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Stay at The Reverie in Saigon (Already One of The Greatest Hotels in World) - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - March 2016

29/3/2016

The stunning view from the bathroom of the Panorama Suite I was shown. The Hermès bath products are out of sight.

During my further two months travelling around the Far East, almost all of the hotel General Managers I met (eg Raffles, Belmond etc) have talked about The Reverie in Saigon, its outrageous décor and the mind-bloggling expense creating it.

I decided I must stay there on my last night in Saigon and ended up being so glad I did. A hotel like no other with friendly staff who are a dream.

This hotel only opened in September 2015 and I think it is already one of the greatest hotels in the world. It was the perfect, outrageous, place to end my latest Far East adventure.

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Q Bar - The Perfect Very Dry Grey Goose Martini in Hoi An, Vietnam - March 2016

27/3/2016

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Minh (the Manager) takes a break from chatting to me to make me another perfect very dry Grey Goose martini.

Q Bar in Saigon closed down but Q Bar in Hoi An is the place in town for incredible cocktails.

It is an opulent lounge bar for 30-somethings with coloured silk cushions, mood lightening & great music in an old merchant's house near the covered Japanese bridge in Ancient Hoi An.

If you want a perfect very dry Grey Goose martini, ask the Manager Minh to make it for you.

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Tour and Lunch at The Iconic Nam Hai Resort - Hoi An, Vietnam - March 2016

25/3/2016

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Issy & 'the gang' take a break by the private pool of one of the Three Bedroom Villas.

As soon as I learnt GHM Hotels manage a hotel in Hoi An, Vietnam I knew I had to visit The Nam Hai.

I have stayed at The Chedi in Muscat a few times and the fact I know their former General Manager, York Brandes, got me an invite to lunch.

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Dinner in Miss Ly Cafe 22 (fresh, healthy & historic Vietnamese food) - Hoi An, Vietnam - March 2016

23/3/2016

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I found the premises had no nonsense 'old world charm'.

The same Australian friend who raved about her stays at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi said I must eat at Miss Ly's (22 Nguyen Hue Street) near Hoi An Ancient Town, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Miss Ly's mother has lived on the premises since 1949 and a restaurant has been run from there since 1993, when there was just one 8 bedroom hotel in Hoi An.

Miss Ly still does most of the cooking (all msg free) and her sister is a fresh produce dealer who supplies the restaurant with fresh, local, organic products. Miss Ly's husband Nathan works front of house. A true family business.

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Luxury Cruise on Ha Long Bay with Cristina Diamond Cruises - Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - March 2016

23/3/2016

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Could there be a better view at breakfast.

Everyone told me you cannot visit Vietnam without a cruise at UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay.

On my two night cruise with Cristina Diamond Cruises the disappearance of my iPhone 6, our boat getting lost in thick fog and the incredible people I met, made it an experience I will never forget.

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7am & packing again, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam is the destination this time

20/3/2016

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Tour of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, the IMF's Christine Lagarde & Cocktails - Hanoi, Vietnam - March 2016

19/3/2016

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Only a hotel like the Metropole has a former bomb shelter by the pool to show guests.

A friend in Australia had raved about her stay at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi and so I had to visit Hanoi's most prestigious, and oldest, hotel on my second trip to Vietnam.

This French-Colonial style hotel opened in 1901 and its guests have included Charlie Chaplin, George H W Bush, Vladimir Putin etc. Condé Nast Traveler regard it as the best hotel in Vietnam.

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Luxury Cruise, and Overnight Stay, on the Mekong Delta with Mekong Eyes - Vietnam - January 2016

31/1/2016

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Can you spot Issy & the non la Noir. Dining in the Dark, Saigon gave us?

The night before my luxury Mekong Delta cruise I had dinner in El Gaucho - an Argentinian steak place by the Park Hyatt, Saigon. Krug, Cristal & Dom Perignon champagne were on offer and I was shocked by the size of my eventual bill, mainly caused a mediocre steak that was far too big for me to eat. I had to go to Saigon, Saigon, on the roof of the Caravelle hotel, again for martinis to recover from the shock of this.

