Getting from Hanoi Airport to Hotel
 

What is a good way to get from the Hanoi Airport to the Elegance 5 Diamond Hotel? We will have only carry on luggage and will be arriving from BKK so will have been in SEAsia for over a month. Can u just get a taxi at the airport? Should we arrange with the hotel to be picked up? Any ideas on costs? thanks

I would have the hotel arrange to pick you up, much easier.

We paid the hotel $16.00 for two of us each way -- one way, they sent a taxi, the other way, they took us in the hotel shuttle. I didn't realize you were staying there!

It is easy!

Exit the custom/immigration area and walk outside. Cross the road and you will find a huge number of Nobai taxis. The rate to go anywhere in Hanoi is now 315,000 dong...or $16.

But.....DO NOT...DO NOT...DO NOT accept any other offer for a taxi into town. Touts will approach you inside the airport and ask if you want a taxi. Say NO! Walk outside...cross the road and then say OK to the guys who are standing by the airport taxis.

It is a fixed rate into town. So they will not use the meter. You pay when you get to your hotel.

Ok, thanks! We'll contact the hotel.

Yep, sf, is that where u stayed? read your report but don't remember. Can't believe we leave end of Dec.

Just my two cents.... Nothing is nicer than getting off a plane in a strange city and seeing someone standing there holding a sign with your name. They take your luggage and you follow them like a little puppy and happily sit in the back seat til you reach your hotel. Ahh...

By the way, Gailmo was right about those taxi touts.

Yes, we stayed at the Diamond and loved it. We stayed in two different rooms -- four nights in a Jr. Suite (which is just a big room) and one night in an Executive Suite (which is just a bigger room). Both were roomy and great. We peeked in a regular room and that would have been fine too!

Say hello for us! Remind them that we were the crazy couple who wanted to walk to the Museum of Ethnology (we did walk back, much to our taxi driver's chagrin :-) )

We were favorably impressed with the overall quality and service of the Elegance organization. I would not hesitate to let them arrange your airport transfer.

Click on my name if you would like to see our Hanoi/HaLong Bay trip report.

Hi yestravel - There are fixed rate taxis available from the official taxi counter in the arrivals hall. Cost is 160k dong ($10).

http://www.hanoiairportonline.com/public-taxi

Orly...,Yes, it is always nice to get off a plane ESP after a long flight and see soemone waiting for you.

SF, will certainly say Hi from u. I don't even remeber what we booked for a room. just starting now to review and reconfirm all our plans. Being walkers like u, we get those strange lloks all the time!

Mr_go, will check out your report. Thanks!

Crellston, thanks for the website. We'll probably wait closer to the time and c what we feel like, taxi or thru hotel.

thanks all!

Twice I have reserved a pick-up through a hotel. Once went fine, around midnight. The second time, mid-day, the driver did not appear. The information booth in the airport lobby reacted quickly to my appeal, phoning my hotel with an ease that suggested plenty of practice. By the time I had extracted currency from the ATM, the driver arrived sweating and complaining of traffic. His attempts at conversation en route to hotel did not earn a tip. So there is no question I was still better off than struggling with the aggresive taxi touts.

The Diamond Elegance will arrange transport for you. However, that was our only glitch with the hotel (everything else has been fabulous). We got in very late and there was no car waiting for us. We ended up taking a cab with advice from the Tourist Information desk. They wanted to charge us $30 and we would have to wait for 20 minutes. Then she saw how upset I was getting (long flight with no sleep) and took pity on us. Told us to look for a yellow taxi and to pay $15. We saw people with yellow shirts, offered $15 and got a ride to our hotel.