The Best Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam

If there is one thing Hanoi is not short of, it's places to stay. In the Old Quarter, small family-run hotels rule the roost. While many of these remain fairly basic affairs, there has been real movement in the mid- to high-end sector. Many of the more salubrious establishments bill themselves as "boutique hotels." For Westerners used to this sobriquet referring to individualist, design-led options, the term may feel like a misnomer given the relative uniformity of most of what is on offer. Nevertheless, with opulent marble-clad lobbies coupled with excellent, personal service, and smart and luxurious bedrooms, there is little to fault about many of these places. Outside the Old Quarter, some of the biggest international hotel brands have made their mark. The leafy avenues of the area south of Hoan Kiem Lake shelter some sterling lodgings, including the city’s undisputed grande dame, the Sofitel Legend Metropole. West Lake, Ba Dinh, and even some outlying areas such as Tu Liem, an enclave mooted as the city’s new central business district, are also home to some excellent international-standard options.