COACH
We took the PuTa Travel open-tour coach. Booked @ :
259-261 De Tham St in Pham Ngu Lau, Dist 1
Tel 0838 379 879.
http://putatravel.com.vn
Email : info@putatravel.com.vn
Coach was clean and spacious, driver drove safely, departed on time.
Time taken to get there : 7.30am to 1.15 pm - 5hr 45min (30 min stop)
Time taken to get back : 2.02pm to 7.50pm - 5hr 50min (30 min stop)
Bus @ rest-point
PuTa coaches stop at their Mui Ne office and passengers are transported to their resorts by car from there. If you take Sinh Cafe coach, you'll be dropped at your resort directly; no transfer. For 80,000VND one-way, I cannot complain. If you have booked a 2-way trip like we did, remember to confirm your return trip a day before. Puta's Mui Ne Office tel is 0623 743 113.
SEA GULL (HAI AU) RESORT (3-STAR)
Rooms. The room we had was antiquated as were the furniture. It's not our kind so we didn't quite like it. The room was rather shabby but quite spacious as we had 3 double beds and a living room in it. We get the feeling that this isn't one of their regular rooms as the sheets, blankets and bed were not even of 2-star standard (even Sinh Cafe's 2 star resort looked so much better - I stayed there once). The other rooms that we saw in the resort looked much better. Mosquitoes were a nuisance in the room though - a problem a 3-star resort shouldn't have.
Not even 2-star, ya? But must admit it's big
The living room
Surroundings. The resort is big, the pool is big - overall, it looked good - nicely manicured and clean. There are karaoke rooms, a new spa (opened in Dec 08) that was not staffed for whatever reason, a tennis court, billiard room (free till 5pm; old tables though), a big pool and a restaurant/bar.
Nice pool
Well manicured
Presumably some of the nicer smaller rooms
Food. The chef cooked quite well but the menu was pricey. See my comments on alternatives below. Nicole and I went for a drink during their "proclaimed" Happy Hour (1 for 1) but was told that our order of "Blue Lagoon" had finished - when there was no customer in sight!!
Service. Service was poor. We asked whether we could get 2 rooms (seeing the condition of our current room) and the reception staff said that we had to pay US$30 more per day!!! That was on Friday when there was less than 10 occupants at the resort. They were not very helpful at all. When asked to extend our checkout by an hour (to 1pm as our bus pick-up was at 1.30pm), they were unwilling to give even though there were just a few guests left on Sunday. Finally, they grudgingly gave an extra half-hour to 12.30pm. On top of that, they had a lecherous male stuff who decided that he should hang around my two girls.
Local tour. The price for a jeep tour at the resort was quoted at US$24 per head. When asked, the reception gave us a "discount" - US$15 per head - US$75 for the 5 of us!! We decided to go out of the resort to see if we could get a quote from a local travel agent. Came across this very friendly young man, Dung at Kim Loan Restaurant (KLR) who said that he could arrange a jeep tour for the 5 of us at a flat fee of US$25!!! Later, I found out that the resort staff, on learning that we're booking the jeep tour with Dung, told Dung to charge us more. So much for service. The jeep turned out to be fantastic - in a much better condition than I expected. The bars were even padded. More about Kim Loan later.
(Afternote : It was recently reported in the local news that the market rate for a 4-hour jeep tour was US$25. Remember that!)
Best fish sauce in town
There are a few more places to eat but we only tried one other - "Before & Now" - price is on the high side and quality on the low, you're better off with Kim Loan or Cay Cau - the latter's menu prices look very reasonable although we didn't eat there.
The following are all within walking distance of Hai Au.
For fantastic and cheap seafood - value for $$$ - go to Popular Restaurant. It's about 5km from Hai Au. Took a cab down - cost 50,000VND one way. Had dinner there for 2 nights.
Address :
Lam Tong Popular Restaurant
92, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ham Tien, Phan Thiet
ACCOMMODATION AROUND FAIRY STREAM
We found out that KLR had 3 rooms for rent - at an unbelievable US$4 PER ROOM (2 beds and a fan) and on top of that, it comes with an attached toilet. Now that is certainly value for money. Coupled with this great family running it, you can't ask for anything more. Bryan is now planning his next trip there with his friends.
