Luxury Travel Testimonial - Part 3:
Central Highlands & Nha Trang Beach
 We returned by plane from Siem Reap in Cambodia to our home away from home in Ho Chi Minh City , that is the Majestic Hotel. We then traveled the next day by plane to the town of Buon Ma Thuot . This was the first step in order to visit the Central Highlands, a mountainous region known for its coffee plantations, national minorities, scenery and the Yok Don National Park . The guide and driver met us at the airport and accompanied us throughout the tours of the Central Highlands, that is Buon Ma Thuot and Dalat. After having completed the visit to this part of the country, the same guide and driver drove us to our next destination, Nha Trang. 
Here we are with the guide in Dalat (Picture 11). The roads in this mountainous area are very good, even though sinuous. But the most important ingredients are firstly an excellent driver who knows all the curves and local driving habits and secondly of course a great van. This is what we had. In Buon Ma Thuot there are museums which depict and relate the history and life of the national minorities as well as the contemporary history of the area and its peoples. The hotel we had booked is the best one in town, a very simple but clean hotel, Thang Loi. From this city one can travel to the Yok Don National Park and make a short visit here on the back of an elephant, a very safe and unique way to see at least part of the Park (Picture 12). If you are very interested in wildlife, then we would suggest that Luxury organizes for a stay overnight in the Park itself so that you can observe the vegetation, birds and animals in the morning and during the day with a local Park guide. We visited the new tourist accommodations in the Park. They are very impressive. The Vietnamese government is most interested in developing this type of wildlife and eco-tourism. Take advantage of this situation. Make sure that Luxury advises you to travel during the appropriate season so that wildlife is abundant and can be observed.
After a drive through the mountains with impressive views in the area and interesting stops in the countryside, we arrived in Dalat, one of the most important cities in the central Highlands.
One of the highlights is the actual accommodations. The Sofitel Dalat Palace Hotel, a fully renovated former French colonial building, makes one feel so much at home that we did not want to leave at the end  of our stay. This view from the terrace restaurant where we had breakfast every morning tells its all (Picture 13). And the rooms preserve all the charm of the colonial architecture and design era but with completely modern amenities as is the characteristic of the Sofitel hotel chain (04). The very first few hours in Dalat will convince you that the French had quite good taste in choosing this era as a place to build their villas as a summer get-away from the summer heat in Saigon. The Botanical Gardens is worth a visit as are the museums and former government residences which relate the important history and culture of the region. The market in Dalat is one of the liveliest in the country. Make sure to visit it at night as well. Dalat is the place from which to branch out and visit the national minorities in that region. As is the case with all the Luxury Travel guides, ours was able to introduce us to the home of a local elder of one national minority village. Here we are with the guide and the elder in the village (Picture 14) and his home which we visited while he related some aspects of the history of the area in relation to the French and later American eras. Here we are with some children in the village.
Our next destination was another well-deserved break on the beach. We had opted for Nha Trang, a few hours three/four hour drive from Dalat with the same guide and driver. We had chosen the Sofitel Vin Pearl Hotel located on an island just off the main beach area of Nha Trang. What seemed a bit complicated while working out this part of the itinerary by email several months before our departure from Canada, with the advice and help of Luxury and the efficient service of the hotel, it went so smoothly. We registered at the hotel reception on the mainland with the help of the guide. Once again as on Phu Quoc island, there is no need for a guide and driver. We waited 15 minutes for the next regular private hotel ferry which brought us to what proved to be an island paradise (10 minute boat shuttle). The bay and beach was one of the most beautiful we have ever seen, and the Nha Trang Bay is in fact considered to be one of the most scenic bays in Asia. The hotel and room location was the key to this paradise. It is worthwhile requesting and paying for a sea-view room on the fourth floor. Great view from the private balcony. There was also a very unique surprise. Being on the this floor at the time of year during the months of February/March we kept the balcony patio door open all night, no air-conditioning. The only sound we heard: the continuous rhythmic sound of waves hitting the beach. What a great way to relax and catch up on some sleep! The beach itself (Picture 15), the quality of the sand and the sea is great. The diving is even better than in Phu Quoc. The moral of the story as far as we are concerned is this: Vietnam is known for its friendly people, history and culture. This was surpassed during our visit, for example the variety and content of its museums was more than expected. The country however seems to be is less known for its sun and beach get -aways. These are highly underestimated. There are many possibilities for this, and so Vietnam vacations consist of an excellent way to combine learning/culture tours with leisure on the beach, practicing snorkeling and diving as well. And at that time when we were in Nha Trang we had not yet discovered an even better place to combine these two aspects, Hoi An.
If your time is really limited and you want to combine both features of what Vietnam has to offer, as far as leisure sun and beach, with the advice of Luxury you can choose between Phu Quoc, Phan Tiet or Nha Trang. This decision will of course depend as well on the logistics of your chosen itinerary. You can also add one more to this list, Hoi An, our next stop.
Arnold August
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