ALL REVIEWS

Hi David – all over the jet lag and the self imposed “coronavirus isolation” – all well, no signs of virus!!!

 

In terms of feedback – I will call the holiday Part 1 (golf) and Part 2 (travelling)

 

Part 1:

• We had a fab time, the courses were wonderful.  Buggies and caddies seemed a bit excessive, but if that is how it has to be done so be it!


• Hotels were all very special – especially the hotel in Cambodia – truly lovely.  The Hotel in Hoi An was the “least good” – it was fine, and we were told we were upgraded to Executive rooms, but frankly if they were executive rooms, I dread to think what the ordinary rooms were like – rooms were small and very cluttered.


• We were very glad that we went to Hanoi for a few days before the golf otherwise we would not have been able to see Hanoi, and would have been straight into the golf the day after we landed.  It was great to have a few days as a tourist to see and experience the culture.


• We did find that there was a lot of travelling on this part of the tour which we had not really expected – we think with better planning, a lot of travelling time could be saved – for instance playing Ba Na Hills course from Hoi An, when it is very close to Lang Co (where we stayed at the Laguna Hotel) – with hindsight it could have been better to play Ba Na Hills from Lang co instead.


• One thing we did think was that there was no need for a guide on the days that we were playing golf.  The driver would have been more than ample.  All the guides did was accompanied us on the bus on both journeys – and added nothing really!

 

Part 2

• This part of the trip was really great – we had a good time, managed to keep away from touristy areas most of the time, and the hotels were very comfortable.  Especially the hotel in Phu Yen (Son Cau) – that merits a special mention.


• We enjoyed the flexibility of the two different guides – Dang who accompanied us to Ho Chi Minh City and Tin who was our guide in the Mekong.  They were both willing to be very flexible and help us to have the holiday we dreamed of.


• The downside was that the holiday was during the TET celebrations – we had not understood that everything will be closed for 7 days!  If we had not been such experienced travellers and if our guides had not been flexible, it could have been very different.


• The towns and cities that we visited on this part of the tour were lovely – we were not so keen on Nha Trang (too touristy) but Dang was able to get a local guide who took us up into the mountains and forests and enabled us to do some wild water swimming – fab.


• We were surprised that we had to tip so much on this part of the holiday $35 (plus extra for the extra guides added in) a day was quite a lot on top of the cost of the trip.  However, the guides and drivers were very good!


• Finally, just so you know, it was a good job we were able to make other arrangements for our golf clubs (friends took them home for us) as with TET we probably would not have seen them again at Ho Chi Minh City – everything was closed down – so it would have been unlikely that they left Da Nang!!

 

Hope this helps you to know more about the area and the tours.  All the feedback is meant in a constructive spirit.

 

Warmest wishes,  Helen and Viv

Hi Helen and Viv - thank you for the detailed feedback, thank God we got you home before COVID-19 spread across the world.

Dear David,

Thank you do much for your well crafted, personal and considered note.

I cannot even imagine the stress you must have under for the last few days  trying to run a business in the travel industry under these unprecedented circumstances.

Rest assured, when  not if , we can travel again, you will be top of the list I will turn to.

Thank you so much for all you have done! And, we will all have a fabulous short game! My biggest hope is that people will pull together and will be kind!

Thank you! And already looking forward to fabulous golf travel in 2021!

Rita

Thanks Rita - lets hope we are allowed to travel in April 2021

Hi David,

Many thanks for all that info and grateful thanks for your superhuman efforts on our behalf.

We have the greatest sympathy for you in this situation and fielding emotionally charged e- mails from clients must be a nightmare. Apologies if some of our worry has made your job harder but everyone involved has never been here before so it's unwanted new territory.

When we get back I will phone you and we can discuss the extra costs incurred. We understand that all of this is nobody's fault and are happy to share the financial burden with you.

Our own pursuit of clarity from BA is a separate issue which we will prosecute personally with them in the aftermath.

Let's hope there are no more government interventions as they in the main haven't a f*****g clue how to run anything in a business like way.

El Desafio was an unbelievable golf and personal experience for us both. Tears from us both at the awe and wonder that the surroundings illicited. Another Greg Norman masterpiece to surpass Danang last year. Helped us get a bit of perspective amidst the madness for a short while.

All for now and🤞it all works.

Best

Steve & Chris.

Thanks Steve - that was one of the best tours I have organised anyone anywhere, so glad that we got you home via Rio in the end.

