Next stop... Dalat

For residents of Vietnam's overcrowded and overheated Saigon,.Dalat is the perfect place to escape to for a few days.

Dalat looks like a cross between Vietnam and the French Alps. Many of its hotels and houses are built in a European/ French style. The city spreads across a series of pine-covered hills, with a small lake in the center and surrounded by a man made lake and higher peaks, making for some lovely scenery quite different from the rest of Vietnam. Temperatures are pleasantly warm by day, and quite cool at night, down to perhaps 10 degrees C.

There is a steady flow during some parts of the year of tourist from all walks of life and places, small hotels, cafe's lining its streets and plenty of small shops offering anything from orchids to knitwear.

In Dalat you can view a bit of the French legacy, the Indochine legend and its momentous glories and the architecture untouched by the Vietnam conflict left behind,a unique place to enjoy the atmosphere of a unique country and its people.

Dalat is also surrounded by some of the best mountain biking, hiking and canyoning opportunities in Vietnam, with hills of coffee and tea plantations, Dalat's high altitude (1500-2000 m) and fertile landscape make it one of Vietnam's premier agricultural areas, producing varieties of fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee and flowers that don't grow in the lowlands.

In markets as far north as Hanoi and Hai Phong, vegetable and flower vendors will tout their "made in Dalat" produce.

And accommodation  here?...  Ana Mandara Dalat 

A total of 70 accommodations spread between seventeen individual, original French colonial villas. Rooms are independently furnished and are true to their original design and décor. Each villa consists of between three and six en-suited rooms, and includes the following shared areas for residential guests:

• Lounge area and open fireplace (most of villas)
• Dining room
• Outdoor terrace and sitting area
• Kitchen and pantry

A feature of each villa is the surrounding landscaped areas and expansive views of local urban life and farming countryside

or the Sofitel Dalat Palace

Unparalleled comfort and tranquility await you in our elegant and spacious rooms and suites, which radiate the atmosphere of a royal past. Enjoy the timeless elegance of the ornate furnishing, the finest silk draping, lavish bedding and elegant cast iron bathtubs with époque tiling and features. Rest and ponder in front the romantic fireplace or range your view from the balconies over the splendorous landscape.
The Palace Hotel Dalat is a living monument of European tradition and style, in the heart of vibrant and colorful Vietnam. The Palace provides luxurious accommodation for those who are looking for the combination of luxury, unique individual service, and grand style.

BOTH ways, you're in for a treat!
The Golf Course
Situated on 5000 feet (1500 m) above the sea level in the cool central highlands of Vietnam lies Dalat Palace Golf Club. At 7,009 yards length. Dalat Palace Golf Club is an enjoyable challenge for golfers of all levels.