Indochina Grand Stays, 16 days

Day 1

Arrive in Hanoi

Your driver meets you after customs at Noi Bai and takes you into the old centre. Rooms at most luxury hotels are ready mid-afternoon; when your flight lands early we request early access, and if the hotel cannot confirm it we can book the room from the night before so you can sleep on arrival.

The suggested hotel is Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, opened in 1901, with rooms in the Heritage Wing and the newer Opera Wing. The quote names the wing and the room category.

Day 2

Hanoi with a guide, then the hotel

The Temple of Literature in its first opening hour

Your guide meets you after breakfast. The Temple of Literature opens at 08:00 and is quietest in the first hour. From there the car drops you at the edge of the Old Quarter for a walk through the trade streets, ending with lunch at a place chosen for what you said you eat.

Back at the hotel by early afternoon. The rest of the day is yours; most travellers sleep, swim or walk the few minutes to Hoan Kiem Lake once the heat goes.

Day 3

A day with nothing booked

We leave this day empty on purpose. The hotel is in walking distance of the Opera House and the French quarter. If you want a guide, a cooking class or a car for the afternoon, ask at the quote stage and we add it with its own line and price.

Day 4

Hanoi to Halong Bay, one night on the water

Checkout after breakfast and the drive east by expressway. Boarding time depends on the boat and is shown on your quote. The bay — 1,133 islands and islets in the UNESCO listing — is seen at its clearest from the boat in the late afternoon and at first light, which is why one night is enough.

We quote boats by cabin count and cabin size rather than by name, because the same route is sailed by boats of very different sizes. Ask for a smaller boat and we show the difference in price.

Day 5

Halong to Hoi An

This is the longest transfer day of the trip, and we say so up front. You disembark after brunch on board, drive back to Noi Bai, and fly to Da Nang. The car takes you south to Ha My beach. You arrive in time for dinner.

The suggested stay is Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, an all-villa resort of 100 villas on Ha My beach. Its entry category is an ocean-view one-bedroom villa; a pool villa is the most common upgrade.

Day 6

Hoi An old town, early

The old town before 09:00

Your guide collects you at 07:30, before the day visitors. The old town is a UNESCO site of 1,107 timber buildings, and the ticket for foreign visitors covers entry to several of its houses, halls and temples. Two to three hours on foot, then back to the beach before noon.

The afternoon is at the resort. Hoi An after dark, when the lanterns are lit, is a short drive away if you want to return without a guide.

Day 7

The resort day

Nothing booked. This is the day the resort is for. If you want to swim, read and eat by the sea, the rest of the route has been arranged so that you can.

Day 8

Optional: My Son, or nothing

The My Son temple ruins are inland and better seen early. We price a private morning there as an option, not as part of the route. On a 16-day trip with four hotel changes, a second free day here is usually the wiser use of the date.

Day 9

Hoi An to Siem Reap

Whether a non-stop runs between Da Nang and Siem Reap on your date is something we check at quote time. When there is none, this day connects through Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City and takes most of the day. The quote shows the flights and any connection.

The suggested stays are Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, opened in 1932 in the town, or Amansara, 24 suites in a former residence for royal guests, about ten minutes from Angkor Wat.

Day 10

Angkor, the first morning

Angkor Wat before the midday heat

The temple gates open at 05:00. You can go for sunrise or go at 07:00 after breakfast; both work. Your guide plans the morning around the heat: Angkor Wat and the Bayon before 11:00, then lunch and the hotel.

A 3-day Angkor Pass is included. It is valid for any three days within seven, so we spread your visits across the stay rather than doing them back to back.

Day 11

Angkor, the outer temples

A second morning further out — Ta Prohm, Banteay Srei or Preah Khan, chosen by your guide for the light and the crowds on that date. Back at the hotel for lunch. The late afternoon is free; some travellers use the pass a third time for sunset.

Day 12

Siem Reap to Luang Prabang

The non-stop flight from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang runs only a few days a week and takes about an hour and a half. The whole route is ordered around it: if your dates do not match, we move a night between Hoi An and Siem Reap rather than adding a connection.

The suggested stays are Rosewood Luang Prabang, 23 rooms, suites, villas and tents in the Nam Dong valley outside town, or Amantaka, 24 suites on a garden estate below Mount Phousi.

Day 13

Luang Prabang on foot

Your guide meets you early. The town is a UNESCO site on a peninsula where the Mekong and the Nam Khan meet, and most of it is easiest to see walking. If you want to watch the morning alms round, we brief you on where to stand and what not to do. The Royal Palace Museum is on the main street.

Day 14

On the Mekong

A private boat upriver for a morning, with stops chosen with your guide. Back for lunch at the hotel and a free afternoon.

Day 15

The last free day

Nothing booked. A long breakfast, the pool, a walk into town in the late afternoon. It is the day that makes Luang Prabang feel like a stay rather than a stop.

Day 16

Departure

Luang Prabang has a daily non-stop to Hanoi for onward connections. We request a late checkout to match your flight; it is a request to the hotel, not a promise, and we tell you the answer before you travel.