So to show you where we stayed this time here’s the map. You can see here at Alantara Sanur we are much further inland and on the other side of the bigass highway which is not a fun process to cross. Price wise it was comparable to smaller places closer to the beach which surprised me….but no resort features so I see the trade off.
We are about a 10 min grab ($3) or shuttle (free from hotel) ride from the centre. The biggest issue here has been that while the villa is beautiful there is very little that’s walkable nearby. Most warungs are either closed now or just food carts and I prefer refrigeration. It’s also a good 20 min walk to the beach.
We did grab ($2.5) to Naughty Nuri’s to give it a go for the first time. Food was great! Prices are what you expect for a tourist focused place.
On day 2 we walked up to one of the only open nearby places called men’s shed. Pretty much what you expect from the name lol…old Aussie white dude runs it, lots of western food and white dudes inside. Beer was well priced and good music though!
Day 3 we did some pool lazing (still love the private pool) then caught the hotel shuttle into the beach area and had dinner and drinks on the beach at the Tree Bar. Definitely more my vibe.
We move to a much more central (and expensive!) location for the rest of this trip now but I don’t think I would stay here again. The distance from the centre and the highway didn’t work for us even with the private pool and villa. It was a good test of preferences and priorities!
This time we flew on the midday air Asia flight and it was amazing – nobody at Perth airport and nobody at Bali airport! Once again we did the online paperwork beforehand and it was 11 mins from disembarking to walking out the front door including a toilet stop. We travel with carry on only though.
Our first few nights are being spent further in from the beach this time around. So still Sanur but on the “other side” of the very scary highway. We are in a private garden villa with a pool at Alantara Hotel and so far it’s lovely. I got a very special birthday surprise on arrival. Well done B!
While we do have a private pool, we also have access to this gorgeous hotel pool and a swim up bar. We ate at the onsite restaurant for night one and the indo food options were only a small part of the menu but they were delicious.
Our goal for this part of the trip is to work out if I have a private pool, do I need a beach? I will say there are less food options here (and many without refrigeration which is a hard no for me with my stomach dramas) and I can already say I miss the boardwalk full of food a tiny bit.
Blue sea Hoi an – south end, very tasty and well price local food. Best Cao Lau we had in the area
Xin Chao – south end, near the backpackers. Really tasty curry and cheaper pricing than some of the others. Cao Lau was very salty and not my favourite though
Serena Restaurant – south end, beautiful food and family owned. Lights are lovely to sit under
Luckys Restaurant – always delicious and well priced! Cute baby. This one is on the main road near main beach
Thom’s Bakery – south end and main beach location, yummy pastries, nice juices and coffee. Tourist pricing but a nice change from a very average breakfast buffet at the hotel
Cu Le Bar – south end, we only had juice here but it was tasty and they had tiny lovable puppies they let me cuddle
Summer Beach Restaurant – south end, really tasty and fresh food cooked by a family. Cute comfy chairs and nice street view, Bahn mi and fried pork rolls tasty and made fresh.
Hoi An Old Town
White Rose Restaurant – touristy but also cool to go somewhere that specialises in the dumplings
Oodles of Noodles (Hoi An) does noodle tasting tours and then there is the Noodle House with their famous “A Flight of Noodles”. We didn’t get to try this one but it’s on the list for next time!
Ho Chi Minh City
Ben Nghe Street Food Market – so many stalls! So much good food! Clean toilets and cheap drinks as well.
Street food tour: Co Lieng (betel leaves), Nuac Mio (sugar cane juice and rice flour noodles opposite), Oc Diem (seafood alley), Bahn Xeo 335 (big and small savoury pancakes), Kem Bo (coconut icecream smoothie)
The cafe on level 8 of the cafe restaurant apartments. Juice was amazing, food was awful and do not recommend
A taste of Saigon – old town. A little pricier than other “hole in the wall” local places but absolutely delicious food and the opportunity to try some Saigon specials including broken rice and BUN THIT NONG SAIGON which is noodles, peanuts, salad, fried spring rolls and pork.
Singapore
Satay street outside Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre – had heard this was amazing but we thought it was overpriced and average
Feng Ji Chicken Rice – pretty good local place near the Robertson house hotel. limited English.
