Wanted: A review of the Hoi An "explore on your own" 7 hour excursion

[martiny]

My wife and I will be on the March 4th cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong. Please let us have your review of the Hoi An " explore on your own " or any other tours of Hoi An. Regards Martin

[DUHCAR]

Where does the ship stop -- Hue or Da Nang? Hopefully Da Nang. We stayed in Hoi An two years ago and it's a nice little town. Great shops and buildings and food. Even more pretty at night. I'd get a private driver and skip Marble Mountain on the way to max out your time in Hoi An.

[vaitape]

Thank you for the advice. Could you suggest a private driver?

[DCCruiser57]

I would just recommend taking a taxi to and from as that way you can spend as little or more time you may want to.

[secoma4]

Don't expect too much. An old town, but for tourists. A taxi is all you will need.

 

 

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[DUHCAR]

Thank you for the advice. Could you suggest a private driver?

 

The place where we stayed arranged one. It would be cheaper to arrange one out of Hue/Da Nang home base.

 

Yes, the town is old. That's why it's full of tourists.

[vaitape]

Our cruise documents indicate Da Nang (Hue). Seems we'll have the longer trek. A little uncomfortable getting a cab from the rank outside the port. Might suss out a transport/guide service online. From what I've read, we really don't need a guide while in town but some commentary and a few special sites along the way will be appreciated.

[Able Seaman H]

I wouldn't be too concerned about just getting a taxi as you step off the ship. It will be a fraction of the cost of arranging onboard. We ended up getting a mini bus for the 3 of us so gave the doctor and her boyfriend a lift as well !

 

A well worn path from the ship to the small town, so if it really did go pear shaped just hail someone down but that won't happen. They are decent people who value long term business with the ships. Photo opportunities along the way, beach, rice fields and so on.

 

Your trip will cover the portion from 3.57 on to about 4.40 in this video of our trip. It was a lovely day out.

 

UB9Ncy2-3Xg

 

 

Henry :)

[vaitape]

Henry! Your video was amazing! Cannot believe we are leaving home in 1 week from tonight to fly to Hong Kong and board our first Seabourn cruise. Thank you for adding to our excitement and anticipation.

[sfvoyage]

There will be plenty of taxi drivers at the port to take you to Hoi An. The going rate (as of Jan. 2017) is US$16-17 one way (I was told $17 round trip by the local rep on the ship, but she may have been wrong.)

 

We negotiated $40 round-trip, but upon arrival at Hoi An, the tout (who rode with us there with the driver) demanded that we pay the driver $20 for the one-way, and we agreed on a time to meet for the return trip, but they never showed up. I ended up going into a souvenir ship, and the lady called a driver to come pick us up for US$16 for the return trip. (We paid the lady in view of the driver, and we didn't have to pay anything else at the end of the ride to the driver.) My advice is to just get a one-way ride instead of round-trip.

 

Regarding Hoi An, it was very touristy and crowded, and the local merchants seemed very commercial and not particularly friendly to tourists. In fact, a bicyclist sped past me carrying goods on his bike, giving me a bruised left thigh that was sore for over a week. It's probably best to experience the charming old town on an overnight trip, so you can have a more peaceful experience before and after the hordes of day tripping tourists. (Not useful advice, I realize, for day-tripping cruise passengers...)

 

I would not do the Seabourn transfer, not just because of the exorbitant pricing, but because of the timing - a couple of hours will suffice, unless you want to linger and have a meal or drinks there, or are an avid shopper, but all the tourist shops mostly offer the same tacky touristy items.

[Able Seaman H]

Henry! Your video was amazing! Cannot believe we are leaving home in 1 week from tonight to fly to Hong Kong and board our first Seabourn cruise. Thank you for adding to our excitement and anticipation.

 

It's all photoshop trickery. The reality is hideous. I'll do you a favour and spare you the ordeal by taking your tickets off your hands for a small consideration. :)

 

You'll have a great time. The combination of Seabourn and South East Asia is hard to beat. Send our love to every one on board !

 

We enjoyed Hoi An. We got a taxi for the day and paid him as we arrived back at the ship so really the risk was all his. We could have left him hanging !

