Readme before you journey
Dalat-Mui Ne: An Affordable Getaway for Under $100!
Dalat: A City of Flowers and Chilling Temperatures
Dalat, known as the "City of Flowers" and a popular destination for its cool climate, lived up to its reputation during our recent trip. With a group of nine eager travelers, we meticulously planned our itinerary, booking flights, securing accommodation, and packing essentials, including snacks, dipping sauces, and chili pastes. However, our meticulous preparations hit a snag upon arrival: we had forgotten to pack long-sleeved shirts.
The temperature at the Dalat airport was already noticeably cool, and as we ventured into the city, the chill intensified. Realizing the extent of our oversight, we decided to search for suitable clothing near our hotel. This experience confirmed the city's reputation for year-round cool temperatures. A friendly reminder to future travelers: pack long-sleeved shirts for a comfortable Dalat experience.
Day 1: Departure from Suvarnabhumi Airport
We met at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 9:00 AM and departed at approximately 11:30 AM. After checking in and having lunch, we were ready to embark on our adventure! We booked our flights with Thai VietJet Air, which offers direct flights from Suvarnabhumi to Dalat every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The flight was comfortable and affordable, costing less than 5,000 baht. You can book your tickets at www.vietjetair.com.
Upon arrival at Dalat Airport around 1:00 PM, we sought out airport taxis to reach our hotel in the city. We encountered taxis offering a fixed price of 200,000 VND. Two taxis were required, resulting in a total cost of 480,000 VND for both, including expressway tolls. (1 Thai Baht = 695.24 Vietnamese Dong. For current exchange rates, please refer to: https://www.mataf.net/th/currency/converter-THB-VND) We exchanged 5,000 Thai Baht each. Some friends exchanged for US Dollars, but it's worth noting that US Dollars are difficult to exchange. Therefore, it's advisable to exchange for Vietnamese Dong directly.
The text describes a small taxi, likely a hatchback, that can accommodate four passengers. It advises negotiating the fare upfront to avoid additional charges. Taking a taxi is recommended due to its efficiency and time-saving nature, ensuring a quick arrival at the hotel.
We have arrived at our accommodation, Saphir Dalat Hotel. We booked it for 3 nights at a little over 2,000 baht per night. The room is amazing! The bed is huge, and it can comfortably accommodate three people. Almost every room has a bathtub. There is no air conditioning here, as the weather is already cooler than air conditioning.
The hotel is beautiful, with countless angles perfect for taking photos.
The bed is very wide. Three people can sleep in this room.
It has a bathtub.
This hotel also has a collection of vintage cars on display for guests to take photos with.
After packing our belongings, we searched for a tour to take us sightseeing the next day. Our initial plan was to travel with 8 people, with one friend joining us the following day. Therefore, we needed to find some places to visit in Dalat first. We ended up booking a tour recommended by the hotel for 6,800,000 VND + 75 USD. This tour included sightseeing in Dalat for the next day and a trip to Mui Ne the following day, covering everything. They said "Jingle Bells" at the end, haha.
Actually, there are buses to Mui Ne, but we didn't have time, so we opted for this travel option. If you arrive on the first day and explore Dalat, then take a bus to Mui Ne the next day, it would be much cheaper. Recommendation: Negotiate the price clearly or record the conversation. We thought we wouldn't get scammed this time, but we did in the end. However, it wasn't exactly a scam; they just didn't tell us everything. I'll continue sharing the details as we go.
This evening, we rented a car with a driver from this tour company for 400,000 VND per 8 people. They took us to take photos at Domaine de Marie Church, eat at the famous snail restaurant Quán Ốc 33, and then to Still Cafe, which was unfortunately closed. On our way back, we stopped at the night market near our accommodation, which was incredibly lively. We were surprised to see so many people out and about on a weekend evening.
I went down to buy a snack on the way up to the church. I don't know what it's called, but it was delicious. I saw a lot of people selling it. It tastes similar to the egg-filled Tokyo treat we have at home.
Let's have dinner at the famous snail restaurant Quán Ốc 33.
The venue was packed to the brim, with locals showing immense enthusiasm.
Once everyone was seated, they ordered a feast.
The order included a hot pot (as we call it in Thailand) and stuffed clams with minced pork, which looked like this...