Good result

Hermanus - the Cape Doctor was blowing but the course was still playable and forgiving, enjoyed it very much 8/10

Pezula (twice)- lovely steep inclines up and down, one suspension for sea mist, but greens slow 8/10

Simola - like Pezula but faster greens 9/10

Goose Valley, very hot day, playable and enjoyable, established and pretty 8/10

Pinnacle Point - severely windy, spectacular, very unforgiving, hard to pick distances, miss the fairway and lose your ball, so 7/10

Arabella - flat, another very windy day so tough to play but would be very playable in less wind, greens fast, 8/10

Stellenbosch - (my choice!) unspectacular, deceptively tough to score, but the only course where a wayward shot did not result in a lost ball( better to play de Zalza, I’m told. 6/10

Pearl Valley - in 30kph wind. Every tee shot designed for the wind to carry the ball into water, deep rough or bunker, with little protection from semi-rough. Designed to constantly create pressure, so not relaxing for a mid-handicapper. Many holes looked the same. In the wind, 5/10

I’d choose Hermanus , Goose Valley, and Simola as the most enjoyable, Simola the best.

S

Thanks Stuart -0 I am glad that we managed to rebook you in the Winelands to a nicer boutique property

Hi David

Thanks for the heads up. Yes we are home all flights good.

The world seems to have gone mad in the two weeks we were away. We all discussed self isolating in SA, better wine, food, golf and weather 🤗

But not to be.

We had a great holiday and great golf . Our first time at Fancourt. If golfers wanted a golfing heaven Fancourt would be top of my list.

Thanks for your help, best of luck with the rest of your clients. Stay calm and carry on is my advice.

All the best

Tim

Thanks for the feedback Tim, glad that you enjoyed the Manor House option at Fancourt.

Hi David

 

Had an absolutely fantastic trip, if exhausting.  Still getting over jet lag, but it’s not too bad now and at least I don’t have to work.

 

Weather is depressing but managed to get some golf in Sunday, if miserable and yesterday.

 

My comments and none of these are criticisms.

 

Of the hotels we stayed in the Hanoi Hilton Opera was my least fav, although breakfasts were good.  The location was great, just that it was more of a business hotel compared to the others.

 

Could we have flown directly to Cambodia and started there, to save a flight?  Hotel, trips and golf were excellent.

 

The last hotel, Angsana, was my fav, would have liked an extra night there.  Could have played at Ba Na Hills more easily from this ones, as we had a very long coach journey from Hoi An to play this course. It might have been a prob for food tho as not sure how far the hotel was from a local town.  The variety of food available was limited

 

Some of us had the chance to play Hoiana Shores which wasn’t fully open.  This would be a great addition to the programme if it could be fitted in.

 

Perhaps plating the Kings Course in Hanoi, could have been done at the end of the trip before flying back?

 

Can’t think of anything else, will email of I think of anything later

 

Thanks for a marvellous adventure, hope this helps

 

Regards

Dawn

 

Great honest feedback and we could add Hoi An Shores if there is ever a next time, there are no direct flights to Cambodia from the UK Dawn.

Hi David

 

Thank you for your email. The holiday was one of the best that I have ever been on.

 

Lora was outstanding in all respects. She mixed the tuition with the rounds of golf, tailoring her input according to what each person needed. She was very approachable and friendly. She resolved any issues that came up and liaised with Golf Asian as needed.

 

The group bonded really well and there was great atmosphere throughout.

 

The practical arrangements worked very well and there were no hitches. The direct flights were an excellent idea and Vietnam Airlines good (although their website is rather opaque). The transfers also proceeded without any problems. There was delay getting to the first course (King’s Island) and there was a rush to get to the tee. There was also an issue one day with the trip to Ba Na Hills but that was mainly due to excess traffic. We were late for the practice session but the round itself was fine.

 

Sightseeing-wise this was limited due to time but we had a particularly excellent guide in Cambodia (Kia) who was superb. The other two guides were fine. I would have liked to have had more time in Hue Imperial City as there was lots more to see there.

 

The hotels were all good and got even better as the trip progressed – the right order! Particularly loved the last one (Angsana).

 

I would thoroughly recommend the trip to others. It was very busy throughout with just one day “off” but that ensured that we made the most of the time which was fine.

 

Best wishes

Fiona

 

Loved putting the itinerary together for you all Fiona and thank God it was not a few weeks later with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hi David, I’d just like to say thank you ,we had a wonderful time. The trip was very well organised, the hotels got better and better as we moved through the holiday, the courses were something else and the service given by golf Asia was excellent. The group gelled very well and it was topped by Lora’s excellent coaching. I would definitely recommend the trip to anyone thinking of doing it. Memorable indeed.

Thanks again

Angie Bainbridge

Thanks Angela - it was a tremendous journey and took in the best courses in Vietnam and Cambodia

Hi David

The villa was excellent and we had a great time.

The hotel was as we had experienced before was very good, as was the food. The French restaurant was the preferred one by all, although the buffet still takes some beating. The cabana on the beach was a luxury! Weather was good.

Service on the whole was okay if a little slow at times particularly in the evenings around the main bar. Perhaps not enough bar staff? Worth you mentioning to the Hotel.

Very minor observation, as on the whole an excellent break.

 

Regards

 

Peter A

Thank you for the feedback Peter, the 3 bedroom luxury villas are beautiful at Serenity. They are ideally suited for families of 4-6 people. I will pass on your feedback to the hotel concerning the speed of service.