Dean & Jo's Midlife Travels

22/03/2025

This is the hotel we stayed at while in Da Nang, Vietnam. We were misled into booking it by its photos, which, as you'll see in the video, looked nothing like reality, as well as its surprisingly high rating of 9.2 out of 10. We booked a week in what was advertised as a VIP suite with a whirlpool bath bath, but the reality was far from VIP. And the swimming pool? Well, that was a whole other story!

We booked a week at The Star Hotel in Da Nang, drawn in by its impressive 9.2 score on Booking.com. We reserved the VIP Suite with a whirlpool bath bath, expecting ...

21/03/2025

When we stayed in Da Nang we went independently to the Marble Mountain. We really enjoyed it here but highly recommend getting the lift! The taxi from the centre of Da Nang was only about £4. Personally we didn't like Da Nang and cut our week short here.

Join us as we visit the famous Marble Mountain in Da Nang, Vietnam, exploring it independently after catching a taxi from the city center. While taking in th...

19/03/2025

When we were in Phu Quoc, we visited Sunset Town and took the cable car to Hon Thom Island. It was a fantastic ride, and the water park was great fun. We were amazed by the scale of the construction on the island and the amount of investment going into Phu Quoc as a whole.

oin us as we take a breathtaking ride on the Hon Thom Cable Car, the world’s longest sea-crossing cable car, soaring over the stunning turquoise waters of Ph...

17/03/2025

Having travelled Thailand & Vietnam for the past 10 weeks we have to say this beach in Phu Quoc was one of the best. Beautiful sand and sea and no plastic pollution!

🏖️ Is this the Best Beach in Vietnam? We visit Khem Beach (Bãi Khem) in Phu Quoc, a hidden paradise with soft white sand, crystal-clear waters, and a peacef...

16/03/2025

This was a fantastic day in Phu Quoc! We hired a car and visited the POW camp, stumbled upon one of the best beaches in Vietnam , and then drove up to visit Starfish Beach.

Join us on an epic road trip through Phu Quoc, Vietnam! 🚗🌴 We hired a car and set off on an unforgettable adventure, visiting some of the island’s most fas...

16/03/2025

It might be chilly but the sea front looked stunning today in Torbay.

13/03/2025

When we were in Phu Quoc we visited Vietnam's largest theme park and Grand World. The day we went to the Theme park it was literally empty. Dean also managed to end up on a rollercoaster that broke down on the top of a loop!

Join us as we explore Vietnam’s largest theme park, VinWonders, and the incredible Grand World – and to our surprise, it was almost empty! 🤯 From thrilling ...

09/03/2025

Reality has kicked in! 1st time doing a proper shop in 10 weeks.

08/03/2025

We thoroughly enjoyed this trip to the Meekong Delta from Saigon and it represented excellent value for money.
We even braved drinking the snake wine!

Details of the tour herehttps://www.getyourguide.com/ho-chi-minh-city-l272/mekong-delta-small-group-tour-from-ho-chi-minh-city-t60784/Ever tried snake wine? ...

08/03/2025

Our day in Ho Chi Minh City where we dropped out of the walking tour and did our own thing exploring the city. This was when we did the evening night cruise and secured amazing front row seats for under £10.

We started our day in Ho Chi Minh City with a walking tour, but with so much information and too much standing around, we decided to ditch it and explore at ...

07/03/2025

Our last day in Dubai—and the final full day of our trip—was spent doing absolutely nothing! As part of our hotel package, we had transfers included to their beach club on the Palm Jumeirah. Sunbeds were £20 each, but you got £10 back to spend there. It was a really lovely day and well worth the money. It was great to relax and reflect on the past couple of months.

We were never sure if we would like Dubai, but since we were passing through, we decided to make it a four-day stopover. We ended up really enjoying it and would definitely do a stopover again.

Now, the journey continues back to Devon. We want to thank the thousand-plus of you who have joined our page over the past 10 weeks, followed our journey, and shared some fantastic advice and tips along the way.

Our minds are already thinking about where to go next—and one of us might just be heading somewhere quite exciting next Friday!

06/03/2025

https://youtu.be/qqsZU32IIIw
This was when we spent the day exploring Kuala Lumpur, and it exceeded our expectations! Dean indulged in a viral kebab takeaway and even got a haircut. We visited an indoor theme park inside a shopping mall and wandered through some incredible street food markets. Plus, we’ll show you where you can enjoy a stunning rooftop view overlooking the Petronas Towers—for free!

Join us as we explore the vibrant city of Kuala Lumpur in just one day! 🇲🇾 From iconic landmarks like the Petronas Towers to bustling street markets, hidde...

06/03/2025

One word I never expected to say in Dubai… bargain!

The beach club included with our hotel serves Moretti for £11.50 a pint—but the good news is they have an all-day promotion: buy one, get one free! Makes it the same price as the UK.

06/03/2025

These bikes are a fantastic way to get around Dubai. Operated by a company called Careem, they are conveniently located at 193 stations across the city. Simply download the app, pay 20 AED (£4.23), and enjoy unlimited use of electric bikes for 24 hours. The only catch is that each ride is limited to 45 minutes at a time, but with so many stations around, it’s easy to swap bikes before your time runs out. We’ve explored all over Dubai on these, and our favorite experience has been cycling around Dubai Marina at night. They’re especially handy when using the Red Metro Line, as bike stations are conveniently located outside each stop.

05/03/2025

It's a good job the towels are plentiful and the pool is heated as it is a bit chilly up here sat in the shade.

05/03/2025

Sat on the beach and this guy randomly passes us on a 🐪.

04/03/2025

We arrived in Dubai yesterday afternoon. Dare we say it—but after Bangkok, the evenings here feel a bit chilly, so we’ve been wearing our jackets! The days, however, have been pleasantly warm.

We're staying in Dubai Marina at The First Port Marina hotel, which, despite its frustrating lifts, is a nice place to stay. We opted for half-board, as we weren’t sure how expensive dining out would be. Normally, we prefer to explore different restaurants, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that our package includes a choice of 20 restaurants across Dubai if we don’t want to dine at the hotel.

On our first night, we were so tired that we decided to eat at the hotel. We had the option of either a buffet or a three-course steakhouse dinner at it's steakhouse restaurant, and we chose the latter—it was incredibly filling! As hotel guests, we were also offered discounted alcohol, with a draft lager costing £7 and a glass of Prosecco just £5, which we found very reasonable.

For our second night, we dined at a sister hotel’s restaurant, which specialises in Middle Eastern cuisine. The service and food were absolutely fantastic.

Tonight, we've just returned from the Burj Khalifa, where we enjoyed the stunning water show and the mesmerising light display on the tower.

03/03/2025

Early morning start ready for our next destination.