The clams have arrived! Don't be fooled by the overflowing bowl; there's a hidden layer underneath. We ordered several bowls for this meal. These clams resemble cockles but are much larger and come stuffed with minced pork. They are incredibly delicious when dipped in our homemade seafood sauce. (For picky eaters like me, I recommend bringing your own dipping sauces, fish sauce, and soy sauce to ensure you can enjoy the meal regardless of the situation. 555) This meal cost 1,611,000 VND for 8 people.
After the driver dropped us off at the hotel, we went out for a stroll at the night market. There was a plethora of food!
This restaurant is crowded with people, similar to a mala hotpot restaurant in our country.
Stir-fried ice cream... delicious!
It's very crowded...
The city gets colder as the night deepens. Even though it's late, people here are sitting in coffee shops like they're in bars. Let's go back to the hotel and sleep. We'll continue our exploration tomorrow!
The First Stop: Da Lat Railway Station
The first stop on our journey was Da Lat Railway Station, where the entrance fee was 40,000 VND. We planned to take some cool photos with the locomotives, but unfortunately, we forgot to do so. As a result, we only have one photo to show for it. You can find the location on the map below:
I came back today after arriving late yesterday when the shop was already closed. Still Cafe is a very cute shop... I noticed that people here really like to drink coffee. The cafe was full of people. At first, I thought it was only tourists, but the locals also come here to hang out. Here's the map >> https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Still+cafe/@11...
There are many great photo spots here, and there are also several cafes in the back. Don't forget to stop by!
The third spot is the popular Hoa Son Dien Trang Ecotourism Destination, where you can take stunning photos of the landscape with your hands. The entrance fee is 240,000 VND for 8 people. You can find the map here: >> https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Ecotourism+des...
Let's shake our stylish outfits! Let me tell you, the line at the back is super long. If we shake too much, the staff here will come and tell us to hurry up. They can even speak Thai, haha.
The air is good, very good. After the rain, the fog floats around.
After that, let's have lunch at Cây Rừng Đà Lạt/Quan An Cay Rung. The food that will probably be most familiar to us is the grilled chicken, which is very delicious. This meal was the most expensive, costing 2,204,000 VND for 8 people. Here is the map: https://www.google.co.th/maps/search/c%C3%A2y+r%E1%BB%ABng+%C4%91%C3%A0+l%E1%BA%A1t%2FQuan+An+Cay+Rung/@11.9076682,108.4054519,12.48z
A fish soup with some kind of bamboo shoots. It looked like it might smell fishy, but it didn't.
Outside seating… I suggest sitting outside. Because if we sit inside, we will immediately look like we are selling grilled chicken!!! Because from the surrounding tables, it will accumulate on us, both confused and…^^
After lunch, let's digest with a roller coaster ride at Datanla Waterfall. If you want to see the waterfall, you either have to walk or take this ride. Trust me, you don't want to miss it! The entrance fee and round-trip roller coaster ride cost 60,000 VND per person. Here's the map: https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Datanla+Waterfall/@11.9009491,108.4465586,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x317114a1a4b93341:0xf8ce8eb72915c065!8m2!3d11.9009491!4d108.4487473
No text provided for translation.
Here it is… Datanla Waterfall.
This photo was taken because it was about to descend. It's not dangerous.
The sixth stop... take a ride on the Dalat Cable Car Station to see the city from a cable car... oh my god, it's so good! But it's a bit scary in the middle, but if you come, you have to ride it! **Not suitable for people who are afraid of heights.** The one-way fare is 90,000 VND per person because the rental car will pick you up on the other side on the way back. The map is here >> https://www.google.co.th/maps/search/Da+Lat+Cable+...
Each side can accommodate 2-3 people.
The provided text is empty. Please provide the text you want me to translate.
The descent offers stunning panoramic views of the city.
Before concluding our trip for the day, we made a quick stop at another cafe, Route 66. This cafe is absolutely amazing! It's the perfect size and has a lovely ambiance. The coffee is delicious, and there are countless photo opportunities. Our total bill for coffee came to 345,000 dong. You can find the location on the map below: https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/Route+cafe+66/...
The sentence is empty.
The sentence is already in English and does not require translation.
