Accommodations can add a special touch to a journey, for while I usually don’t spend a great deal of time in them other than to shower and sleep, I have had the opportunity to luxuriate in some pretty fantastic “encampments.” Let me share a few that are on the top of my list.
SOUTHEAST ASIA: MEKONG PRINCESS – My last post showed a quite unusual river journey into the very depths of the jungle surrounding the Mekong River. However, much of our time traveling to various sites along the Mekong was in a more exquisite “riverboat,” The Mekong Princess, shown above. Built in Saigon and originally launched in 2015 this fantastic vessel was part of my journey through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with Abercrombie and Kent Travel. It is 207 feet long and can cruise up to a leisurely 13 mph. It has 14 luxurious suites, , sun deck, lounge, restaurant, spa and fitness center. This is by far the best experienceI have ever had getting from one point to another on a trip – almost like two separate journeys in one! Let me show you why.
As mentioned above, I rarely stay long in my “room” during a trip, but it was hard not to stretch out and watch the scenery of the Mekong River go by from my 500 square foot Angkor Suite, which included a private veranda accessed through double French doors at the most forward top section of the ship:
The inside of the suite can rival any 5 star land hotel:
However as lovely as this was, we spent most of our time on the sun deck while the ship was moving:
This was a great place to mingle and really get to know my fellow travelers, something you don’t often get to do on a journey. There were two additional common areas where we all laughed and talked and solved world problems – the lounge:
And the restaurant where every meal was a culinary revelation.
Every day we were wished happy journeys by the ship staff before we disembarked to our daily excursion. Upon returning, we were met with a cold cloth to cool our faces, a delicious fruit concoction to slake our thirsts while our footwear was taking from us. Later, when we returned to our suites after our nightly festivities and dinner, our footwear was at our door, sparkling clean and ready for the enact day’s adventure.
More to come!.
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