Travel with kids forum

Richard

Deja vu, this time last year I was planning our trip to SE Asia, being two adults and two children aged 8 and 5 from mid December to mid January. We had a ball, four weeks through (down) Vietnam, and a side trip to Siem Reap.

In regards to the kids:

we found we had to slow down and read their 'signs', when they were tired go and find the air con, and usually a short spell each day out of the heat (even better with a pool);
lots of cold bottled water;
soft drink as a treat a lunch/dinner;
lots of tuk tuks and cabs ($1-2 each way);
hotels with pools;
western food every now and then;

Siem Reap

Mr Kim San the tour guide (ref google), very good, air con car and private tour;
Hotel - Mekong Angor Palace, cheap and clean, nice pool;
Khmer Kitchen in pub street for lunch and dinner;
Try a spider in the markets.

Vietnam-North to South

North
Sapa in December, mountains and hill tribes (cold and beautiful), we don't have many mountains in Australia;
We didnt get to Halong bay so cannot comment;
Water Puppets in Hanoi, get your tickets early, very good;
Christmas at the Jasmine Hotel Hanoi, say hello to Mrs Spring, great hotel;

Hue

Orchid hotel very nice and clean;
Imperial City very impressive (kids got bored quickly);
Private car day trip to the tombs

Hoi An

Great for tailors and shopping;
Get out to the beach on push bikes;
Kids can load up on trinkets for their friends (usd 3, happy days);
Tailor- make it Yally, pay the extra its worth it;
Food, anything in lonely planet's list, and go for a family cooking class;

Nha Trangh

This place is a coastal city, but the water park at Vin Pearl was fantastic for the kids. Take your time and give the kids a break, our kids loved it;
We dragged them out after one day, so if time allows, take two days

HCMC

Hotel with a pool (Metropole was ok);
Cabs, cabs and more cabs (our kids did well, but were exhausted after four weeks on the go);
Water Park at Dam Sen (taxi about vnd 100,000 from Metropole)
We didnt go to the delta with the kids as my wife and I had been there before.

Always enquire about the private car, so you dont get caught on a full day tour and can get the kids home easily, the cost is usually only about usd 10 more.

All I can say is enjoy. After out fantastic experience last year, I am planning our current trip to Laos and Cambodia.

Have the hotel arrange the airport transfers, as this proved invaluable, ie collect your bags and have the driver waiting at the gate with your name tag. never failed.


Enjoy the pho

Patrick

Richard

Deja vu, this time last year I was planning our trip to SE Asia, being two adults and two children aged 8 and 5 from mid December to mid January. We had a ball, four weeks through (down) Vietnam, and a side trip to Siem Reap.

In regards to the kids:

we found we had to slow down and read their 'signs', when they were tired go and find the air con, and usually a short spell each day out of the heat (even better with a pool);
lots of cold bottled water;
soft drink as a treat a lunch/dinner;
lots of tuk tuks and cabs ($1-2 each way);
hotels with pools;
western food every now and then;

Siem Reap

Mr Kim San the tour guide (ref google), very good, air con car and private tour;
Hotel - Mekong Angor Palace, cheap and clean, nice pool;
Khmer Kitchen in pub street for lunch and dinner;
Try a spider in the markets.

Vietnam-North to South

North
Sapa in December, mountains and hill tribes (cold and beautiful), we don't have many mountains in Australia;
We didnt get to Halong bay so cannot comment;
Water Puppets in Hanoi, get your tickets early, very good;
Christmas at the Jasmine Hotel Hanoi, say hello to Mrs Spring, great hotel;

Hue

Orchid hotel very nice and clean;
Imperial City very impressive (kids got bored quickly);
Private car day trip to the tombs

Hoi An

Great for tailors and shopping;
Get out to the beach on push bikes;
Kids can load up on trinkets for their friends (usd 3, happy days);
Tailor- make it Yally, pay the extra its worth it;
Food, anything in lonely planet's list, and go for a family cooking class;

Nha Trangh

This place is a coastal city, but the water park at Vin Pearl was fantastic for the kids. Take your time and give the kids a break, our kids loved it;
We dragged them out after one day, so if time allows, take two days

HCMC

Hotel with a pool (Metropole was ok);
Cabs, cabs and more cabs (our kids did well, but were exhausted after four weeks on the go);
Water Park at Dam Sen (taxi about vnd 100,000 from Metropole)
We didnt go to the delta with the kids as my wife and I had been there before.

Always enquire about the private car, so you dont get caught on a full day tour and can get the kids home easily, the cost is usually only about usd 10 more.

All I can say is enjoy. After out fantastic experience last year, I am planning our current trip to Laos and Cambodia.

Have the hotel arrange the airport transfers, as this proved invaluable, ie collect your bags and have the driver waiting at the gate with your name tag. never failed.


Enjoy the pho

Patrick

Patrick

Thanks heaps for the info. There are some excellent tips there and it's great to have a few recent recommendations:)

Just wondering: How did you find the weather in VN at that time? I have read so much conflicting info on weather patterns for anywhere North of Nha Trang.

Also, did you bother to book places in advance at that time? Again, quite torn here - the whole freedom thing Vs the need to have something in place given that we have our little ones.
Gone are the days of arriving in a town at 11.30pm and "wandering about" until I find some place to crash:)

Cambodia sounds perfect at that time so I reckon we'll be right wherever we end up there.

Cheers

Richard

Hey there Bron

Thanks heaps for the reply. I checked out your links:)
Great reading! Sounds like you had a ball.
Going to be real interesting to see how our kids react when they come across the real unusual stuff !! :)

Good luck with the plans for November

Cheers

Richard

Hi there
We returned from SEA in late jan. after 7 weeks of wonderfull family time traveling with 3 kids age 3, 8 and 10. A few of our highlights: staying at the Billabong i Phnom Phen with two rooms just next to the lovely saltwater pool, doing a cooking course (me and my oldest) at the Frizz Restaurant, going for a daytrip to the animal sanctuary outside PP, eating huge icecreams in Swendsen icecream bar in one of the shoppingcentres in town, going to markets, seeing the city from the back of a tuk-tuk, driving through the Cardamom Mountains on our way to the WONDERFULL island of Koh Kood (staying at the even more wonderfull The Beach Natural Resort Koh Kood). Ohhh just want to go back!
Hope you have a wonderfull trip!!!
Dorte