The day's trip ends with everyone going back to their own rooms. We had dinner with the dried food we brought because we were too tired to go out. We have to wake up early tomorrow to take a round trip to Mui Ne! We were scammed in the first round. As I mentioned before, we bought the tour on the first day for 6,800,000 VND + 75 USD. The tour operator picked us up with two cars today for our tour in Dalat. However, for tomorrow's trip to Mui Ne, they informed us that there would only be one car left. They said that we would have to pay an additional 1,800,000 VND to add another car. We asked repeatedly if we would have to pay anything else, and they said no, no, no. So we paid the money and got ready to go to the desert. I'll tell you later when we were scammed in the second round!
Before heading out of town this morning, we stopped by the iconic green dome, DOHA Cafe, a trendy spot for taking photos.
A stopover on the way to Mui Ne. We traveled from Dalat to Mui Ne for almost 4 hours, and the ride was quite bumpy due to the extensive road construction.
Mũi Né is a coastal town, and a must-try is the seafood. We arrived around noon and the driver took us to lunch first. I don't have any pictures because everyone was so hungry! The cost of this meal was 1,010,000 VND for 9 people, which is very cheap. Before heading to the desert, we were taken on a tour of the area, riding in a Jeep to 4 different locations. However, due to limited time, we only visited 3: White Sand, Red Sand, and The Fairy Stream.
We have arrived at White Sand! The driver who brought us here informed us that if we want to take an ATV from the top to the bottom, we need to pay an additional 400,000 VND per person. Oh no! The tour agency told us that we didn't need to pay extra. My friend called to ask, and after some discussion, it turned out that we had to pay. The tour agency in Mui Ne said that we were not the only ones who encountered this situation, and almost everyone who came here experienced the same thing. Well, to be honest, the overall price is not expensive. However, they should have informed us about everything beforehand. ***After dividing the cost, it comes out to 2,200 Thai baht per person, but we get to explore for two days, so it's worth it.*** We are ready to go on an adventure!
The wind is very strong, and the sand is blowing onto me. It hurts...
This pose is amazing... Thank you to our beautiful model, N'Nim. ^_^
The driver stopped along the way for us to take pictures, and the service was excellent.
Another stop is Red Sand, which is free to enter. You can park on the side of the road and walk up. There is a lot of garbage at the bottom, so it is better to walk up to take pictures.
The Fairy Steam is a natural red clay formation with a ankle-deep water path. As you walk barefoot along the path, you will encounter oddly shaped red clay formations.
Translation:
The journey from Mui Ne concluded around 6:00 PM, arriving in Dalat at 10:00 PM. The group dispersed for the night, planning to reunite the following morning before heading back to the airport. Their itinerary included a taxi ride to the hydrangea flower garden and a visit to a café.
Hydrangea Garden: A Must-See in Da Lat
This hydrangea garden is a must-visit for anyone traveling to Da Lat. With its vibrant blooms and picturesque setting, it offers the perfect opportunity to capture stunning photos.
Note: Due to recent heavy rainfall, some flowers may be slightly damaged.
Entrance fee: 15,000 VND
Location: Link to Google Maps
The sentence is empty.
Translation:
There is no text to translate.
An Cafe, a charming cafe near your hotel, is a great place to grab a coffee before heading to the airport. Check out the map for directions: https://www.google.co.th/maps/place/An+Cafe/@11.94...
The seats are super comfortable... but before we get too relaxed, let's head to the airport!
Two taxi drivers, whom I called, informed me that they would pick me up and drop me off at the flower garden. They also agreed to pick me up again when I was ready to go to the airport. The drivers were very reliable and trustworthy, and they charged me exactly according to the meter. The total cost for the trip to the flower garden and the airport, including expressway tolls, was 1,670,000 dong.
The trip to Dalat and Mui Ne was amazing, and it was possible to do it on a budget of less than 10,000 baht. As the in-flight magazine said, "Dalat, one visit is not enough." We will definitely be back!
Thank you to all my fellow travelers…
Bloggers sometimes don't know everything, so we have to experience it ourselves before we can tell you about it. ^_^
The sentence is already in English and does not require translation.
เที่ยวทั่วไทย ไปไหนดี
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 7:31 PM
