Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [137]
Trong Dong 220 Phan Dinh Phung. See map "Da Lat & Around". Impressive service and menu at this three-floored restaurant, with tasty sugar-cane prawns and a Vietnamese special salad (shrimps, peanuts, lotus gourd, pork and herbs), in a refined setting. 9.30am–9.30pm.
V Cafe 1/1 Bui Thi Xuan. A bit removed from the budget hotel district, but worth tracking down for its cosy atmosphere and good cooking, including some great homemade pies and cakes, at affordable prices. 7am–10.30pm.
Viet Hung 7 Nguyen Chi Thanh. One of a clutch of cafés offering partial views across the lake. Vietnamese and fast food that caters to Western tastes (fruit shakes, soups, pizzas and pancakes), with internet and wi-fi too. 6.30am–11pm.
Villa 9 Le Lai. Refined and expensive dining in one of the beautiful villas at the Ana Mandara complex west of the city centre. Treat yourself to the slow-cooked New Zealand lamb ($23) or the sweet and sour tiger prawns ($16). 6am–10pm.
The central highlands | Into the highlands | Da Lat and around | Eating, drinking and nightlife |
Cafés, bars and discos
Café De La Poste 12 Tran Phu. See map "Da Lat & Around". Modern, French-style café opposite the post office on Tran Phu; part of the Sofitel empire, so smart but pricey (buffet breakfast $8, set lunch or dinner $13.50). There’s also a smart Vietnamese restaurant, Y Nho Y, upstairs. 6am–10pm.
Café Tung 6 Khu Hoa Binh. Leather upholstery, dark varnished wood and 1950s French crooners on the sound system: truly a café lost in time. 6am–10pm.
Golf 3 Nightclub 4 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. Situated beneath the hotel, this is one of the few places in town where you can party. 6pm–1am.
Larry’s Bar Sofitel Dalat Palace. Wood-panelled bar in the hotel basement that tries a little too hard for a rustic European look; its casual ambience belies the relatively high prices. 4pm–midnight.
Saigon Nite Bar 11a/1 Hai Ba Trung. Da Lat’s long-standing Western-style bar, with friendly, welcoming staff, pool table, darts and a reasonable selection of CDs. The guest books chronicle a stream of drunk but contented customers. 3pm–late.
Skyview Café Golf 3 Hotel. Perched on the hotel’s top floor, this is a fine venue for relaxing over a beer and watching the city unfurl below. 1–11pm.
The Hangout 71 Truong Cong Dinh. A new place aimed at travellers, with a pool table, cheap beers and motorbikes for rent. 9am–midnight.
The central highlands | Into the highlands | Da Lat and around |
Listings
Adventure tours Phat Tire Ventures, 73 Truong Cong Dinh (&063/382 9422, www.phattireventures.com) is located in the budget district and offers treks of one or several days, beginning at around $20 per day including permit, guide and food, as well as mountain-biking, rock-climbing, abseiling and canyoning trips.
Airlines Vietnam Airlines Booking Office, 40 Ho Tung Mau (daily 7.30–11.30am & 1–4.30pm; 063/383 3499).
Banks Vietcombank, 6 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, and Sacombank on Hoa Binh Square change traveller’s cheques and cash, and have ATMs.
Hospital Lam Dong Hospital, 4 Pham Ngoc Thach 063/383 4158.
Internet access Many hotels and guesthouses provide internet access and wi-fi, sometimes free to guests, while NM Net at 9 Truong Cong Dinh charges 4000đ per hour.
Police 9 Tran Binh Trong 063/382 2032.
Post office 14 Tran Phu (daily 7.30am–5.30pm), with poste restante, IDD, fax and DHL courier services.
Sports There’s an eighteen-hole golf course at Da Lat Palace Golf Club, Phu Dong Thien Vuong, 063/3821201. The Sofitel Dalat Palace and Novotel Dalat have tennis courts.
Tourist offices Da Lat Travel Service, 34 Hoa Binh Square 063/351 0993, www.welcome-to-vietnam.com; Dalattoserco, 7, 3 Thang 2 063/382 2125, www.dalattoserco.com.vn; Dalat Travel Bureau, 1 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai 063/351 0104, www.dalattourist.com.vn; Sinh Café, 4a Bui Thi Xuan 063/382 2633; TM Brothers, 58 Truong Cong Dinh 063/382