We arrived at Hoi An full of excitement after hearing so much about the place and weren't disappointed. We were very lucky to be staying at the lovely Hoi An Beach Resort for 3 nights courtesy of George's parents for his 30th birthday. Unfortunately there had been some wild storms and the beach had pretty much landed on the road outside the front of the hotel - our taxi driver would have been better off in a dune buggy to get us to the front door. The storms had made the beaches off limit, but regardless of the weather, we made use of the hotel facilities - two swimming pools, a gym and a very tasty breakfast buffet!
Hoi An was a real highlight. It's a beautiful old town, set on the river, which was one of the few which escaped being destroyed in the war. The old buildings had been meticulously maintained and gave us a real insight into how Vietnam must have been years ago. We hired bikes and spent a day cycling round the old town and the surrounding paddy fields. The town is famed for its tailors and you can get anything made to measure from shirts to dresses to shoes - a very dangerous and tempting place! Walking down the narrow lanes was quite a challenge and felt a bit like running the gauntlet of tailors with cries of "come into my shop", "ït's free to try" and "lady - you buy a new dress/skirt/shorts from me?" (delete as appropriate). The temptation was too much in the end and I took one of my favourite dresses in to one of the shops, chose some material and then returned less than 24 hours later to pick up my new version! They did a fantastic job and even threw in alterations and a repair to another dress for $20! Bargain! George was cornered by a shop owner and after her very realistic English impressions comprising of repeating the phrase "lovely jubbly", he agreed to having a couple of shirts made to measure. We could have gone mad were it not for our budget and the thought of carrying everything around for the next 4 months!
The second most memorable thing about Hoi An, after the clothes, was the amazing food! We enjoyed some lovely meals in restaurants set in old colonial buildings which had a real French feel to them. We tried the local specialities of grilled fish in banana leaf (my personal favourite) and white rose, which is prawn wrapped in rice pancake and dipped in chilli - definitely recommended.
It was refreshing to stop for a few days to catch our breath (and get some laundry done) before heading further south towards Nha Trang and Saigon.
Hoi An was a real highlight. It's a beautiful old town, set on the river, which was one of the few which escaped being destroyed in the war. The old buildings had been meticulously maintained and gave us a real insight into how Vietnam must have been years ago. We hired bikes and spent a day cycling round the old town and the surrounding paddy fields. The town is famed for its tailors and you can get anything made to measure from shirts to dresses to shoes - a very dangerous and tempting place! Walking down the narrow lanes was quite a challenge and felt a bit like running the gauntlet of tailors with cries of "come into my shop", "ït's free to try" and "lady - you buy a new dress/skirt/shorts from me?" (delete as appropriate). The temptation was too much in the end and I took one of my favourite dresses in to one of the shops, chose some material and then returned less than 24 hours later to pick up my new version! They did a fantastic job and even threw in alterations and a repair to another dress for $20! Bargain! George was cornered by a shop owner and after her very realistic English impressions comprising of repeating the phrase "lovely jubbly", he agreed to having a couple of shirts made to measure. We could have gone mad were it not for our budget and the thought of carrying everything around for the next 4 months!
The second most memorable thing about Hoi An, after the clothes, was the amazing food! We enjoyed some lovely meals in restaurants set in old colonial buildings which had a real French feel to them. We tried the local specialities of grilled fish in banana leaf (my personal favourite) and white rose, which is prawn wrapped in rice pancake and dipped in chilli - definitely recommended.
It was refreshing to stop for a few days to catch our breath (and get some laundry done) before heading further south towards Nha Trang and Saigon.
Very nice and helpful information has been given in this article. I like the way you explain the things. Keep posting. Thanks..
ReplyDeleteTailor Made Dress Shirts