Hue Holidays

An absolutely amazing adventure with a great group of people and an amazing guide in Vietnam - Kim !
This was my first solo holiday and I would not hesitate to go on another Wendy Wu tour but this will take some beating !
We saw Vietnam essentially from top to bottom . From the bustle of Hanoi to the peace of the Panhou retreat just 30km from the Chinese border to the majesty of Halong Bay . Then onto Hoi An and Hue both so different but both equally memorable . Then Saigon - a Vespa tour is an essential for everyone - and the time to reflect on what we saw in the Cu chi tunnels and the war remnants museum . And then onto the Mekong delta for an overnight stop in Ben tre
The walking in Hoang Su Phi was not as challenging as the itinerary might have suggested and I chickened out of the cycling ! The hotels were all well situated and all of a more than acceptable standard - the most important part was the beds as certainly needed good nights sleep to keep up with the adventure .
The group was sad to leave Vietnam and Kim who as I have already said was amazing at looking after us and was full of amazing stories and shared his experiences with us .
However we still had Cambodia to visit and I guess my only criticism of the whole trip was it should have been slightly longer to give us a bit more time in Cambodia . The Angkor Wat complex was amazing as was the visit the following day to the village on stilts . Our guide Chet obviously had a hard act to follow but again he was great !
My highlights - the retreat , walking in the mountains , Halong bay , the bamboo circus in Hoi An and the mad ride on coracle boats , the Vespa tour ,eating and drinking fresh coconut in the Mekong the Angkor complex and the Phare Circus !
A truly amazing adventure

We totalled enjoyed the trip and all the knowledge the guides gave us.
However the coach we had in siem Reap was not up to standard as the other coaches we had in Hanoi , Hoi An, Hue and Saigon.

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!

The tour was well supported by excellent national guides in both Cambodia and Vietnam. Although local guides needed at some sights in Cambodia they never did anything except collect our tickets back! Sights and visits better than anticipated.
Unforeseen weather at Hue airport led to emergency contingency plans with an overnight sitting at Danang airport in order to get a flight that got us to Halong Bay. National guide great, but perhaps planned contingency and hotel configuration would be advisable considering this weather potential.
Full on itinery which we enjoyed, but those with some health issues found it challenging at times which meant going on the coach rather than walking on occasion.