I will be in Hanoi in late June and July and would like recommendations for hotels with swimming pools that are not too expensive and not too far from the center of activity. I have heard mixed things about the Army hotel, but photos of the pool look nice. Thanks in advance.

Since you have already found the Army hotel, you probably know that hotel search sites such as Agoda and Wotif allow you to screen for swimming pools. The Army claims to have the only pool in the Hoan Kiem tourist area, but searches of other sites turn up several more boasting pools: The Hanoi Palace, for instance, and Hanoi View 2 (although it's near the railway station, not exactly central Hoan Kiem as it says). The tourist area is cramped and old so the hotels tend to be boutique-scale with little room for pools. Bigger hotels are sprinkled through other districts. Getting around by taxi is relatively easy and cheap, although nothing with wheels in Hanoi can be considered rapid transit due to the clogged traffic.

A few words about the hotel pools I have seen and, in the case of the Intercon and Hilton, swum in.

The pool at the Intercontinental out on West Lake is lovely: good for swimming, good for sitting out, very open setting with views over the lake, food and bar service if you want it but you can also sit for hours reading without ordering. I know people like to be in town close to Hoan Kiem, but it is a nice area out there and an appealing contrast to bustling in-town. When I was there 13 months ago, I remember making a mental note that a taxi into the Hoan Kiem area was the equivalent of $4 (USD).

There is another Sofitel (Sofitel Plaza) that is out towards West Lake that apparently has a good gym and swimming pool with a retractable roof, but I haven't seen it.

In town:

The Hanoi Opera Hilton right in town had a functional outdoor pool when we stayed there in 2006. I haven't seen it since then so that's imperfect information.

The luxurious Hanoi Metropole (owned by Sofitel), also near the Opera, is a gorgeous hotel with a lovely outdoor pool. Very expensive hotel alas.

Oh! But here is something for you and Julia to do in that exquisite Metropole setting that is not expensive -- go to their chocolate bar/buffet. I remember dressing up with my 2 children one summer afternoon and sitting there feasting on delicious chocolate confections and reading the excellent array of English-language newspapers. I just checked the hotel website to verify that it still exists.

Thanks so much for these great ideas

I am interested in the same thing, and also having a nice gym.

Hanoi Opera Hilton does have a pool suitable for laps. It was too cold for me to use it in January, but you should have no problem there in June.

Not sure if this has much info, but here is a bit I often consult to find pools in foreign cities:

http://www.swimmersguide.com/query/Search2.cfm

I decided to stay at the Army Hotel and it was the best decision I could have made. The hotel is a fine, 3 star facility. It is not 'deluxe' - the decor could use a shot in the arm and the repairs department has a lot to do. But the service was warm and lovely, the breakfast very nice, the room an adequate size with balcony, cable tv, hair dryer and mini-fridge, the location great and the pool saved the trip.

Coming and going we spent 11 nights there. The weather was brutally hot and we spent most of the time in the pool. It is very clean and there is food and beverage service. My daughter met kids to play with there and we met Vietnamese people to chat with. It gets crowded at certain times of day with locals but that makes it full of life. It is larger than the pool at the Metropole, which is a benefit to serious lap swimmers.

I appreciate the input I received from this list before I left. I selected the Army Hotel and highly recommend it for a hotel with a pool.

Julia's mom