Mel’s Diner at Universal Studios – awful. Absolutely awful. Don’t even try it, we doing it basically inedible
Ah Heng (Michelin recommended) at Hong Lim Hawker Centre – We went in search of some Hawker Food gems for dinner and wandered 15 mins along the river to Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee (shop 02-57/58/59) located in Hong Lim Market & Food Centre. This shop finally received a write up in the Michelin guide in 2023 after numerous awards and mentions over the years. The shop was founded in the 1970s and is currently run by its second-generation owner. The stall’s hallmark single dish is a mild (for most) curry broth, custom-made tofu puffs and fish cakes with delicious poached chicken and yellow noodles. We got the small bowls for $6.50 SGD each and also bought a sugar cane juice for $2.50 SGD each two stalls over.
We landed in Singapore around midday and with the new bar code entry cards it was super easy to come through customs and immigration. We checked in to Robertson House by the Crest Collection around 3pm for a brief rest before our river cruise and twilight tour collection time of 5:30pm. Our original choice was Hotel Fort Canning but they have been taken over and cancelled our booking…so not impressed with that! Nice room view though and a free mini breakfast.
A bus collected a bunch of people from hotels then took us to the river. We started off from Clarke Quay (nice and close to the hotel) with a 30-minute scenic river cruise. During the first part of the cruise, we got a quick glimpse of the Merlion. It symbolises Singapore’s fishing heritage and spouts water into the river.
The purpose of this tour (for us) was to see the gardens by the bay light show. The “Garden Rhapsody” light and sound show is where the towering Supertrees come to life in dazzling colours, set to music.
Just down the road (river?) we then also stopped for the Spectra Light and Water Show at Marina Bay Sands This is an amazing display of lasers, water fountains, and projections. It was cool but not as good as the super trees and that would be my winner.
Form there we returned to land and were given the choice of a drop off at Hotel or Lau Pa Sat Hawker Market. We went to the market, had some (average) satay on satay street then off to bed.
Day 12
We woke up around 9am, ate our included mini breakfast and then caught a grab to universal studios. It was only a $16 SGD ride for 15 mins and was a lot more pleasant than 45 mins on various underground lines.
We bought the ride express passes and while we didn’t need them initially, by lunchtime standard queues were 70 mins plus so it was well worth it. Rides we went on included:
Battlestar galactica roller coaster (I went one way, B went both)
Revenge of the mummy
Transformers 3D (made me very nauseous)
River rapids
Shrek 4D
We missed canopy flyer as it doesn’t have express and the line just kept getting longer and longer!
Taxis at universal studios…this is a thing we didn’t know. They can refuse card fares. We tried 5/6 and asked to pay with card and they all wanted cash which we didn’t want to use. We thought they couldn’t do this but apparently they can – they just can’t turn the meter off. Disgusting behaviour though. We ended up walking back to the main entry and getting a grab which was only $11. B is now annoyed at all taxis and considering not getting in one at all 😂
For dinner we walked to a local place near the hotel and I had Hainanese chicken rice (yum). Singapore food is very Chinese based and it’s definitely not my favourite…lots of noodles, rice, oily stuff and sweet heavy sauces. The chicken rice dish is one of the better ones for my lighter taste and angry stomach.
Day 13
It’s Easter Friday here so lots of things are closed. We made sure we had some snacks organised from the day before and spent most of the day just relaxing.
We went in search of some Hawker Food gems for dinner and wandered 15 mins along the river to Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee (shop 02-57/58/59) located in Hong Lim Market & Food Centre. This shop finally received a write up in the Michelin guide in 2023 after numerous awards and mentions over the years. The shop was founded in the 1970s and is currently run by its second-generation owner. The stall’s hallmark single dish is a mild (for most) curry broth, custom-made tofu puffs and fish cakes with delicious poached chicken and yellow noodles. We got the small bowls for $6.50 SGD each and also bought a sugar can juice for $2.50 SGD each.
The walk along the river near ClaRke Quay was lively and we even saw some cheeky river otters!
Tomorrow we head home on a 5hr scoot flight. I’m hoping the chairs are a lot better than our short HCMC to Singapore leg as that was awful.
