It was an emotional good bye to our new friends at the Paradise Boutique Hotel in Hanoi this morning. During our week here they’ve become like family. The care and attention they’ve all provided has left us feeling very special and fortunate to have found this little gem in the heart of the city. Last night Linda (reception) gave us all a hug good bye as she knew she would not see us this morning. This morning even the front manager was out on the street taking photos of us in front of the hotel. Yen (reception) was so sweet that he even got the name of our hotel in Hue and flight number so he could make arrangements with them to have a large car and driver waiting for us at the airport! And sure enough....as we walked through the arrival gates there he was with my name on his card. We are truly so fortunate to meet so many wonderful people along the path our adventure is taking us. :-)
The drive to the airport took us past the 4 km long mosaic wall for one last time (it really is something to see) and the traffic coming out of the city this morning wasn’t too bad at all so we made good time. Only about 40 minutes and we were there. We also got to go across that memorable Nhat Tan Bridge....the one that was all lit up the night we arrived here from Luang Prabang. It is beautiful both by day or night! We silently waved our final farewell to the hustle and bustle of this rapidly growing city as we passed by scenes that just a few days ago had seemed so foreign but that today looked almost familiar. We passed by the flower market that on the night we arrived was jam packed with buyers preparing for the special event that turned out to be Women’s Day in all of Vietnam. Today the flower market had only a few vendors and there was no traffic jam for us to contend with.
We flew Vietjet and once in the airport boarding gate (it seemed to take forever to get through security) we had time for an iced coffee. Gotta tell a funny story on myself here.....I thought I had lots of time before they called our gate....well I did have 20 minutes. But, they called it early (must be a common Southeast Asia thing to do!) and I was in the washroom when I heard the call. Not to worry though, I knew I’d left my bag with the others and that they would bring it for me so I walked straight from the washroom to the line up for boarding. Sure enough, my bag was there. It was after we were through the gate and on the bus headed toward our plane that it dawned on me that I’d neglected to pay for my iced coffee! OH NO! I felt so bad till I learned that Darlene had covered for me. Whew! I breathed a sigh of relief through my embarrassment as I felt confident I wasn’t going to have the police waiting for me at the other end of this flight! I have no desire to check out any cells while in Vietnam!!!
The flight to Hue was great. Only about 45 -50 minutes and the cost was not much more than the minutes it took to get us here! I think the plane tix were $15.47 plus taxes and then we had to pay an additional baggage fee of about $15/person (as our cases are more than 7 kg). Yep, in country travel of all type is very affordable here in Vietnam!
Our first look at Hue was impressive. It seems cleaner and more organized somehow. It is the royal city after all so I guess there is some responsibility to keep things nice and tidy. :-). When we drove up to our Alba Spa Hotel all four of us heaved a common sigh. The grand entrance and massive spa photo looked awfully good even though we’d only been in transit for 1/2 day. Once inside the lobby we were further impressed and then our rooms turned out to be huge and really really comfortable. As well, the fact that we’re staying here enables us to make use of the natural spring mineral spa jacuzzi (hot and cold) between 4-7 pm each day. Interestingly, and perhaps on the downside....they definitely don’t speak as much English here. In fact, when Lynda called the front desk to see if we could change into swim suits in the spa vs coming through the lobby in robes....she was met with total confusion and in the end just gave up. A few minutes later though our phone rang and someone with English was on the other end to answer her questions so if that is any indication, the service is going to be great here too. :-)
Before we did much of anything else we decided to check out that jacuzzi spa and are we ever glad we did! It is perfect. Nothing massive but the perfect temperature and very zen and loads of minerals (based on the aroma) and well....it just feels like it must be good for whatever ails you. We spent at least an hour in there before we were ready to head back to the rooms to shower and clean up a little.
Tonight we set out in search of some dinner and a little action as there are a couple of main tourist streets here that get shut to traffic on the weekend and since today is Friday...we’re in luck! We found a great little place right on a busy corner and were able to sit outside to people watch while we enjoyed a great dinner. Afterward it was a little more wandering and shopping (for Gail) and iced coffee with cheesecake for the rest of us. :-)
We’re really liking Hue and the slow pace that seems to be the norm here. It feels so much more laid back and touristy....perhaps because there are so many tourists here. LOL! Tomorrow we will figure out what we’d like to see and do but for tonight these nice soft beds are calling to all 4 of us so till next time.....
Darlorlyngai
No comments:
Post a Comment