5D4N Itinerary for Danang, Vietnam
Day 1 - Hoi An Old City
I booked Dai An Phu Villa which was close to the beach, quiet, new and costs me less than S$100 for 2 nights including daily breakfast. I didn’t plan much for the first day but found that the hotel provided complimentary bicycle so off I went, taking my daughter on my bike to Hoi An Old City. It was about a 30 minute ride and there wasn’t much traffic until we were close to the Old City so the ride was relatively safe and easy. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a beautiful fusion of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, and European architecture, reflecting its rich history and cultural diversity. The atmospheric streets are lined with lanterns, bustling markets, traditional wooden houses, and ancient temples, offering a glimpse into the town's glorious past. Lucky for me, it was the night of their Lantern Festival and it was bustling! There were colourful lanterns everywhere, wandering sellers peddling toys and gadgets, night market shopping and street food to nibble on.
It was unfortunate that I didn’t research on where to eat on the first day and ended up at a random riverside restaurant which served mediocre food but the view overlooking the river and the main walking street made up for it. I would highly recommend that you take a look at Tripadvisor for restaurant reviews at Hoi An, something which I did the next day.
Day 2 - An Bang Beach and Hoi An Old City
We left around noon time to head to An Bang beach and spent about 3 hours there. There were plenty of seaside restaurants and each of them had its sun beds on their part of the beach so you can choose whichever fancies you. The water was pretty cold in February so we didn’t swim but only soak our feet at the shore and ordered seafood platter for lunch (which is necessary to use the decks on the beach). We head back to Hoi An Old City for dinner in the evening.
Day 3 - Marble Mountain and Mikazuki Japanese Resort and Spa
It was time to leave Hoi An and head into the city of Danang. As I will be putting my luggage in the car to my next accomodation, I booked a transfer and tour to Marble Mountain and Monkey Mountain instead of using taxi. This mountain is not stroller friendly as there were plenty of steps so take note, mummies. There are numerous caves in the mountain but some of them are inaccessible to toddlers. What is absolutely worth entering is the Huyen Kong Cave which had various Buddhist Sanctuaries. Check out the sun peering into it. It was magnificent. There is a narrow and steep path that leads you to the summit and that can be done with a toddler. There was a 360 degree view of the city, to the beach and it was gorgeous. We spent about 2 hours hours at mountain, had lunch and went straight to the hotel for my daughter’s nap time.
For families with young kids, we highly recommend you to stay at Mikazuki Japanese Resort and Spa. They are a Japanese chain of resort and they have a large indoor and outdoor water park, infinity roof top pool, 3 restaurants, a Japanese cafeteria, family friendly public onsen that you can enjoy with the entire family and also private onsen for your personal pleasure. The latter would require you to adhere to the Japanese onsen rules. We checked into the Family Ocean View Room which was left me in awe. It had 2 queen sized beds, plenty of room for my daughter to run, a huge balcony with 2 day beds and a bathroom with an outdoor tub and an indoor shower. We went up to the rooftop infinity pool for a short while and went for dinner at the restaurant. They also have a daily light show which we went for. I booked the room inclusive of the onsen access and water park tickets for about S$150 per night on booking.com but also found that Klook offers them, so please check the promotions at the time of booking.
Day 4 - Bana Hills and Waterpark at Mikazuki Japanese Resort and Spa
The breakfast spread at Mikazuki was extensive with a selection of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean and International food. We headed straight to Bana Hills right after. A 30 minute drive from the hotel and we were at the bottom of the hill. Bana Hills is a must-visit destination in Danang, known for its stunning scenery and unique attractions. The most iconic way to reach the top of Bana Hills is by taking the world's longest non-stop single-track cable car, which offers breathtaking views of the mountains and lush forests below.
We explored the Golden Bridge, a stunning architectural feat that appears to be held up by two giant stone hands, wandered into a French Village with cobblestone streets, manicured gardens, colorful buildings and ended up at the Fantasy Park - an amusement park with fun fairs, exciting rides and arcade games. We spent the most time at the 3-storey indoor arcade as it was toddler friendly. The show stopper was a hut atop a mini hill which offered the best view of the entire park and mountain but please watch your little ones closely when you’re up there.
It is 4,900ft above sea level so I did get a lil altitude sickness and descended by late afternoon, got back to the hotel and went for a swim at Mikazuki’s infinity pool and played at its waterpark till dinner time.
Day 5 - Mikazuki Japanese Resort and Spa and Flight
Our flight was in the late afternoon so I planned to spend our day in the hotel having its awesome breakfast, using the onsen and waterpark after checking out as it is possible to do so with the waterproof wristbands for daily access.