For lunch we caught a grab through District 1 to Pho Viet Nam which has two consecutive Michelin Star mentions. Their handmade noodles and Pho broth in clay pots is a winner (deliciously meaty) while their meat options have a range for everyone. They have two store fronts near each other and we accidentally wandered into the more “local” one so didn’t have to deal with lots of tourists and got seated straight away. Brad got the no 1 and I upgraded to a no 6 with wagyu…it was very good.
After lunch B had a nap while I lazed around the pool for a while before a quick uni commitment online (great wifi at the Myst Dong Khoi Hotel).
For dinner I wasn’t sure I could do a walk over to the street food market again and then back on a time frame before our evening Saigon River Boutique Boat Cruise. So I used my Google search powers and found A Taste of Saigon – Old Market which was only a 5 min walk away. It did take a bit of locating and a slightly creepy alley walk but we got there! Food is definitely priced higher than local places but it was also VERY good and we got to try some Saigon speciality dishes.
The river cruise was great. They met us at the ferry terminal in District 1 (3 min walk from the hotel) and off we went! We passed by landmarks including the Tran Hung Dao Statue, Hotel Majestic, Dragon Wharf, Bitexco Financial Tower, and Mong Bridge…all of which were beautifully lit!
After the cruise it was early to bed for a 5am wake up as we head to Singapore tomorrow! We have had a lovely few days catching up with our friends to celebrate a special birthday.
We started day 9 with hotel breakfast at Myst Dong Khoi and it was great – so much choice! After brekkie we visited the War Remnants Museum which had some fascinating – and horrifying images and details about the US “war of aggression” towards Vietnam. Definitely a different perspective than what Australian history tells kids in schools.
We also visited the cafe apartments. This decaying nine-story complex once housed American military officers during the Vietnam War. Fast forward 60 years and dozens of boutiques, cafes and restaurants now occupy the former apartment units. We paid VND 3000 to catch the lift to the top (about 30 cents) and then walked back down to each level. We stopped for a drink (yum) and some spring rolls (revolting) so we could sit on one of the balconies .
I had to do a few hours uni work but then got to go for a refreshing swim in the rooftop pool and enjoy some drinks in the bar.
We headed off as a group of 4 to Ben Nghe Street Food Market (formerly known as the Ben Thanh Street Food Market) which is a dining hall that consists of dozens of trendy eateries cooking up everything from Vietnamese to Mexican to vegan food. All the deliciousness of street food with the added safety of good hygiene and refrigeration! Prices were also very low.
We walked back to the hotel via the markets and picked up some cute souvenirs as well as seeing lots of pretty buildings with all their lights on.
We flew on a domestic flight from Da Nang to Saigon (Vietnam airlines are the only airline we use internally) and were delayed about an hour which is too bad for Vietnam. This time we also didn’t have a satanic child trying to climb me for the whole flight so that was nice. I arranged our transfer directly with the guy who brought us out here on WhatsApp (we paid 350k VND to come out here via booking . com) and the return was 250k VND.
Our hotel here in Ho Chi Minh City (which l refer to as Saigon as most locals do) is a very nice, very fancy place! It included a transfer from the airport. We are in District 1 this time so right near the river with a city view. I didn’t pick this hotel but am very impressed.
Our booking also includes a free mini high tea every day.
We are in Saigon to meet up with friends and celebrate a belated 40th. We started our short visit with a street food man walking food tour! We have done this tour before but it’s one of the best ones we have ever done – in any country – and is also one of the few walking vs scooter tours….important for me who can’t get on a scooter. You can book here: https://streetfoodman.com/our-tours/private-walking-tours
The street food tour was once again fantastic although now I don’t need to eat for a week.
The winners for me were:
Bahn Khot (deep fried savoury small pancake)
2. Charcoal-grilled bò lá lốt (minced beef wrapped in betel leaves) from Co Lieng who have a Michelin guide mention
3. This one was a tie for me…the avocado and coconut icecream smoothie at the flower market was delicious but so was the sugar cane juice. Both equally refreshing.
I highly recommend https://streetfoodman.com/our-tours/private-walking-tours. As a side note it’s a bit more expensive than some of the other options but a very fair amount goes to the guides and it’s ethically as sound as it gets in HCMC.
