This town is what Jason and I would consider to be a quintessential perfect place to spend some time. In fact, we fell for this area so much we’re trying to convince my family who take an annual “family trip” to make this the next destination. We ourselves loved it to the point of extending our time here by two nights, and we could have easily tacked on more.

Where to begin with wonderful Hoi An? It all started with arriving to the beautiful Life Resort, located just a 5 minute walk from the central marketplace and old town. The grounds of the resort were spectacular, right on the banks of the Hoi An River. The spacious rooms, outside open air library, and gorgeous pool all made this a very comfortable retreat.

Immediately we set out to explore the town, and the first thing we noticed was how few vehicles were on the road – not near the congestion and onslaught of scooters we had experienced anywhere else, which actually made it possible to walk around without fearing for your life. This was automatic bonus points!

The town has a thriving artist colony so there are tons of unusual works of art you can check out and of course purchase. This is also the place to get yourself a new wardrobe, with over 400 tailors in the city that in two days can whip up a new outfit for you. Unfortunately, we didn’t indulge in this treat, but someday we’ll be back for our new custom-made getups.

The amount of character and personality this town has is difficult to describe. It has maintained a historical quality with its blend of Japanese and Chinese architecture; as well it also has a French colonial feel to many of the buildings. The winding small streets and alleyways are filled with wonderful local restaurants, most of which offer cooking classes, tons of shops to peruse, and most importantly lots of friendly people who just want to say hi. Unlike many other cities that have become built up and over run, this town has no high rise buildings, as well lacks the often times tacky bright neon lights that can take away from the natural beauty and authenticity of a place.

This town is so special that it also has its own food specialty called a “white rose” that it’s known for – it’s a type of shrimp dumpling made from translucent white dough bunched up to look like a rose that is absolutely delicious. We definitely had our fare share of the white rose.

Hoi An is a great place to share a wonderful meal with newfound friends, as we did with Marie and Damon.  We feasted on a 5 course meal at Brother's Cafe overlooking the Hoi An River.  Although the food was way over-priced and just okay, the company was superb, and setting beautiful. 

So, not only to you have a beautiful river that cuts through the area, a quaint town to wander, eat and shop around, tons of things to do (we ourselves did the Red Bridge School Cooking Class one day), BUT you also have a beach located about a 5 minute drive away. We spent one day lounging on Cua Dai Beach, eating some fresh seafood, swimming in the water, and watching the sun go down - that was a perfect day.

There truly is nothing not to love about this unique town of Hoi An, except for the time it comes to leave it. We will certainly return someday to this special place!