KLR has earned itself many admirers and fans from all over the world. Have a look at the comments :
PLACES OF INTEREST
Red Sand Dunes
Mui Ne Fishing Village
Family portrait at White Sand Dunes
The Lotus Lake White Sand Dunes is recommended over its Red cousin because it's bigger and less trampled. Of course it's also further - about 25km from KLR. But you won't regret it. The Red Sand Dunes have too many footprints - can hardly see any wind patterns in the sand.
Time taken to get back : 2.02pm to 7.50pm - 5hr 50min (30 min stop)
Bus @ rest-point
PuTa coaches stop at their Mui Ne office and passengers are transported to their resorts by car from there. If you take Sinh Cafe coach, you'll be dropped at your resort directly; no transfer. For 80,000VND one-way, I cannot complain. If you have booked a 2-way trip like we did, remember to confirm your return trip a day before. Puta's Mui Ne Office tel is 0623 743 113.
SEA GULL (HAI AU) RESORT (3-STAR)
Rooms. The room we had was antiquated as were the furniture. It's not our kind so we didn't quite like it. The room was rather shabby but quite spacious as we had 3 double beds and a living room in it. We get the feeling that this isn't one of their regular rooms as the sheets, blankets and bed were not even of 2-star standard (even Sinh Cafe's 2 star resort looked so much better - I stayed there once). The other rooms that we saw in the resort looked much better. Mosquitoes were a nuisance in the room though - a problem a 3-star resort shouldn't have.
Not even 2-star, ya? But must admit it's big
The living room
Surroundings. The resort is big, the pool is big - overall, it looked good - nicely manicured and clean. There are karaoke rooms, a new spa (opened in Dec 08) that was not staffed for whatever reason, a tennis court, billiard room (free till 5pm; old tables though), a big pool and a restaurant/bar.
Nice pool
Well manicured
Presumably some of the nicer smaller rooms
Food. The chef cooked quite well but the menu was pricey. See my comments on alternatives below. Nicole and I went for a drink during their "proclaimed" Happy Hour (1 for 1) but was told that our order of "Blue Lagoon" had finished - when there was no customer in sight!!
Service. Service was poor. We asked whether we could get 2 rooms (seeing the condition of our current room) and the reception staff said that we had to pay US$30 more per day!!! That was on Friday when there was less than 10 occupants at the resort. They were not very helpful at all. When asked to extend our checkout by an hour (to 1pm as our bus pick-up was at 1.30pm), they were unwilling to give even though there were just a few guests left on Sunday. Finally, they grudgingly gave an extra half-hour to 12.30pm. On top of that, they had a lecherous male stuff who decided that he should hang around my two girls.
Local tour. The price for a jeep tour at the resort was quoted at US$24 per head. When asked, the reception gave us a "discount" - US$15 per head - US$75 for the 5 of us!! We decided to go out of the resort to see if we could get a quote from a local travel agent. Came across this very friendly young man, Dung at Kim Loan Restaurant (KLR) who said that he could arrange a jeep tour for the 5 of us at a flat fee of US$25!!! Later, I found out that the resort staff, on learning that we're booking the jeep tour with Dung, told Dung to charge us more. So much for service. The jeep turned out to be fantastic - in a much better condition than I expected. The bars were even padded. More about Kim Loan later.
(Afternote : It was recently reported in the local news that the market rate for a 4-hour jeep tour was US$25. Remember that!)
Read it here.
Dung & Papa
Our jeep
FAIRY STREAM
The Fairy Stream is located about 50m from Hai Au Resort - I didn't know until Dung told us about it. The resort staff did not bother to tell us, of course. The Fairy Stream was nice - strolling along the little stream that flowed from the water fall (about 500m in). The scenery was nice as you can see below. We did not reach the waterfall though. Turned back about 3/4 way.
