeking relaxation and a break from the busyness of everyday life (or, in our case, a break from travelling!) I'd be quite happy to return here knowing that warmth and sunshine are practically guaranteed, although storms are not unknown at this time of year.
We have a good breakfast, hoping this will keep us going until our evening meal (with perhaps a few crisps on the beach in the afternoon). Then it's our daily "clothing" trip into Hoi An, on the shuttle bus.
First stop is the dress fitting. The seamstress and Reg enjoy a bit of a repartee while I try on my dress. I thought she'd given up on trying to persuade Reg to buy a suit.
"It'll make you look beautiful," she tells Reg. "You can't have your wife in a new dress and you in an old suit."
"But I don't want to look beautiful, " quips Reg, grinning from ear to ear.
"Handsome! I mean handsome!" laughs the woman. She can see she's met her match in Reg, and that she isn't getting anywhere (Sorry, Kirsty, we tried).
My dress fits beautifully; we settle our bill and I tell the woman that I will recommend her on Trip Advisor. We then go to collect my trousers, which are also ready .. all in all we've had a successful morning. We head for the cafe we went to on Tuesday, on our first visit to Hoi An town, where we know we'll get a great cappuccino and a big mug of steaming hot black tea for Reg.
In the afternoon we enjoy a couple of hours on the beach and in the sea - Reg comes swimming yet again! In the sea I get talking to an Australian woman who's just arrived at the resort. There are a lot of Australians here; we are told that it's cheaper for Australians to come to Vietnam than for them to holiday in Australia.
The woman asks me if I can recommend a tailor in Hoi An. After our swim I pop back to our bungalow and get the business card of the tailors we used to make my dress - I also bring the dress to show her. She's impressed.
We really like our little cafe where we had coffee this morning and decide to try it for our evening meal. This means yet another trip into Hoi An on the shuttle bus but it turns out to be worth it. We enjoy a delicious meal in the upstairs restaurant overlooking the street.
There's a tailors shop opposite the restaurant; from our vantage point we have a clear view of the room above the tailors, where a young man is busy at a sewing machine, making someone's outfit for a fitting the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment