Following the country of Vietnam’s curves from north to south, in the new ‘Quintessentially Vietnam’ package from Exotic Voyages features the country’s finest hotels and cruises in five dynamic destinations: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Ninh Thuan, and Ho Chi Minh City, at a savings of 25% when compared to booking direct.
The journey begins at one of the Southeast Asia’s most storied hotels, Sofitel Metropole Legend, which first opened in 1901. Steeped in history, former guests include such luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene. In 2009 the property underwent such a dramatic restoration that it landed on Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List – normally reserved for new hotels.
The property offers respite during a two-night stay with days spent immersed in the local food scene with everything from a market and street food tour to sampling egg coffee (a sweet, soft meringue-like topping over strong Vietnamese brew) in the cafe where the popular local drink was first created.
Guests then head north to Halong Bay, where thousands of limestone karsts pepper teal waters. Accommodation for the night is on a Paradise Luxury Cruise, a 41-meter-long boat with four spacious decks, a spa, Jacuzzi, restaurant and bar. In the morning the experience reaches new heights with a 25-minute seaplane tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hue, the former capital of French Indochina, and a property that echoes another era, La Residence, is the destination for the next two nights. The art deco hotel which was once home to a colonial French governor is the launching point for in-depth tours of the Imperial Citadel, Minh Mang Tombs and the Perfume River. Package guests are treated to an upgrade on a Superior River View room (subject to availability), 15% off on food, drinks and laundry, and a spa credit that can be used for complimentary access to the steam room, sauna and/or jacuzzi, or towards a treatment.
Departing from the country’s French colonial past the traveller’s next stop is a stay at the country’s hottest hotel debut, The Reverie Saigon. Unapologetically opulent and quite unlike anything Vietnam has seen before, the design is all Italian with Italy’s best furnishing brands collaborating on the interiors. During the three-night, four-day stay in the city, guests visit Cu Chi, a vast network of tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the war, and have the additional options including taking in the city by night with a Vespa tour.
The last three nights of Quintessentially Vietnam are at Amanoi Ninh Thuan, a secluded beach retreat near Nha Trang, where guests can unwind with complimentary water sports from sailing to snorkelling at the resort’s private beach, on the tennis court, or with a daily yoga and Tai Chi class. The special offer also includes a free upgrade to an Ocean Pavilion room, and a complimentary bottle of wine and Vietnamese dinner set for two.
The new package can be booked through March 31st, 2017 with travel taking place between January and October 2017. Rates start at US$2,982 per person and vary depending on the month of travel. The US$1900 saving, off the regular Exotic Voyages price, is based on two persons sharing accommodation. The offer excludes international and domestic airfares and meals and drinks not mentioned in the full itinerary.