I had to be ready at 8am for my Mekong Eyes pick up and the journey to the boat took just over three hours, with a rather nice 20 minute stop at the Mekong Rest Stop 1/2 way for refreshments, I got some postcards I love there.

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Coffee with the General Manager of InterContinental Asiana Saigon & Tour of the Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - January 2016

29/1/2016

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I had coffee with James Young (General Manager of the InterContinental Asiana Saigon) because we have a mutual friend who used to work at the German Embassy in Doha.

I had not intended to write anything in www.sifrew.com about this but James is such a special person, and his hotel such a quality operation, I had to post something.

Their stunning pool reminds me of the one at the Fullerton Bay in Singapore.

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Dinner at Noir. Dining in the Dark, Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - an experience not to be missed - January 2016

29/1/2016

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The Noir 'mystery menus', also in braille.

All the great reviews of Noir. Dining in the Dark, Saigon, and the fact it employs blind and visually impaired staff, meant I ignored a friend's moans about the Paris version. Another friend had raved about her Tokyo 'dinner in the dark'.

Despite having read lots about it, I arrived feeling unsure/nervous. Going down a non-descript alleyway, wondering if I was in the right place, did not help. However, Germ (one of the owners) welcomed me by name and I knew it was going to be an incredible experience.

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Lunch in Hoi An, Saigon - the best Vietnamese food restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - January 2016

28/1/2016

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Hoi An, Saigon's signature dish - cao lau - thin slices of pork, shrimp & crumbled sesame cake pieces over noodles, accompanied by bone marrow broth.

On my third day in Vietnam I decided I must try some 'real' Vietnamese food.

Hoi An, Saigon is regarded as the best restaurant for Vietnamese food in Ho Chi Minh City, & one of the best restaurants in Asia, and so that is where I went for lunch after seeing the Park Hyatt, Saigon.

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Tour of Park Hyatt, Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - January 2016

28/1/2016

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The Park Hyatt, Saigon is one of the most luxurious (and expensive) hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and so I decided I must have a look around it. I also wanted to have a chat with their staff about the rest of my time in Vietnam.

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Etihad Airways Business Class flight from Abu Dhabi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam - January 2016

27/1/2016

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The Premium Lounge in Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi International Airport, after the hoards left!

After an 8 hour night wait (from just before midnight until 7:35am) in the Etihad Airways Premium Lounges at Abu Dhabi International Airport, I desperately needed my bed on the plane.

From all the people trying to sleep in the Premium Lounge at Abu Dhabi when I first arrived, Etihad Airways (unlike Qatar Airways) have difficulty scheduling fast connections for their numerous transit customers.

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the luxury travel blog

Stay at The Reverie in Saigon (Already One of The Greatest Hotels in World) - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - March 2016

Q Bar - The Perfect Very Dry Grey Goose Martini in Hoi An, Vietnam - March 2016

Tour and Lunch at The Iconic Nam Hai Resort - Hoi An, Vietnam - March 2016

Dinner in Miss Ly Cafe 22 (fresh, healthy & historic Vietnamese food) - Hoi An, Vietnam - March 2016

Luxury Cruise on Ha Long Bay with Cristina Diamond Cruises - Ha Long Bay, Vietnam - March 2016

7am & packing again, Ha Long Bay, Vietnam is the destination this time

Tour of the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, the IMF's Christine Lagarde & Cocktails - Hanoi, Vietnam - March 2016

Luxury Cruise, and Overnight Stay, on the Mekong Delta with Mekong Eyes - Vietnam - January 2016

Coffee with the General Manager of InterContinental Asiana Saigon & Tour of the Hotel - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - January 2016

Dinner at Noir. Dining in the Dark, Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - an experience not to be missed - January 2016

Lunch in Hoi An, Saigon - the best Vietnamese food restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - January 2016

Tour of Park Hyatt, Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - January 2016

Etihad Airways Business Class flight from Abu Dhabi to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam - January 2016

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