Trip Review - Asia & the South Pacific
Asia
Saigon, Vietnam
We had a wonderful trip and we are glad to be home.
Vietnam is a beautiful country. It is a tropical paradise I am glad we went to visit.
We found the 3 star hotels more than adequate. Many that we went to were very new. The staff were so helpful when we asked about restaurants, transportation, and tours. The receptionist at our first hotel in Saigon gave us tour information and then booked a one day city tour of Saigon and a 3 day tour of the Mekong Delta. She also booked our beach resort at Mui Ne on the east coast (once I gave her the name of a hotel that I obtained from her free internet service). Many of the people on these tours are young people from all over the world but we did fit in okay. We enjoyed the chance to talk to our guides and other people on the tours.
We travelled by bus, planes, and taxis. The trains did not quite fit into our arrangements. We moved from Mui Ne to Nha Trang by bus and then flew to Danang. The hotel staff made all arrangements for us. From the Danang airport we took a taxi to Hoi An for 3 nights and then a bus to Hue for another 3 nights. Our last trip was a flight from Hue to Saigon. Air and bus fares were very cheap. We had a half day tour of the My Son Holy lands in Hoi An and a full day city tour in Hue.
The most difficult part of the vacation was the getting there and coming home. The many hours in airplanes and at the airports were very tiring. Then when we arrived there and at home, the jet lag takes a few days to get the body sleeping at the right times again.
I would not recommend the United Airlines flight to Vietnam through Chicago to anyone. We spent 7 hours in the Chicago airport going to Vietnam and about 6 hours on our way home. In both cases it was supposed to be 2 to 3 hours. Also the United Airlines 747 planes are very tight. Service was okay but the audio visual was fair to poor. With the new American airport security policies I wished we had flown from Vancouver. Oh well, live and learn. Next time I will probably pay the extra for the air fare and stop half way. We will return to Asia some year but first we want to go to Europe, South America, and Africa.
January 2010
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Chinapac 14 day Yangtze Cruise Tour
The small group was great, the food was also amazing and plentiful! Breakfast was really the only time we had the option of going for a more westernized meal; for lunch and dinners, it was all Chinese style.
The hotels were good, not great. Expected a little more from a 4 or 5 star resorts. The a/c on the cruise boat down the Yangtze had some major malfunctions so that was an issue. The weather was always 35 above, so regardless the A/C may not have even helped!!
Tour guide was great and even the CEO met us for dinner on the last night, and told us a bit about the company, where they travel to etc. That completely gained our interest to look into the next tour… and possibly look into the next trip w/ Chinapac to Egypt!!
June 2009
Thailand
Just a note to say that all went very well on our trip to Thailand. Everything worked beautifully. All transfers and hotels were just great . We thank you for your service and that of Silk Holidays.
Singapore Airlines are great. Thanks again We will use your services again when we travel.
February 2008
South Pacific
Ramada Benoa in Bali with Silk Holidays
We had a good trip in Bali. Acquiring an entry visa was indeed, quick and easy. Took lots of pictures, as usual. Our hotel was great - loved the pool and the surrounding Balinese styled gardens - lots of greenery, shrubs, trees, flowers and attractive fish ponds. I so appreciated the grass roofed gazebos that offered full, all day coverage (for the sun-shy like me) - plenty of room to spread out with towels & personal items. Continental breakfast was good. The 90 min. body massage was a very nice experience - first time for us. Our beach provided us with pleasant, early morning walks - no swimming - disappointing, due to the abundance of small and large boats anchored close to shoreline. The tavel tours were interesting, would liked to of spent more time at some of the sights and less in others. Countryside was beautiful. Weather fabulous, sunny and hot but the humidity level was very high at 100% - ok for short durations, otherwise, uncomfortable. A couple days following our arrival, a lady from our tour group, fainted. She and her husband travelled by taxi to Denpassar. Following tests, IV and an overnight stay at the hospital, she was treated & released for heat exhaustion. Her medical bill - $800.
Our plane was late arriving at the Tokyo aiprort from Vancouver - we and others in our group, ran to make the connecting flight to Bali. Otherwise, flights were good and the service on JAL excellent. Our hotel day room in Tokyo was well anticipated and appreciated, full accomodations. The hotel restaurant was expensive.
Enjoyed our time in Bali, lovely island, good experience, but probably would not make a return visit due to the distance and time involved. We do have wonderful photos and if we get a chance, will drop by for a showing.
November 2009
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French Polynesia (Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea and Taha with Goway)
We had a fabulous time. It is as beautiful as a postcard, the colors of the water almost don’t seem real. Everything was extremely organized we were greeted and transferred to the airports/hotels with no confusion. The only thing we might have changed was to spend one more night in Moorea rather then a night in Tahiti. The islands are so much nicer then Tahiti. It was great that breakfast and dinner were included in the first resort, as well as breakfast in Bora Bora. The food and drinks were pricey at the resorts, but you could definitely venture off the resorts for a more reasonable priced dinner (drinks were pricey everywhere). The only place we had to eat at the resort was Taha (private island). The people were all really friendly and the resorts were all beautiful, plus we had perfect weather.
The excursions were all reasonably priced. We ended up going whale watching (amazing how close we were to them), snorkeling with the stingrays and sharks, as well as tours around the island.
October 2009
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Bali
Bali was GREAT! We had a terrific vacation, and once again we were very happy that we chose a Canada One Vacation package. Everything went like clockwork and everything that was promised was as good or much better that we expected.
Here are a few comments I pass along in the interest of your future clients. Surprisingly, Bali is not an ideal beach holiday, as the beaches are not really developed for tourist "lounging" and one does not see tourists/swimmers in the water with the exception of some surfing on Kuta Beach. In fact, the beach areas are not all that clean. That being said, the fact that the beaches are not great is more than made up for by the amazing beauty of the island and the exeptional warmth and hospitality of the local people.
There are many tours to be taken to some spectacular vistas on the island, great shopping, good prices and terrific restaurants. It is an incredibly interesting and very exotic culture. We never felt unsafe there, and I was not concerned at all about venturing out on my own for shopping, walking, etc.. We were reluctant to leave this little island paradise - always a sign that it's been a great vacation.
April 2009