 

Whether a taxi is $20 or $16 isn't really going to make or break your trip, particularly when a car booked on the ship is the thick end of $1,000 for a day. I can't remember what we paid for our taxi but I'm guessing it was about $50-60 for the day.

 

It's important to get things in perspective when you are in Asia. I've seen people having heated arguments in Thailand when they think they've been ripped off and it turns out they are complaining over less than $5. If you get ripped off in England it will be for a minimum of £50 - welcome to Heathrow airport taxis ;) and possibly a lot more.

 

We weren't really looking to buy anything in Hoi An, we just walked along and did a bit of browsing. We had a lovely Vietnamese lunch out the back of a restaurant by the river under the shade of some trees and plants.

 

We did end up buying a 1,000 lbs 7 foot solid marble Buddha on the way back to the ship but that's a different story. Most people settled for a lamp shade :)

 

Henry :)

[vaitape]

You are very dear and quite funny! Thanks everyone for your insight and feedback.

 

We've visited Vietnam for 5 days in 2010 and fell in love with the country and her people. We toured the Citadel in Hue, several amazing padogas, a monastery where young orphan boys were being schooled and cared for and had lunch at a lovely restaurant. A great day but we missed Hoi An and Da Nang's beaches.

 

I've contacted Thi at Smile Tours which is the tour company we used for our 5 days in Vietnam. Her staff is amazing and the cars and vans are impeccable and their restaurant choices are super....lovely, delicious and authentic.

 

She's offered us the following tour which can be modified along the way. It's a bit pricey at USD$90 per person for a party of 4 but we think it's worth it. If another couple is interested, please get back to us. We leave home 12 February.

 

14 Mar 2017: HOIAN TOUR FROM CHAN MAY PORT

 

08:00 Arrival at the Chan May port

 

08:30 Pick-up by the guide and driver inside the port and transfer to Hoian via the Hai Van pass for beautiful views.

 

11:00 Arrival in Hoian, the pleasant ancient town of Vietnam, a World Cultural Heritage site since 1999, enjoy a pleasant city walk to the Hoian Ceramic museum, Hoian market, the Fujien Chinese temple, Tan Ky ancient house, the famous Japanese pagoda bridge, and great shopping.

 

13:30 Enjoy lunch of local specialties (fried wontons, white roses, chicken rice etc.) at a local restaurant (excluded).

 

14:30 Then transfer back to the port along the coastline, make a stop at a beach in Danang.

 

17:00 Drop-off at the Chan May port

[DUHCAR]

Just looked up what we paid in Feb 2015. It was $20 USD for a one way trip from Da Nang airport to Hoi An and it was not per person. $90 per person is just way way too much.

Edited February 6, 2017 by DUHCAR
Previous post drove me to it.

[vaitape]

Perhaps for you but for us, it works best. We're happy when we have reliable transportation with an English-speaking person and a tour on the way to Hoi An and the return to the ship

 

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[Able Seaman H]

With the advent of the internet it is possible to book local operators easily these days. Compared to a taxi they are generally going to be more expensive but you have to acknowledge they do come with advantages.

 

Taxis have a generally poor reputation. We have all been ripped off in the past so using a pre-arranged tour operator allows more risk averse travellers a degree of security. The operators get reviewed by other travelers and so there is a degree of self policing. They tend to give a better commentary throughout your day. Taxis can be a bit hit or miss. If you know where you want to go you're fine but if not a tour operator will help you plan even before you arrive in the country.

 

Specifically when it comes to cruises the time at which you must be back on board is cast in stone so a company that relies on their reviews is going to have more robust safeguards against missing the ship.

 

 

As with all things in life there isn't a right or a wrong.

 

Henry :)

[vaitape]

Thank you for your helpful suggestions and advice, as always. Will do a further search online re transfer/transport company. Saw several on TA and will delve deeper into the list today.

 

We've had fairly good luck with Tuk tuk drivers as well as taxis in the past but as time goes by, we're more cautious.

 

Getting back to the ship with an hour to spare is paramount. Being stranded isn't.

[martiny]

Good day: My wife Carmen Vazquez and I will be on the March 4 cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong (as noted in this thread that we started) and would like to join with you using the tour guide that you mentioned in your responsive post above. Our email is cinoavazquez@usa.net. Please get back to us. Martin Juvelier