it upsets me to write a bad review, and this in no way reflects on Hong (reception) who was really helpful.
firstly we put our trust in hotels that we book, so I asked for transfer from Ho Chi Minh. That was $72 for a 2.5 hour car journey. As soon as we arrived we asked for help in arranging transfer onto Chรขu Doc. It was either $165 for car (6 hours) or $265 for a slow boat ( no toilet etc) we choose the boat.
I appreciate that there was only 2 of us on the boat, and we were hoping for a more picturesque journey Along the Mekong, but it was far more Industrial than we had imagined, and a very arduous 14.5 hours journey.
Having now had further transfer costs, and speaking to others travellers, it does seem like we were made to pay over the odds for the transfers.
Another very small issue, but worth a mention was, this was booked due to a recommendation in Lonely Planet guide, which states free push bike rental. We borrowed bikes for around an hour, with no mention of rental costs, and then when we had to pay for the boat, we were charged for the bike rentals.
Having said that it is a quirky place to stay, Hong was very helpful when I discovered I had lost my bank card.
I would just advise you shop around for transfer costs if you are staying here.
