Hoi An

About a 30-minute car ride from Danang's airport, Hoi An reminds me of Ubud, Bali, in many charming ways.  The center of Hoi An is laid-back, cozy even, with plenty of good restaurants, cafes, and shops to wander among.

Like Ubud, Hoi An is not far from the beach, so you could easily stay at one of the many beachfront properties in Danang, such as the Furama, Hyatt, Pullman, or others, and make a day trip (or day trips) to Hoi An.

On one visit, we stayed at a friendly place in Hoi An, sort of on the periphery of the center of that town.  Alma Courtyard had just opened a few months before, and while they are still getting the staff trained up, there was much that the hotel was already getting right.  The lobby of the spa was perfectly peaceful.  I'm not so much in to spa treatments, and even though I tried a massage that was part of our rate package, I found that just sitting in the lobby was calming.  The rooms were spacious, clean, and soothingly decorated, as was in fact the entire property.  The food and beverage from each of the property's kitchens were delicious and presented well.  Service was friendly and would have been even better if I spoke Vietnamese or if the staff spoke better English.

On another visit, we stayed at the tasteful, luxurious Nam Hai, right on the beach.

Among the restaurants we liked in Hoi An was the Cargo Club.  I have to admit, the hotels were so comfortable that we didn't dine out very much.

Dining virtuously - STREETS, located at 17 Le Loi, is a wonderful restaurant in the heart of Hoi An, offering cheerful, attractive decor, delicious food, and reasonable prices.  And by supporting STREETS, you are contributing to a great cause.  The restaurant is a non-profit organization that aims to teach underprivileged kids skills in hospitality.  Many of the servers and those working in the kitchen are kids from the street who might otherwise not have a way up.  Many of the staff go on to high-end hotels and restaurants, making room for the next cohort.

Hoi An has a reputation for being a great place for tailoring, so my spouse and I set about getting suits made.  There are certainly a number of tailors in town, so perhaps our experience was not indicative of tailoring there in general, but I think we found that as fast a turnaround time as our tailor offered, and as attractive as the price for the suits we ordered was, the quality just wasn't worth it in my view.  I would urge caution.