Big Al

Looking to visit Vietnam next February and am looking for a bed in a clean reasonably priced hotel, has anyone have any suggestions please

Alan

Hi, Big Al!<BR><BR>Now, this choice may well be a bot too "budget" for you, but we stayed in the Dong Xuan, which is in the old quarter (not far from the old gate) right above the fruit and vegetable markets. It cost about $12 for a double room. If you get a room with a balcony overlooking the street (and you must ask for this) you will be awakened by the sounds and smells of the market sellers setting up their wares from about 5:30 in the morning. There are dozens of photographic opportunities without even stepping out of your room, and you will truly know you are in Vietnam! (Not to mention the fact that you can buy fresh exotic fruits for next-to-nothing outside your door and eat like a prince for a dollar.)<BR><BR>Even if you speak no Vietnamese, you won't have any problem finding the Dong Xuan, as everyone in the old quarter knows where the market is!

Alisa

Has anyone stayed at the Hang Ngoc Hotel? Or the Phuc Loi? How about the Quoc Hoa or the Thuy Nga? I would really appreciate feedback from those who have been! I am going with my family in November and am looking for small hotels with budget to mid-range accomodations, private bathrooms, in the Old Quarter. What did the above poster mean by "too budget"? Thanks!!

Alan

Alisa, what I meant by "too budget" is that, in my experience, many tourists, especially those from the USA, judge a hotel's worth by the snappy service and fresh decor... the Dong Xuan is, frankly, a little bit on the shabby side, and will not please the kind of tourist who is outraged by the thought of carrying a bag up a flight of stairs, or turned off by a bathroom in which you drench the toilet seat every time you shower. In other words, this is not western-style accommodation! It is, however, the "real" Vietnam, and it remains one of our fondest memories of that country. In Ho Chi Minh City, we stayed in one of the "western" hotels, organised by the travel agent, and, to be honest, I can't remember its name, what the room looked like, or anything about it. But I can still picture in my mind every detail of our room at Dong Xuan!

Alisa

Thanks Alan! We don't like big, bland "Western" hotels either. Your experience sounds pretty unique and memorable. How shabby is the Dong Xuan? I guess what I mean is, is it CLEAN? We had the misfortune of staying in a very nice looking family-run place once in Turkey and I had a bad reaction to bed bugs! I want to avoid repeating that again at all costs! Do the rooms have any character at all? Do you know if there is a way I could contact them in advance to reserve one of the rooms with a balcony? Are there mosquito nets above the beds? Is this standard with most of the hotels in Hanoi? Also, I am still looking for anyone who knows of those other hotels, especially the HANG NGOC.

Eric

Phuc Loi in Hanoi is great. $25 per night including breakfast (which in minihotles is bread, eggs and coffee). Very nice rooms for the money. Also a great top floor terrace where it is neat to get up at 5:30 and take in the sights and sounds and the locals doing morning exercises on their rooftops. It is right in the middle of the old quarter close to all the fun. Staff speaks fairly good English and can arrange safe motorcycle taxis and transportation. Also recommend Exotissimo travel agency in the Daewoo Hotel.

Alan

Topping for Mary.

Kurt

Never ceases to amaze me how people will put their person and belongings at risk by cutting corners, especially on accomadation and travel. We recently had a bunch of French backpakers rescued in the central highland of VN, they were in very poor physical condition...very lucky to be alive!! These &quot;idiots&quot; don't stop to realise how precarios their position is. Do everyone a favour, if you don't have enough funds, STAY HOME!!