help with Saigon Trip
 

My parents are going to Saigon in a month and need some assistance with hotels etc. Has anyone stayed at the Park Hyatt or Caravelle Hotel? These are the kind of hotels they would like to stay at. Also, can anyone recommend a good tailor there and possibly any must see sites. They will only be there 5 nights.
Thank you.

Given the total cost of even a 5-night stay, I'd recommend that your parents buy a guide book - we used Lonely Planet. That will provide useful info not only about what to see and do, but on Vietnamese history, customs etc.

thanks for that, but really after info on hotels to start with. Hoping that someone might have stayed at either of the 2 hotels I mentioned.

Park Hyatt is quite new, while the Caravelle is an old standby. Another option they might enjoy is the New Majestic, although they should be wary of getting a street-side room. I would choose the Majestic, Park Hyatt or Sheraton over the Caravelle.

Saigon is a very walkable city, and one of the joys there is just wandering around. There's lots of museums worth a look, depending on their interests.

Sheraton is the best, followed by the Park Hyatt and Caravelle. Majestic can be very noisy as its on the main road (Ton Duc Thang) for big container trucks heading for the port in D4.

Go to the Lonely Planet website and check out the Thorntree. There is a branch specifically for Vietnam and at the top of the page is the FAQ with just about anything you'd like to know about HCMC.

thanks for that, I think the Sheraton and Park Hyatt sound the best. The Park Hyatt rated very highly on tripadvisor. I will also check out the lonely planet website.

I think you'd better to book the hotel through a travel agent to get lowest price. If I can help you, please feel free to contact me by sendding email to [email protected]

Go to Trip Advisor.com and look for Saigon hotels for ratings from people who have been there. I use it all the time for our travels and it's invaluable.

Yes, checked trip advisor and Park Hyatt rated the highest.

The rate at the PH s/b around $150++ if you book directly through the hotel.

Thanks Bisbee, that rate sounds good. I'll have a look at their website.

I am finding rates at the Park Hyatt to be in the 300 USD range. From what I have learned recently, hotels rates in Saigon are sharply higher than they were a year ago..

My agent just got a rate of $150++ for July. Guess we were lucky.

Bisbee: I realized that the difference is likely to be the fact that I am trying to book for next January....the agent quoted me a Hyatt rate of $360...I have since asked him to switch to the Sheraton.

Here is another, related question: Since many flights, including mine, leave Saigon around midnight, what is the usual practice of the hotels in HCMC regarding late checkout? According to my agent, the Hyatt wants to charge the full day's rate to allow for a checkout that late; I have no idea about the Sheraton's policy yet. (I am not disputing the hotels' right to charge for such an extended use of the room...)

What do you all do about these late departures..just check out and go eat until time to leave for the airport? Or do hotels often allow late checkout for a fee less than the entire rate for the night?

Unfortunately, the Sheraton probably won't be any cheaper. They're quoting $355 on their website and it usually has the best prices. Unbelievable that these hotels cost this much now. I used to stay at the Sheraton for $100.

If you're a Starwood Gold or Platinum member, they allow you to check out at 4pm without any additional charge. I believe most hotels if you stay past 6pm will charge the full days rate. Best bet is to check out, go eat/shop/massage, then back to the hotel for your bags and off to the airport. The less time at that airport the better.

Thanks, Bisbee. The massage is a great idea. These hotels also have nice pools so it should not be too difficult to hang around until time to leave for the airport.

The trvel agent told me that there is such an upswing in tourism in Saigon that many hotels are not honoring the contracts they had with the agents and are jacking their prices sky high in season.

They are right about the upswing. The Sheraton is converting some of its monthly serviced apartments into hotel rooms to meet the demand.

Bisbee: I wonder if you have seen the Sheraton swimming pool. If so, is it a good pool for lap swimming? Thanks!

I have stayed at the Caravelle several times and quite like it. It is as central as it gets, and has good spacious rooms. I have just checked teh prices on expedia.co.uk and the Caravelle is half the cost of the Hyatt - IMO no contest

The Sheraton pool is small (maybe 10 meters). Same with Caravelle pool. Hyatt would be the best of the bunch for laps.

Thanks, Bisbee..I had the agent switch me to the Sheraton because it was more than $100 a night less than the Hyatt. But I did not realize the pool was so small! I guess that would be 40 feet. Why the heck would they put such a tiny pool into a new hotel?

The pool is wedged in between the hotel and service apartments. They didn't have any room for a bigger pool.

The Sheraton is a very good hotel. You won't be disappointed (except for maybe the smallish pool).

I will be traveling to Saigon in December and debating on hotels. I have not read any review about the Renaissance Riverside on this site. Any opinions. Travel Advisor gave them #2 rating. I am also considering the Caravelle and Sheraton. Please advise opinions.