Bryan liked the FS so much that we headed out for it again the next day. This time, we took a different route and decided to explore the hilly terrain (behind KLR) and cut down to the stream. It was a great trek - we got to see many things that the normal tourist will never. Just take the path next to KLR, walk up the sandy slope, past a few tombstones near the top (that's your landmark so that you won't get lost) and then the place is yours to explore. We came across a new road which I believe will lead to the Red Sand Dunes. The waterfall was nothing to talk about though. (You need to turn right after about 400-500m to get to the waterfall. There is an old signboard to show the way, which leads to a small house selling drinks and coconuts, and surprise - there's a padi field there too.) Just ask for directions if you're lost. We had 2 self-declared tour guides (2 kids) who led the way. Gave them a tip of 20k to make their day. They're nice kids.
Up on the hill
Couldn't resist climbing this dune on top of the hill. Warning : Sand is HOT!
Found our way up but not down...yet
Down at last ...
then up again to the waterfall...
The new road that I think leads to Red Sand Dunes
FOOD
The nearest food place outside Hai Au Resort is Kim Loan Restaurant (KLR). The food is okay and the price reasonable . However, it was Dung made a world of difference when it came to service. Actually, you can't call it service as he was just being himself. Dung was always smiling, ever cheerful and jovial, and offered help without us having to ask. He walked us to the Fairy Stream, showed us a short cut and even helped us order the best fish sauce in Mui Ne. What a chap!
Dung & Papa
Our jeep
FAIRY STREAM
The Fairy Stream is located about 50m from Hai Au Resort - I didn't know until Dung told us about it. The resort staff did not bother to tell us, of course. The Fairy Stream was nice - strolling along the little stream that flowed from the water fall (about 500m in). The scenery was nice as you can see below. We did not reach the waterfall though. Turned back about 3/4 way.
Bryan liked the FS so much that we headed out for it again the next day. This time, we took a different route and decided to explore the hilly terrain (behind KLR) and cut down to the stream. It was a great trek - we got to see many things that the normal tourist will never. Just take the path next to KLR, walk up the sandy slope, past a few tombstones near the top (that's your landmark so that you won't get lost) and then the place is yours to explore. We came across a new road which I believe will lead to the Red Sand Dunes. The waterfall was nothing to talk about though. (You need to turn right after about 400-500m to get to the waterfall. There is an old signboard to show the way, which leads to a small house selling drinks and coconuts, and surprise - there's a padi field there too.) Just ask for directions if you're lost. We had 2 self-declared tour guides (2 kids) who led the way. Gave them a tip of 20k to make their day. They're nice kids.
Up on the hill
Couldn't resist climbing this dune on top of the hill. Warning : Sand is HOT!
Found our way up but not down...yet
Down at last ...
then up again to the waterfall...
The new road that I think leads to Red Sand Dunes
FOOD
The nearest food place outside Hai Au Resort is Kim Loan Restaurant (KLR). The food is okay and the price reasonable . However, it was Dung made a world of difference when it came to service. Actually, you can't call it service as he was just being himself. Dung was always smiling, ever cheerful and jovial, and offered help without us having to ask. He walked us to the Fairy Stream, showed us a short cut and even helped us order the best fish sauce in Mui Ne. What a chap!
Best fish sauce in town
There are a few more places to eat but we only tried one other - "Before & Now" - price is on the high side and quality on the low, you're better off with Kim Loan or Cay Cau - the latter's menu prices look very reasonable although we didn't eat there.
The following are all within walking distance of Hai Au.
For fantastic and cheap seafood - value for $$$ - go to Popular Restaurant. It's about 5km from Hai Au. Took a cab down - cost 50,000VND one way. Had dinner there for 2 nights.
Address :
Lam Tong Popular Restaurant
92, Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ham Tien, Phan Thiet
ACCOMMODATION AROUND FAIRY STREAM
We found out that KLR had 3 rooms for rent - at an unbelievable US$4 PER ROOM (2 beds and a fan) and on top of that, it comes with an attached toilet. Now that is certainly value for money. Coupled with this great family running it, you can't ask for anything more. Bryan is now planning his next trip there with his friends.
KLR has earned itself many admirers and fans from all over the world. Have a look at the comments :
PLACES OF INTEREST
Red Sand Dunes
Mui Ne Fishing Village
Family portrait at White Sand Dunes
The Lotus Lake White Sand Dunes is recommended over its Red cousin because it's bigger and less trampled. Of course it's also further - about 25km from KLR. But you won't regret it. The Red Sand Dunes have too many footprints - can hardly see any wind patterns in the sand.
