Please comment on the following hotels offered by my TA:

1) Saigon, Rex Hotel, 4*, Superior room

2) Hilton Hanoi Opera

3) Halong, Halong Pearl, 4* Deluxe

4) Hoi An, Glory Hotel, 4* Superior

Personally, I don;t like teh Hilton in Hanoi. Too institutional for me. If you want the most upscale hotel, opt for the Metropole. I like the De Syloia, a small boutique hotel.

Ok, thanks. The Hilton is on points. HHonors just changed the number of points required for free stays, raising them for a few dozen properties but lowering the number of points for one or two of them. The Hilton Hanoi Opera was one that was lowered. Which is good, but I could construe it as a warning it needs renovated or is being re-constructed or something. ?

Free is hard to beat. I heard (some time ago) that the Hilton is in need of "refreshing" so that might be the reason the number of points has gone down.

We stayed there last December. I think it must have already been refreshed as it could not have been nicer. The rooms are huge and beautifully appointed. Big, luxurious bath and comfortable bed. We loved the place. Service level was high and breakfast was great. Another nice touch was classical musicians in the lobby for several hours each night. It is probably one of the nicest hotels we have ever stayed in for the price - which I think was $87.00/night for a deluxe. The location was within walking distance of several museums.

I was also going to suggest the Metropole, but if the Hilton is free than go for it. The two hotels are right around the corner from each other and with in easy walking or cyclo distance of several nice areas of the city.

I agree that you will be fine at the Hilton. While I may not have chosen to stay there initially, our visit of 11 nights in July went very well by most standards.

Let's get some disadvantages out of the way.
1. The soaring lobby is rather charmless, and certainly pales by comparison with that of the beautiful Sofitel Metropole nearby.

2. The outdoor pool is just ok.

There are many advantages though.
1. The location is very good. You can walk to Hoan Kiem Lake and all manner of conveniences. For that matter, it is a quick stroll over to the Sofitel where you can enjoy a meal, drink, afternoon tea/chocolate, or cooking class.

2. The breakfast at Chez Manon is excellent.

3. The brand new restaurant Ba Mien is delightful. We had the $20 evening prix fixe meal -- I highly recommend it. Everything was served with great flair and excitement. This sense of drama will probably last for awhile.

4. The staff was very responsive and helpful.

5. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. They offered everything in terms of comfortable mattresses, lovely linens, well equipped bathrooms, plenty of storage space. Ask for a room with a view of the Opera. I could sit in bed and look out at lots of blue sky, open space, and a view of the pastel Opera House. Very restorative in such a busy city.

6. While the pool is fairly basic, the poolside service was excellent.

7. While the spa is basic, the personnel are lovely. We had delightful hour-long massages for $20 (plus a very generous tip, of course).

Not to worry -- I suspect that you will be pleasantly surprised.

I stayed at the hilton and loved it. The rooms were large and very nice. Breakfast was outstanding. There was a lobby bar that had good music every night.
I walked through the Rex Hotel in Saigon in May 2006 - very shabby. I would not stay there. (Great rooftop bar, though)I would recommend the Majestic, it's a lovely hotel.
I don't know the other two hotels you mention.

dperry...i was going to book the Rex in SNG but am now going to change it to the Majestic a per your recommendation.

Have u stayed at the Life Resort in Hoi An....the Melia in Hanoi....or the Morin hotel in Hue?? These are the hotels recommended to me..thanks.

We really liked the Majestic in our first room. Ask for a deluxe room facing the river. It has double windows(essential) and a small balcony.
Our second stay we were upgraded to a huge suite. It was like a small apartment, but did not have double windows. It was so loud I cannot tell you. Everything was different. Bad a/c, old hard towels, bad bed - even the robes were old and rough. NOTHING like our first room. It really made me realize why you get such conflicting opinions on the same hotel. We had conflicting opinions. We also could not believe the condition of the Rex. It looked like a bad double-wide trailer inside.

We had a fabulous room at the Saigon Morin in Hue. But... this hotel also has many different room types and I believe that is the reason for the mixed reviews there. We had outstanding food and service in the restaurant, but I hear some have had opposite experiences there too.

TracyB- I did not stay at the Life Resort in Hoi An , but I did check it out and it looks very nice! I would stay there. We stayed at the HoiAn hotel, which I thought was awlful.
Yes, I know the Saigon Morin hotel, and have stayed there. It was beautiful - very old world french. Try to get a room on the 3rd floor - they have been remodeled and are really nice. We had a third floor room, our friends stayed on the 2nd floor, their rooms were nice too, but not newly remodeled. The rooms are very large, each has its own balcony. The outdoor restaurant, where breakfast is served, has the most delicious crepes...
We also had dinner there one night, it's a lovely garden setting.
I have read mixed reviews of this hotel, but my friends and I really, really liked it.

Thanks dperry...sounds good enough 4 me..I am going to book those hotels!!

Have stayed at Life Resort in Hoi An when it first opened in 2004 and it was lovely.

Have also stayed at Morin in Hue, nice old-style large rooms, good breakfasts in courtyard although the best breakfasts we found were in the Caravelle in HCMC, but the main "French" restaurant on ground floor at Morin was dreadful. Worst meal we had in Vietnam.

Why does not anyone recommend Victoria Hoian?? I Stayed at it once and find it very comfortable

Kurt,


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