Today I did laundry. Exciting! The humidity means my sink washing hasn’t been going well so I’ve given in and all my cotton stuff has gone to a local today. I paid 35k VND which is about $2.50 and it’s all washed, dried and folded for me. We went to Ms Oi’s in south An Bang as it was opposite the accommodation.
We have been walking up to Thoms Bakery (about 150m from our hotel) and buying breakfast instead of eating the provided buffet one. The pastries and fresh juice are delicious although obviously tourist pricing.
We had a pretty lazy day today then walked up to the main beach. On the way I saw the puppies again and got to cuddle one! As you can tell, it made my day.
We walked about 600m down the beach towards the main beach area which was busy today…likely because the sun is out. In the main area of An Bang Beach we went to our favourite place from last time – Lucky’s Restaurant. As always the food and drinks was delicious and pricing was 175k VND….so about $13 AUD.
Day 6
Today is Bs birthday! Yay! As we one bagged this trip with under 7kgs each, I gave him his present before we left….i did manage to smuggle a little card and gift into my bag though. The card is Vietnam themed and the little present is a coin with “one more game” and “time for bed” on each side.
We spent most of the day by the beach and swimming in the ocean with a brief visit to the puppies again.
B got to choose dinner since it was his birthday and he chose Bahn Mi from our old favourite Luckys. We also got to walk down the beach and watch the colours change as twilight snuck up.
Day 7
Last full day today, we are off to HCMC to meet up with friends for a few days tomorrow. I’ve really enjoyed being back in An Bang Beach and how quiet it is here…and I love the food! If only they could embrace individual villas for couples so I didn’t have to share a pool with screaming children. We have been discussing if we would return here and we are just…unsure. Love the food and the relaxing vibe in the area but 2 flights (and they aren’t cheap to get here) as well as no private villa option means it ends up at a similar price point to a private villa in Bali….for a lot less travel. So in terms of relaxation it’s a tricky call to make.
Today was just about relaxing by the beach and thankfully there were very few children there.
After beach time we had some snacks at Summer Beach Restaurant next to the accomodation which had a really tasty lemon Soda and bendy straws….gotta love bendy straws. We also visited my little puppy friends for one last cuddle but sadly they were having naps.
Dinner was at Xin Chao at the South end of An Bang Beach again. The curry was absolutely delicious and we enjoyed a last walk on the beach too.
We went for a bike ride out to Tra Que Vegetable Village today and came back through some rice fields. Highlights included:
– first time in years I’ve ridden a normal bike. Last time I threw up. This time I narrowly avoided that but did have to walk a few sections when my heart rate hit 200 bpm
– I rode on the highway! Scary, but traffic was obviously used to crazy tourists
– The vegetable village was beautiful and I was very happy to avoid the touristy gimmicky stuff while still contributing to their tourism fund. Brad says when we buy our Labrador farm I should grow veg like this, I said sure if he also buys me a farmer 😂
– I saw buffalo! And one was a baby now named “bubbalo”
Dinner was at Xin Chao also on the south side of An Bang. It was closer to the backpacker area so prices were cheaper and the curry was really REALLY yummy. Curry with rice, Cao Lau and two fruit drinks was 220k VND so around $14 AUD.
Day 4
Today started with a PhD commitment for me so I joined the discussion from our balcony.
We then spent the day relaxing at An Bang beach. The breeze means it was a bit cool for us to swim (did not stop the Brit’s and Russians at all!) so we laid in the shade with books and listened to the waves. I also found a swing!
Dinner tonight was at another south end restaurant – this one called Serena Restaurant. This one was very locally owned and run and the food was tasty and well priced. I got to eat another regional Hoi An dish called Com Ga also known as chicken rice. They had a cute and friendly doggo as well.
Day 4
Another day spent relaxing at the beach and listening to the waves. Around 3pm we used Grab to head to Hoi An Old Town (about 5kms away). We started out visiting White Rose Restaurant to try the famous white rose dumplings. White rose dumplings which are only found in Hoi An might look fancy, but they’re just beautifully folded rice flour pockets filled with shrimp or pork and steamed. Despite the name, there are no roses involved – just the delicate wrappers shaped by hand and a punchy sweet / spicy dipping sauce.
