Private journeys built around the hotels
Tours · Pricing
What moves the price of a trip built around hotels
We do not publish a price on our journeys, and this page explains why. It also sets out what a quote is made of, which choices change it most, and how a cheaper quote for the same route is usually put together.
Why the journeys say "On request"
On a trip built around luxury hotels, the rooms are the largest part of the cost by a wide margin. Room rates at these hotels change with the date, the category and how full the hotel is that week. A price printed on this page would be right for a few dates and wrong for most.
So we quote per trip, after you send dates and the room level you want. The quote names each hotel and the exact category the hotel uses on its own website, and shows the room cost of each stay on its own line. You can then see what one more night, one fewer change or one category higher does to the total.
Breakdown
What a quote is made of
| Part of the trip | How we quote it | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Rooms | Per stay, by named hotel and named room category, breakfast included | Category, date, nights, occupancy |
| Halong Bay boat (if used) | Per cabin, by cabin size and boat size | Cabin level, weekday or weekend, season |
| Private car and driver | Per day or per transfer, one vehicle for your party | Party size, distance, days used |
| Private guide | Per guided day only | Number of guided days, language |
| Domestic and regional flights | Per sector, economy unless asked | Booking date, cabin class, how many sectors |
| Entrance tickets | At the published price on guided days | Which sites, how many days |
| Our planning and support | Included in the trip price, not a separate fee | Length and complexity of the route |
Nothing on the quote is grouped as "services" or "land arrangements". If a line cannot be priced on its own, we do not include it.
The levers, from largest to smallest
- Room category. The step from an entry room to a suite or pool villa is usually the largest single change you can make. It is also the one most worth making at a stay of four or five nights, and least worth making for two.
- Dates. Late December, early January and the Lunar New Year holiday push rates up across the region. Shoulder months on the edge of the dry season often price lower, with weather that is usually workable.
- Number of hotel changes. Each change adds a transfer, often a flight, and a half day in transit. Cutting one stop from a route rarely lowers the price by as much as people expect, but it nearly always makes the trip better.
- Flight sectors. Regional flights between countries cost more than domestic ones, and some run only a few days a week, which can force an extra night somewhere.
- Party size. The car and the guide cost the same for two people as for four, so per-person prices fall as the party grows. Rooms do not.
- Single travel. A single traveller pays for the whole room and the whole car.
Third-party costs we can state
| Item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Angkor Pass, 1 day | USD 37 | Valid on 1 day |
| Angkor Pass, 3 days | USD 62 | Use within 7 days |
| Angkor Pass, 7 days | USD 72 | Use within 30 days |
| Hoi An old town ticket, foreign visitors | VND 120,000 | Entry to several sites in the old quarter |
| Temple of Literature, Hanoi, adult | VND 70,000 | Opens 08:00 |
These are the prices published by the sources below, read on the date shown. They change without much notice; check before you travel. On guided days they are included in your trip.
Sources: Angkor Enterprise — tickets; VietnamPlus, 6 April 2023; Temple of Literature (Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam) · checked .
How a cheaper quote for the same route is usually made
If you compare our quote with another for the same route and ours is noticeably higher, it is worth checking the other one for these:
- Hotels named by star rating, or by name followed by "or similar" with no room category
- A room category that is not the one in the hotel photographs you were shown
- A boat in Halong Bay with three times the cabins of the one described
- Shared airport transfers, or one car and driver covering two parties
- A guide on every day, including beach days, priced cheaply because it is a different kind of guide
- Long drives in place of flights, which lowers the price and costs you a day
- Shopping stops on the itinerary
None of these is wrong in itself. Some travellers prefer a road day to a flight. What matters is that the two quotes describe the same trip.
When a 4-star hotel is the smarter spend
We say this in our quotes, so we say it here. Luxury rooms are worth their rate where you spend time in them: four or more nights, a beach, a pool after hot temple mornings, a valley outside a small town. They are worth much less on a one- or two-night city stop where you leave after breakfast and return to sleep.
On those stops a good 4-star hotel in the right street gives you most of what you need. Our hotel comparison marks where we would make that swap, and the sample North to South route shows a mixed version priced on its own row.
Plan your trip
Send dates and a room level
We reply with a quote that names every hotel and room category, with the cost of each stay on its own line.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Why is your quote higher than another company's for the same route?
Usually because the two quotes do not describe the same rooms, the same boat or the same car. Compare the named hotel and the named room category at each stay first; most of the difference is normally there.
If the hotels and categories really are identical, tell us and we will look at the rest line by line.
Can you give a rough price before I send dates?
Only a wide one, and we would rather not, because it is the number people remember. With a month and a room level we can give a quote that holds.
Do you charge a planning fee?
No. Planning is included in the trip price. You pay nothing until you decide to confirm.
Are flights and visas in the price?
Domestic and regional flights on the route are. International flights and visas are not.
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Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
A month, how many are travelling and any hotel you already want are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a first draft that names every hotel and room category.