Carole Samuels

We spent 7 nights in February on Pandaw’s ‘RV Tonle’ boat cruising on the Mekong from My Tho, an hour from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap. The boat is attractive and wood-clad throughout to replicate an ‘old world’ style of ship. The cabin accommodation was comfortable, though storage facilities were a little limited. Air conditioning was reliable and offered a welcome escape from the heat. Although sometimes described as a balcony, each cabin actually opens on to and is accessed by a shared walkway on which chairs are situated, not a private area. Service in the restaurant and everywhere on the ship was friendly and very helpful; it was lovely to return fromexcursions and be greeted by smiles, cold towels and cold fruit juice. Meals were generally of a good standard although breakfasts were a little lacklustre and we would have preferred quick buffet-style lunches at lunchtime, rather than having much lengthier, waiter-served meals. Everything was very well organised and ran smoothly from embarkation to the arrangements for the various excursions. Excursions were offered every day, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These were generally excellent and most enjoyable; accompanied by guides, we were given some real insights into Vietnamese and Cambodian life. A highlight was spending some time with some lovely Cambodian school children who were keen to converse with us and impress us with their knowledge of English. In order to make our journeys interesting, we were transported for our excursions by a large variety of different vehicles - motorised sampans, canoes, carts drawn by scooters, horses and oxen, Cyclos and Tuk-Tuks - lots of fun!

In general, the cruise was an excellent and easy way to see lots of interesting things and places and we would thoroughly recommend it.