The recipe for these dumplings is secret, held by one family in Hoi A who supplies all the restaurants. White Rose Restaurant’s (533 Hai Ba Trung Street) staff member Tran Tuan Ngai is a third generation secret keeper of the traditional white rose recipe.
We then walked down to the Japanese covered bridge “Chua Cau” which was under renovation the last time we were here. This time I got to see it and walk over it!
We had a drink and hung around for awhile waiting for sunset so I could watch all the pretty lanterns on the river. Pro tip – cross to the other side (the fake old town) so you can take photos with old town in the background.
Dinner was a delicious banana and Nutella pancake from a street vendor and I was verrrrry pleased with it.
Woohoo back to Vietnam for a couple of weeks! We flew Singapore air coming over and did Perth – Changi Airport – Da Nang. I paid for priority processing in Da Nang as it’s apparently the second busiest airport in Vietnam and lining up for hours isn’t my favourite thing to do. When we arrived there were 5 people in the line haha 😛 so that was not my best investment.
Our accommodation in An Bang (a regional area near Hoi An) has been quite a challenge this time unfortunately.
I booked my preferred place (Shoreline Stays Aparthotel) 6 months ahead. 4 days before we were due to fly in they cancelled! Do not recommend. I was very grumpy.
I then found an equivalent place nearby and booked that last minute (at a higher cost). After 24 hours of no contact I started to get a bit suss so did a deep dive and discovered it was a fake address and another venues photos. In Vietnam you pretty much have to use websites like booking . com as few places have their own sites. It’s a known scam to claim “renovations” and rename an old listing. When I finally got the villa to reply they tried to tell me the accomodation I booked was closed but they offered me a much nastier one for the same price….which is a fairly well know scam often seen in places like Bali. Then they refused to refund me when I declined. Luckily I did get refunded after threatening to report them to booking . Com….at which point I promptly reported them anyway.
At this stage with 3 days until we were due to arrive, I had to widen my search. So, now we are staying at a place on the other side of An Bang called Sol An Bang Beach Resort and Spa. It is a little bigger than I had hoped for but it doesn’t feel big as we are split into small groups of rooms and each group has access to all three pools so we can spread out. Bonus – I can hear and see the ocean! Not so good – noise insulation sucks and we can hear all the people around us, doors closing etc. That’s not exactly uncommon here though, even in very fancy hotels.
We got in around 5:30pm so went for a brief walk to collect mini mart snacks and see what restaurants we might want to explore tomorrow. That’s how we found out as well as having a sea view from our room, there’s actually a cute little beach bar too!
View from the balcony of the room Three pools are available to all guests Cute little beach bar at our accomodation
Day 2
Today we had a little sleep in (noise insulation is really not Vietnam’s high point haha) but had caught up on 12hrs of sleep debt so we’re feeling much better. We tried out the free hotel breakfast. About what you would expect – edible but average.
After brekkie, I wanted to walk back over to where we stayed last time so we could see how far it is, check out the new construction and try and find this mystery noodle place that gets raved about online
“Mi Quang Di Suong Address: Alley of Nguyen Phan Vinh (near Bungalow Beach Bar) Opening Hours: 7 a.m until sold out. Monday – Sunday. Tucked away in a quaint alley within A Bang village, just a stone’s throw from Nguyen Phan Vinh main road, lies this hidden culinary gem. Here, the delectable noodles are meticulously crafted by the skilled hands of Ms. Nghi. During the initial and middle days of every lunar month, she opts to shutter the restaurant, allowing her time to recharge and fully embrace her personal journey of vegetarianism.”
How could I not visit with a write up like that!? She had sold out by the time we got there at 10:30am though so will have to try another day.
After a good wander around An Bangs main beach area we walked back to our side (about 600m along the beach) and spent the afternoon swimming and reading by the pool.
Dinner was at Blue Sea Hoi An which has one of the highest Google ratings in the area. We both have had to get used to using Google maps and Google reviews again as Vietnam is definitely not “Apple friendly”. I had Cao Lau which is a regional dish for the Hoi An area. It typically consists of char siu style pork and salad (greens) on a bed of rice noodles which have been soaked in lye water. Mine were also garnished with peanuts and chillies. Two mains and two juices was 255000 VND so approximately $15 AUD.
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