NEVILLE & JILL PINKHAM, AUSTRALIA, CLASSIC MEKONG, NOV 2016
My husband and I travelled downstream on the Mekong Pandaw, departing Siem Reap on 12 November.
As soon as we stepped on board we both felt the best part of the cruise was going to be the vessel. However, we were not quite correct, because the crew and the service we received were exceptional as well. The Mekong Pandaw is the real lady of the Mekong and even when we passed other Pandaw ships from time to time, we were happy that she was ours!
The food service was fabulous with a wide choice of both Asian and western dishes, and the wine package turned out to be such a good idea that we would recommend it to others. Our fellow guests were from the UK, Canada, Germany, Australia and a small group of Americans joined the ship at Phnom Penh. The sun deck, which stretched the entire length of the ship was a wonderful place to relax, catch a cool breeze and enjoy a pre-dinner drink (and an after dinner one as well).
Pandaw provided one Cambodian guide, Som, and two Vietnamese guides, Wang and Giang and the changeover took place when we crossed the border into Vietnam. They were all excellent guides who imparted a great deal of knowledge about their respective countries and made us feel that our visit to their part of the world was appreciated, especially in Cambodia where the tourist dollar certainly assists some of the local people. The excursions were interesting, fun and quite different, and usually happened twice a day. The ability of the ship to dock right on the shore and put down a gangplank was a terrific way to start any excursion.
We can't speak highly enough of the crew, most of whom seemed to multi-task! The shoe cleaning, cold towel, hand sanitiser and welcome back drinks after each excursion were great, and at night in the dining room and at the bar their friendly faces made dining a pleasure. The local entertainment on board, especially the children's performances, were very enthusiastic.
Last but not least, our beautiful cabin which was spotlessly clean, became a little oasis where we could cool down, have a lovely hot shower, and at the end of the day provided us with a wonderful soft bed to collapse into - being a tourist is hard work. A note here; there is a handy cupboard under the bed for your suitcase, and the dimensions of our bags were 65 x 45 x 25 cm and they fit quite well, but any case much larger would have a problem being stowed.
Well done Pandaw - we would highly recommend this voyage to any traveller as the best river cruise to get a true feel for luxury and adventure - what more could you ask for.
Neville & Jill Pinkham
Sydney, Australia
