My husband and I took a fabulous river cruise down the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers in Cambodia and Vietnam arranged by Linda Androlia of Sunstone Tours & Cruises. We started with a pre-cruise trip in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the gateway to Angkor Wat. She arranged for us to stay at the luxurious Sofitel resort in Siem Reap. We had amazing guides who were so knowledgeable about the monuments and their history. We went to four breathtaking sites. It seems that each Kmer king during the 9-11th centuries built their own Hindu temples each being more spectacular than the last and Angkor Wat being the most impressive, especially at sunrise.
From Angkor Wat, we boarded our ship, the Amadara from Amawaterways. It’s beautifully appointed and each room, no matter the cost, has a balcony. The food was delicious and plentiful. We got a taste of food from Southeast Asia. Every day, we disembarked for a new adventure, whether it was to be blessed by Buddhist monks or visit to a fishing village. We sailed down the rivers learning the history of the area from our tour guides.
Finally, we ended up for a post-tour at Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, a bustling metropolis with lots of motorbikes making it a challenge to cross the street. We stayed at another Sofitel hotel that gave us a delicious buffet breakfast with foods from around the world.
Linda saw to it that we were met at the Siem Reap airport by a guide who helped us through customs and baggage claim. The same was true when we left Vietnam. Onboard there were many gifts including a bottle of sparkling wine upon our arrival, a Cambodian scarf and a Christmas present of local crafts from the crew. We flew on Cathay Pacific Airways which provided us with a very comfortable flight and excellent service.
Linda is knowledgable about different river cruises. Small ships and river cruises is what her company does. We had heard about Viking and others. She felt we would enjoy AMA as the best of the options. We had a marvelous time and hope to book other cruises in the future.
— Andrea from Los Angeles
