Singapore mayhem

Singapore sure has its fair share of hotels to choose from. Having never been, we're not really sure which area is the place we want to stay. I'm figuring we can't go wrong with Orchard Road... but who knows.

At this stage, Singapore will be about indulging in great food and giving the bank account a work out with some serious shopping. We're there for four nights, so we'll have time for chilling out as well.

So, the next week is about navigating which hotel to choose. Raffles, Grand Hyatt, Fullerton, Conrad, Mandarin Oriental... I could go on for paragraphs, But I won't. It's not interesting reading.

I'll come back when I've narrowed the field. And have a better idea about the best location to stay in...

Saigon sorted

The Park Hyatt has won the Saigon accommodation toss up. I can't go past its beautiful decor, the rooms look very un-hotel like and it gets rave reviews. Doesn't look bad at all, does it?

I'm pretty tired at the moment (pretty sure I've mentioned that before!) so I really want the Saigon and Singapore accommodation to be a refuge for time by the pool and sleep-ins. Not that we don't want to get out and about to see the cities (I've been to Vietnam before, but can't wait to go back as it's been ages and there's lots to experience in Saigon) but a balance is what we're after I'd say.

People keep telling me to let the hotels we book know it's our honeymoon. We've done that with the Six Senses and their service has been exceptional. So I'm going to let the Park Hyatt know and see what happens.

We lodged our visas for Vietnam last weekend, so once I get our Singapore accommodation booked (need to start researching - fast) it's down to the fun bit - reading up about the cities and deciding what to see.

Have a great weekend!

Saigon accommodation...

We have three nights in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, at the start of the honeymoon. Saigon is a much more romantic name, so I'm sticking with it.

In Saigon we plan to gain insight into the city's war torn past, with Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum, as examples, combined with much eating of the country's delicious cuisine, as well as time to relax. It's the first few days of our honeymoon and if we're as tired then as we are now then we'll need down time.

With that in mind, we're going to stay in one of Saigon's beautiful luxury hotels. As we get further down the road of planning this honeymoon, it seems we're not prepared to skimp on anything... We've narrowed the options down to the Park Hyatt Saigon and InterContinental Asiana Saigon. The first image is the pool at the InterCon and the second is a room at the Park Hyatt.

Both look beautiful, and offer what we're after - respite when we want to chill. The Park Hyatt is more expensive, but a level above the InterCon. Also, it was formerly the Brinks Hotel, the site Vietcong agents car bombed in an attempt to show the South and the US what would happen if they launched air raids against northern Vietnam. Not many hotels have such a place in history.

I don't think we'll be disappointed with either hotel, so this weekend's decision is which one.

Flights sorted

I've been remiss with my entries! Sorry, many wedding tasks and a last minute trip to Melbourne for work last week swallowed my time.

So, flights are booked! Fortunately Singapore Airlines had some great prices for the time we wanted to fly so we're able to have the honeymoon we wanted - Vietnam and Singapore. We're spending nine nights in Vietnam, three nights Ho Chi Minh City and six nights Nha Trang, then four nights Singapore.

We're also giving the A380 a whirl to see what all the fuss is about.

Next step - accommodation in Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. Does anyone have any recommendations? We'd love boutique, well located, gorgeous accommodation with a lovely pool, as it's going to be hot. Love to hear your thoughts.