All kinds of lodging

One of the most exciting things in planning this trip has been selecting where we are going to go & where we will stay. We have rested our weary eyes & substantial luggage in lodgings across the full spectrum, from 5 star to 1 star, from jungle hotels to floating hotels & lots in between.  It has been an interesting experience in each one.

• On one end has been 5 star properties which have been a welcome respite from life on the road. The 40 degree pool,  daily tai chi classes with Mr William, one of the world's best breakfasts, daily gifts - Intercontinental Hong Kong & a suite in Nha Trang Intercontinental where we received presents everyday
• An enormous bond villain suite at one of my bucket list hotels - Intercontinental Danang.  This hotel is superb.  It is 40 minutes from Danang in Son Tra, set on a mountainside.  A finicular & buggies are used to get around the property because it is so big.  The baths are sunken and enormous (we had 2 different rooms & both were amazing).  The only downside is the distinction between kid-friendly & child-free locations & experiences
• A jungle hotel an hour from Luang Prabang, basic lodging in the middle of the jungle surrounded by all of the sites & sounds you would expect in the middle of a jungle
• A floating hotel room in Don Khone, Si Phan Don right on the Mekong, that moved every time a boat went by (& given its the Mekong which everyone uses as their freeway, it moved a bit!)
• Enormous apartments in La Residence, Siem Reap & Somerset Apartments, Ho Chi Minh.  Both of these gave us the opportunity for cooking which was really welcome as one gets sick of eating out after such a long time
• Two bedroom rooms in Two Moons hotel in Kampot
• Suites of unexpectedly large proportions in Dhavara Hotel in Vientiane, Champasak Grand Hotel in Pakse, Laos & Samanea, Kep & Victoria Hotel in Hoi An
• Very basic, small triple rooms that housed only the beds & a bathroom in Billabong Hotel Phnom Penh, Pakse Hotel, Pakse & Hoi An Gardens, Hoi An but where we also received the most wonderful hospitality, including a free dinner for all guests which was a lovely occasion to meet some other people
• 4 places where there was no hot water which did not set us up for as good a travel day as we might have hoped - all in Laos where the infrastructure is still developing but where the prices don't quite match.  This has been frustrating. 

Our choice of lodging has been important for days when we have needed a little break, especially after a long car journey or where we have stayed somewhere for a few days.  We have tried to set a realistic but not too challenging pace & have built in a couple of rest days where we have planned nothing & done little except play games, write in our journals & sleep.  These have been amongst our favourite family days.