Location
Hanoi is a huge city and I had no idea where the best location would be, I just wished to be close to some of the main sites. The hotel is located in the Old Quarter, hidden on a quiet road, a stones throw from the busy streets. It is a short 20 minute walk from Hoan Kiem Lake, which has a beautiful Jade temple. Hanoi train station is a 15 minute walk. Many of the Old Quarter’s must visit attractions are within 1 -2 miles of the hotel, though in Hanoi’s hot and humid weather means it isn’t the most walkable city (the motorbikes don’t help either).
Hoa Lo Historical Prison and some great coffee shops are all within easy walking distance of the hotel. I found the location to be very quiet during the day but at night all of the street food vendors appeared and the area came alive.
The Room
I stayed in a triple room on the 8th floor. It was really big and had all of the amenities I would wish for. This included a safe, coffee making facilities and complimentary water. However, I found the room to be really loud because I could hear the generator running from the roof of another building at all hours of the day. I also had the unfortunate location of being next to the elevators so I was able to hear drunk guests stumbling back to their rooms.
The room had two double beds (for me) and a camp bed for my photographer to sleep in. The standard of a four star hotel in Vietnam differs a lot from what I am used to in Europe but the beds were comfortable so I cannot complain about a hotel I only used to sleep in. I refuse to pay excessive amounts for 5 star luxury when I am not going to make the most of the hotel and it’s facilities. The vintage décor of the hotel fitted in perfectly with the city, it reminded me of Italy where everything is mismatched and old.
I still cannot get over the beautiful view I had, and I spent a few hours sitting on the windowsill watching the sunset pain beautiful colours across the sky, before the city lights appeared. Hanoi is a beautiful city of mismatched colours, hidden in amongst modern skyscrapers.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was clean and had all of the basics I needed, including a really powerful shower. I was impressed with the amount of complimentary amenities available in the room, I almost wished I hadn’t brought any toiletries with me because I could have just used the ones at the hotel.
Dining
Breakfast was a simple, Vietnamese affair that I hadn’t allowed myself to prepare for. I don’t know why my furry blue brain thought that I would be getting an English style buffet. Sadly, the options for vegetarians were very limited, but I managed to find enough to eat each morning. Eating noodles for breakfast brought back memories of Hong Kong, where I ate more noodles than I care to admit.
I was disappointed to find the limited coffee available, Vietnamese style coffee is a unique style of expresso topped up with condensed milk. There was milk available for the cereal, so I ended up making a DIY expresso coffee that filled me with energy for the entire day. Sadly, there was no tea available during my stay, I would have been more than happy to convert to green tea and wait to find coffee elsewhere.
Facilities
The hotel has a spa onsite, and the rooms have a fully stocked minibar, along with tea and coffee making facilities. I didn’t have time to enjoy a massage but I did make time to sit and enjoy the view from the rooftop bar (and maybe have a couple of cocktails).
Surprisingly, few guests were using the rooftop bar which is a shame but the hotel don’t really advertise the view you can find. The rooftop bar is surprisingly affordable in comparison to many other bars with a 360 degree view of the city, though it is slightly more expensive than the majority of surrounding bars at ground level.
Overall
I found the hotel to be a great base for exploring Hanoi’s old quarter and some of the surrounding shopping areas. The room was clean and big enough for a comfortable stay, even if I could hear the other guests at all hours. I would definitely use this hotel again, but will definitely be requesting a quiet room.
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