Hoi An Riverside Hotel, Hoi An

On arriving we were shown to our room, I was not happy with the view, couldn't see the river for the trees. I had requested a view straight down the river. Within 5 mins we were shown two other room, one of which was the view I wanted, the river in front, hotel gardens left and rice paddies fight. all done with speed and smiles. The joy of sitting on our second floor balcony at 5am watching the surrounding countryside coming to life. It was harvest time and the farmers joined forces to bring in & process the rice by hand. At 6am the local duck keeper swam his flock of 2-3 hundred up the river then proceded to walk then around the edges of the rice paddies, 2 hours later he took them back to the river to swim home. This was repeated at 5pm. We spent many happy hours trying to work out what was going on. answer: he brought them so they could feed off the fallen rice. If you are looking for time to recharge your batteries and go back to a simpler time while still enjoying modern amenities this could be the place for you.

Overall, I really enjoyed our stay at the Hoi An Riverside. The grounds are gorgeous and the pool area feels very luxurious. As a young couple, we enjoyed the bar area and played pool every night before heading into town. The only downside of this hotel, in my mind, is that it's not really within easy walking distance of town so just keep in mind you have to take a taxi (or motorbike) every time. It's also a bit of a trek to the beach.

We had heard good things about this hotel from friends who had stayed there and overall were not disappointed. Despite being a few kilometres from the old historic town of Hoi An where all the action is, we had no trouble getting a taxi (US$4) there as the advertised shuttle bus service from the hotel to town and back, we discovered, had only recently been discontinued. We opted for a river-view room, a room situated right on the river bank in a building of six units. From there we observed life in the paddy fields opposite as farmers and their water buffalo tilled their fields as well as watch fishermen in the small boats cast their nets in the river. The room was very spacious, had a small outside balcony, was clean with all the usual inclusions including air conditioning, ceiling fan (not working), bathrobes, slippers, shoe cleaning gear, extra pillows, safe, tea-making facilities (no milk though), fresh fruit platter on arrival, bottled water supplied daily and laundry facilities (alternate cheaper laundry next door at US$1 per kilo). It also had a mini bar but the fridge smelt as it appears it was not working and suffered being closed. We are not great mini bar users and waived complaining as it really did not bother us. Bathroom was good although at times the drains were smelly as they tend to be in Vietnam - it seems some plumbing does not have adequate s-bends to prevent gases escaping up from the sewers. The staff were wonderful and you could not hope to meet a more friendly and helpful bunch with whom we had no problem communicating. Despite our expectations for food, we were to be disappointed. We ate at the restaurant one night and, despite a substantial reduction to eat there again on our last night, we declined. Instead, we opted for one of the many excellent restaurants in town. The reason? We ordered wine (very limited selection) and had to send two bottles back because they were spoiled.