Luxury in Hue

Date: 27/05/2007 | Author: Gabby

I was gutted to leave Hoi An, I could easily have spent a few more days there - especially chilling out on Cua Dai Beach or Cham Island.
However, using my feminine wiles, I'd persuaded Dave that we should treat ourselves and stay in the lovely Saigon Morin Hotel in our next stop, Hue, so I was looking forward to a bit of luxury.
We took one of Vietnam's top train journeys from Danang to Hue - for a change during the day. Stunning coastal views for the first half - unfortunately, I fell asleep for the second half, but Dave and Ella assured me I had seen the best.
The Saigon Morin was lovely. The biggest room we'd had for ages, but, more importantly, a fantastically comfortable king size bed with Egyptian cotton sheets - it was almost as good as being at home! There was a great pool and the buffet breakfasts were superb so the kids couldn't have been happier.
What to say about Hue? It was bloody hot. At one point, while the girls were travelling in their favourite mode of transport, the cyclo, Dave and I were jogging alongside. Big mistake, before I knew it, I was covered in sweat. My new, bespoke cotton summer dress not looking at all like it did when I had my final fitting at Yaly. It was unattractively clinging to my increasingly flabby midriff - even the cyclo drivers looked at me in horror!
Hue itself was bombed heavily during the war. Not much remains of the Citadel, but it is worth a visit as renovations are taking place with gusto. With a little imagination it is easy to picture how the city looked centuries ago.
My lasting recollection of the city will be the lovely beds at the Saigon Morin. Feeling very relaxed I was ready to assault Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi.......

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