Hoi An Holidays

Full on travel experience. All travel arrangements and pick ups were organised superbly
The hotels were all of a good standard and the beds high quality aiding great sleep
Cambodia was beyond expectations as was our guide Buvnath. The Angor complex and the Ta Prohn temples ( Tomb Raider film) was breathtaking despite the high humidity and the rest of the itinerary was very interesting. A luxury coach transferred the 16 of us to Pnom Penn.
Next was a cruise down the Mekong river which was a welcome respite after a few days touring
The boat was lovely as were the staff and the evening entertainment was authentic.
Wendy Wu greeted us for the cruise and it was fun to hear how she had built her tour business
3 groups amalgamated on this cruise and I felt the trips out were a bit busy with all of us descendingon each location.
After 3 days on the Mekong River it was a transfer to Saigon.
This day was less successful as a packed and somewhat repetetive days activities and a late lunch meant we arrived in our hotel with little time to shower and freshen up for dinner which I decided to miss.
After that day the tour picked up again and our new guide Hoi kept the group engaged and the travel arrangements from then on were faultless including 2 internal flights from Ho Chi Min to Da Nang for the beautiful Hoi An and then onto Hanoi.
Hoi made sure each hotel had all our details in advance and arranged luggage collection /porterage so no lengthy lobby waits to get to our rooms.
The evening show in Hoi An was a spectacular display of acrobatics traditional music and dance and I am glad this was included
The seaplane flight over Halong bay was like something out of a James Bond movie and the cruise on the Junk was very pleasant
Why only 4 stars
I felt some of the food /set meals provided were bland , and unimaginative for the price point .The veg was always excellent but one restaurant gave us pork complete with hairy skin!! which nobody ate much of! The last nights meal was very average and a disappointment.
Overall a great experience which I would recommend
The food does need improved for the evening meals

Hotels in Hanoi and Hoi An below expectation.
Hotel in Saigon was good!
Victoria Mekong vessel, food and service excellent!
Siem Reap hotel Good!
Guides were good.

Service rating : Very well organised tour. Pace and variety of experiences excellent. Very professional and knowledgeable tour guides (both national and local). Every day went really smoothly - transport ready and waiting , seats at tables reserved, tables reserved at different local restaurants serving excellent food, bottled water in an ice bucket on the coach. The attention to small detail excellent.
Product : Our first experience of a tour and the small group promised helped to make this trip special. Highlights for us were the four days up in the mountains walking, meeting and eating with local villagers was an outstanding experience. We also particulate enjoyed the cycle rides and the Vespa ride. Another highlight was the cycle trip in Hoi An to the market gardens. The day of activities in the Mekong Delta was also superb.

Service rating : Spoke initially with Stephen Jordan, who was very efficient and helpful. Upon deciding to book, again spoke with Stephen who was able to deal with our request for a Hong Kong add-on.
Product : The Vietnam at a Glance Tour was superb and everything went so smoothly. Lots of early mornings but when you travel that far you do need to make the most of your time. Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi were typical city hotels, but very good and near the centre, enabling us to walk around in our free time.Those in Hoi An and Hue were a little more spacious, with pools and still in good locations. A special mention must be made of our guide for the tour, Robin (Dzung Duc Ngo), who was outstanding. Also very fortunate to have a good group of fellow travellers, and it was sad to say goodbye at the end!

Service rating : Excellent itinerary and a very good national guide plus experienced drivers.
Product : A lot to see of interest but, a little longer would have been nice at some venues e.g. Hoi An