Whale Island, Vietnam

Hello internet.

My name is Vicki, I’m 25, I live in Hong Kong and I am a travel addict.

For the last year I have been travelling somewhere new almost each month and have found some great places like Koh Ngai, Niseko and unfortunately some absolute dives….Crowne Plaza Jakarta sort yourself out! To be avoided at all costs! In the myriad of internet sites, lonely planet, trip advisors and travel agents I am going to attempt to give you, my blog reader (thanks Mum) an idea of the atmosphere of the places I visit so you can see if you fancy it yourself. I will also be highlighting great places to eat, tips, things to avoid, my soundtrack, my reading list and places to stay.

So without any further ado my first ‘experience encapusulator’ will be……(drum roll please)……VIETNAM.

With my best friend coming to visit Honkers we decided on a little trip over to the Nam for 3 days with the main aim being a lot of the old R&R and not much else. Despite the flights being more expensive than I had hoped, I thought Asia was cheap tut tut, I found a tiny island 2 hours north of Nha Trang called simply Whale Island, here it is on the map;

THE PLACE

There is only one resort on the island imaginatively titled ‘Whale Island Resort’ but it’s got everything you would expect – friendly staff, a bar, a restaurant, bungalows on the beachfront each with its own friendly gecko presiding over the bathroom. We called ours Gordon.

The island itself was absolutely beautiful and if you are into diving is supposed to be one of the best spots in Vietnam. Diving is taught by a very tall man that looks like one of the trees that talk in Lord of the Rings. White sand beaches, tranquil clear sea, palm trees complimented my horizontal position on my sun lounger perfectly and the right amount of breeze meant we were never too hot. The hours slipped by in a haze of reading Solar by In McEwan, listening to Clarence Carter with a lunchtime shandy thrown in for good measure.

THE ROOM

Basic but clean. A bargain for the 50 USD Price Tag for 2 people.

THE FOOD

Supper was a ‘eat what you get’ affair which I always like although not an ideal for veggies/vegans or fruitarians (insane people those people that only eat food that has fallen from trees). The food was good, but not great. Their main mistake was to put the menu for supper on the board outside the restaurant which left us in high anticipation for dinner as on paper the menu sounds good; Vegetable Soup with Croutons, Squid and Prawn Salad, Chicken Curry and Fried Banana – all good ideas but in reality really just a bit average and anti-climactic. It was a shame that they didn’t stick to the deliciousness of traditional Vietnamese.

THE PEOPLE

There are a lot of Frenchies that were staying on the island but they were all very friendly and did not just slurp red wine, crush garlic and duel with French bread batons like they do in Paris. We met 2 fantastic older frenchie couples holidaying together that had been friends for years and despite being in their mid 60’s acted like a bunch of teenagers. The two ladies were chic and French-like with their trendy glasses and perfectly tailored holiday outfits and the two men were like lusty pubescent boys chasing their girls into the sea and frolicking about splashing and doing handstands. They were hilarious as they danced along the beach, got drunk in the bar and had a definite joie de vivre that was lovely to see and actually a bit of an inspiration.

TIPS

Do not, I repeat do not go for one of the massages offered by the resort unless you have a sadist fetish and enjoy the feeling of being beaten up. My masseur used a strange technique of pressing my pressure points so hard I yelped in pain, followed by aggressive rubbing followed by pretending to do Tai Kwon Do on my skin even on my face and strangely particularly on my eyelids! I spent an hour lying there wondering when it was going to get better, it didn’t and then silently praying to all the gods I know the names of to make it stop.

Do make sure you settle yourself down to watch the sunset from the bar accompanied by a delicious cocktail, beautiful sun streaked sky over the mainland which is in sight of the island.

Definitely do eat the Pho on the second floor of Nha Trang airport with some spring rolls, even at 10 am in the morning. Quite simply the best raw beef pho I have ever had in my life, how can just a broth be that good?

Overall this trip ticked the revitalization box and delivered me back into Hong Kong well rested, with a slight tan/burnt bottom and a clear head – perfect after the debauchery of the Hong Kong Sevens. It was also really good value for money once we were there so if you can bag cheap flights a total winner all round. Kerching! I was a little sad not to eat more Vietnamese food and get a sense of the energy of one of the cities due to time constraints boringness however Saigon, which we only passed through in transfer looked awesome from my window seat in the air.

I’ll just have to go back again….which is absolutely fine by me.

V xx