Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 892

ACCOMMODATION
Check that you're accommodation has hot water and
heating - necessities in Da Lat during the colder months.
Chau Au (Europa) 76 Nguyen Chi Thanh T 063 3822870.
Popular, well-run mid-range hotel, with an English- and
French-speaking owner. Rooms are simply decorated but
homely an d clean; some come with balconies ($20).
Double $15
Dreams 1 and 2 151 and 164b Phan Dinh Phung T 063
3833748, W dreamshoteldalat.com. Two neighbouring
mini-hotels with well-equipped and spotlessly clean
en-suite rooms, all with massaging power-showers and
some with jacuzzi bathtubs. Generous free breakfasts
(complete with Marmite and peanut butter) and friendly
staff have made these a hit with travellers. Dreams 1
has smaller rooms, but has a sauna, steam room and
commu nal jacuzzi on the upper level. Call to reserve.
Double $25
★

7.30am-5pm) is a great place to watch
the entire process - from the sorting of
the cocoons to weaving them into
beautiful fabrics. A local snack of
cooked silk-worm grubs, which have
a nutty and not entirely unpleasant
flavour, is provided.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane Lien Khuong Airport is 29km south of the
city, off the road to HCMC: Vietnam Airlines shuttles
(45,000VND) run from here to their o ce at 2 Ho Tung Mau
two hours before scheduled flights; a taxi or xe om will
cost about 340,000VND or 240,000VND, respectively.
Destinations Da Nang (daily; 1hr 20min); Hanoi (2 daily;
2hr 15min); HCMC (4 daily; 50min).
By bus Buses arrive at Da Lat's long-distance bus station,
about 2km south of the centre, and most public buses
leave early in the morning from here. Open-tour buses will
drop you off at their respective o ces. You can buy tickets
for daily open-tour bus departures to HCMC, Mui Ne and
Nha Trang from Sinh Tourist inside the Trung Cang Hotel
at 4a Bui Thi Xuan ( T 063 3822663, W thesinhtourist.vn)
or most hotels.
Destinations Buon Ma Thuot (5hr); HCMC (7-8hr); Hoi An
(16hr); Mui Ne (5hr); Nha Trang (4hr).

11

Hai Long Vuong Log 6, Tran Le T 090 9862901,
E [e-mail]. The friendliest guest-
house in town, a 10min walk from the centre. The English-
speaking owner is always on hand to ad vise and most
rooms have great views over Da Lat. Double 350,000VND
Villa Pink House 7 Hai Thuong T 090 5883224. So pink
that you can't miss it, this welcoming, family-run
guesthouse has spacious, modern rooms, some with
balcon y. Mr Rot's “secret tour” of the area is worthwhile.
Double $18

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Motorbike tours Xe om drivers charge $20-25 for a
day-long tour to local pagodas, waterfalls and ethnic
villages. If they don't find you first, look for the Easy
Riders (70 Phan Dinh Phung; W dalat-easyrider.com.),
a group of war veterans who have been conducting
highly rated tours of the area for the past twenty years.
English-, French- and German-speaking guides are
available, and their local knowledge is unrivalled. Each
Easy Rider carries identification and wears a black-
and-blue jacket to distinguish them from the many
impersonators in town, but membership is not as
exclusive as it once was and some say standards have
dropped. Many other xe om drivers are decent too -
discuss your itinerary before you set off to ensure that
your guide is knowledgeable and speaks good English.
Trips through the Central Highlands, ending up in Hoi An,
HCMC, Nha Trang, Mui Ne or even Hanoi, are all possible
(approx $80/day, including accommodation).
Activities Phat Tire Ventures at 109 Nguyen Van Troi
( T 063 3829422, W phattireventures.com) and Groovy
Gecko Tours at 65 Trong Cong Dinh ( T 063 3836521;
W groovygeckotours.net) both organize recommended
adventure trips including hiking, mountain biking,
climbing and canyoning; prices start at $30 for a day's
hike to $170 for a two-day all-included off-road mountain-
bike trip.

EATING AND DRINKING
Pho and com are cooked up on the second level of the
central market during the day, and in the surrounding
streets at night. There are also one or two vegetarian stalls,
signposted as com chay .
★

Chocolate Café 40 Trunh Cong Dinh. Super-friendly
service and an eclectic menu distinguish this little place.
You can't go wrong with the spring rolls, aubergine mains
or fried ice cream; in season, try the avocado milkshake.
Mains from 75,000VND. Daily 8am-10pm.
Da Quy 49 Truong Cong Dinh. Popular restaurant with
French bistro-style decor, offering decent Western dishes
and local specialities such as fish stewed in a clay pot.
Mains 55,000-100,000VND. Daily noon-10pm.
Dalat Train Café 1 Quang Trung. Take the first left after
Ga Da Lat for this converted train carriage-cum-café. The
menu is mixed Western and Vietnamese but the ambience
is the biggest attraction here. Mains from 80,000VND.
Daily 8am-10pm.
News & Art Café 70 Truong Cong Dinh. A stylish,
bamboo-clad restaurant serving delicious Vietnamese
dishes, such as fresh spring rolls and caramelized claypot
fish. The restaurant doubles as a gallery displaying
the owner's artwork. Mains 75,000-85,000VND. Daily
11.30am-10pm.