Victoria Chau Doc Hotel – a review.

I selected the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel as it gave me a break during my journey from the Mekong Delta to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. I precisely picked this location due to its proximity to the pier where my speedboat to Cambodia was scheduled to leave.

Travelling across a country can be exhausting, even for a dinosaur like me. I was surprised to realize that I didn’t feel rejuvenated after long drives because I was always busy looking out of the window or using Google Maps to identify my whereabouts. Although I had planned to explore the nearby town initially, the hotel’s fantastic pool caught my attention. I decided to stay and enjoy the facilities instead.

The Location

The hotel is situated on the bank of the Bassac River, which is close to the Three River Crossing, a bustling hub of activity located in the heart of the Mekong Delta. The location of this hotel is great, as it is near the town centre and within easy reach of the pier where you can catch a speedboat to Cambodia. It takes about an hour to reach the Vietnam-Cambodia border by boat from the hotel. Chau Doc is a charming town, with an incredible mix of cultures that blend perfectly.

Although there isn’t much to do in the town, there is a great coffee shop opposite the hotel where you can sit and watch the busy street below. A small park is 300m away from the hotel, and it’s a great place to observe the boats going in different directions as the river bifurcates here. Across the hotel, there is a brightly coloured fish farm that I saw while passing by on the ferry. It was amazing to see how big it is. Many people use Chau Doc as a stopover while exploring the An Giang region and the Mekong Delta.

The Room

The hotel is a beautiful, French colonial building with rooms on the second and third floors. During my stay, I was fortunate enough to have a large room on the top floor. Some reviews on TripAdvisor mentioned that the hotel decor was old-fashioned. However, a colonial hotel in the Vietnamese countryside should have a unique character and charm. If you’re looking for modern luxury, I suggest staying in Sheraton Can Tho. 

The spacious room had three comfortable beds, a seating area and a huge wardrobe where I could store my photographer. Each bed had a side table, and I loved the wooden decor and small ornaments that reflected the local area and culture.  

The hotel supplies a plug-in insect repellent to keep the bugs at bay. They also had signs advising about the animals that may appear in the room. I didn’t enjoy seeing the mosquitoes in the bathroom. However, the hotel did everything to avoid too many insects, a hard task in a sub-tropical climate. 

The balcony

My room had a small balcony overlooking the street. However, during my stay, the hotel staff advised the door stayed shut because it was rainy season. The hotel kindly provided signs with information about some of the less friendly locals; rice hoppers and mosquitoes who liked to enter the room via the balcony. I chose to keep the door closed so my Photographer wouldn’t be eaten alive by the local insect population.

The only downside of having a room that overlooked the street was the constant noise from the traffic. Unlike in the UK, Vietnam’s streets are always busy, there is no specific “rush hour.”

The food

During my entire trip across Vietnam, I experienced incredible food and I was beginning to worry that I would run out of luck. The food in the hotel was no exception, and I had a great breakfast. Yes, it was a small buffet but it had everything I wanted to set me up for the day.

This hotel has the most beautiful coffee in the whole of Vietnam, it was an experience rather than a quick drink. Honestly, I’ve never seen my photographer so confused. They both wanted the coffee but also wanted to frame it (humans are strange creatures). The coffee arrived on a tray alongside chocolate, a biscuit, a glass of water and a delicious flower. We enjoyed the delicacies on the tray from the outdoor seating area whilst we sheltered from the heavy rain.

Swimming Pool

As a dinosaur, I am not interested in swimming. Instead, I let my photographer conduct a visit to the pool alone. However, this time I joined them because I could watch the boats from the comfort of a sun lounger! The poolside had sun loungers and a raised wooden area to sit and watch the activity of the river.

The pool wasn’t huge or the fanciest I have seen, but it was a great spot to relax after exploring in the heat. The pool was in the sun, so the water was like a bath, but the poolside didn’t feel overly hot. The pool was a small rectangle, and one side was shallow enough to walk in easily.

Animals

The hotel has a ton of resident geckos who hang out all over the place; luckily they didn’t visit my room, but I wouldn’t have minded as they are a lot of fun. They’re cute and there for a good reason – to keep the mosquitos away from the guests! These little guys are on a mission. I saw them zooming up and down the walls in the lobby and restaurant, just doing their thing.

I also spotted some dragonflies flying around the hotel grounds. Dragonflies fly in different patterns to predict the weather. They start zooming around in circles close to the ground as a five-minute warning that rain is coming. Who knew that these little guys were so helpful? It was incredible to see the tiny weather forecasters in action.

Overall

I was pleasantly surprised by this hotel because I was expecting to find a basic hotel with few amenities. However, I found a comfortable hotel with a few luxurious touches. It was the perfect place to stop during my trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia. I would definitely stay in this hotel again.

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