roosevelt

We are interested in lodging that is conveniently located and on par with Marriotts in the US. In Saigon, we are hoping to find a hotel that also has a work-out facility as we will be there for 6 days. Hoi An - I have read about the Life Heritage Resort on this web-site but am not sure if it is preferred over the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort and Spa because of its location or its amenities. Please advise us on lodging that is both convenient but on par with a place like the Sofitel Metropole's club floor or the towers in The Royal Orchid Sheraton in Bangkoki.

cmlong

I stayed in several Victoria hotels, but not in Hoi An. The Victoria's in Chau Doc and Can Tho were very nice, but not quite like an expensive chain hotel club floor. To be honest I don't remember a workout room, but we were doing so much walking and stuff I wouldn't have used it on my trip. As I recall, the Victoria Hoi An is not in town but by the beach, so not as convenient to shopping (including tailor shops) and restaurants. Hoi An was charming, I recommend staying in town unless you are really into lying on the beach. We stayed at the Vinh Hung resort (not to be confused with their other smaller hotels), and the rooms were OK but nothing special, the air conditioning could have been better. The best part was they did a happy hour out on the lawn by the bar, where they had stations set up cooking FREE appetizers so you could sample local food. It was great. They did it each night of the three nights we were there.

In Saigon, we stayed at the Marriott Renais Saigon which was very nice and I'm sure has a decent workout room and stuff, but wasn't too conveniently located as far as sightseeing and restaurants.

crellston

We have stayed at The Caravelle and Hyatt in HCMC and enjoyed both. They are both as central as you can get and areat least on a par with a Marriott. (Saigon Saigon, the open air bar atop the Caravelle is THE place in Asia for a sundowner!) Also stayed at the Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi but we had a LOT of problems there. In Hoi An we stayed at Vinh Hung Merchants House 1 which is the only hotel right in the old town. Not luxuriuos by any strech of teh imagination but full of character and very convenient.

http://www.vinhhungresort.com/vh1/location.php

bniemand

We stayed at the Life Heritage in Hoi An and very much enjoyed it. If you are going to Hoi An to see the town, go shopping, and have some tailoring done, it is a great choice due to its location just on the edge of the "old" part of town -- you can walk to everything. It also has a gorgeous pool with comfy lounges for relaxing. If you are going to Hoi An to enjoy the beach and do some serious R&R then the Victoria would probably be a better choice.

In Saigon the Park Hyatt is fabulous. Excellent location, top notch service, and 2 wonderful restaurants in case you don't want to leave for dinner at night.

Kristina

I'll be staying at the Victoria Hoi An and the Sheraton Saigon in the next couple of weeks so if you check back here on the forum, you'll see my experiences soon.

The Sheraton Saigon does have club floor rooms and they are about $50 a night more than the regular rooms. They offer the usual amenities; breakfast, wifi, evening snacks, etc. We didn't opt for this as we are trying to save money by getting a "regular" room with SPG points plus cash.

I've stayed at the Victoria in Siem Reap and it was lovely. I'm aware that the Victoria Hoi An is outside of town, but that's ok for us as we really wanted a few days in a beachfront bungalow as part of our trip.