Our first stop on our tour of Indochina with “Selective Asia”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/partner/860 was Hanoi. After traveling for 23 hours to get here, what we wanted was our bags to be whisked away from the kerbside to our room, to be warmly welcomed at reception and sat in comfy chairs whilst the check in formalities were completed. Just like magic, that’s exactly what happened! Cold towels and Essence tea (a delicious blend of ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon and honey) were presented and we sipped contentedly whilst given a local map and some tips on what to do locally.
We were shown to room 46 that had a king size bed, aircon, flat screen tv, laptop, wifi, fridge/mini bar, mini safe, tea/coffee making facilities and some complimentary bottled water. The key element, however, is the quadruple glazing. So whilst the hustle and bustle of the Old Quarter goes on outside, sometimes noisily, we heard not a peep of it in our room.
The room, like the rest of the hotel is richly lavished with dark woods and furnishings. It’s so far from the mundanity of your standardised chain hotels that being in our room was part of the Old Quarter experience. The bathroom, like the rest of this boutique oasis of calm, had all the modern accessories. Nice toiletries, toothbrushes, comb and more, but my favourite was the spacious rain head shower. The hotel was full of delightful little touches, like the orchid left on top of the facecloths in the bathroom.
Perfectly located in the thick of the teeming Old Quarter, there are places to eat, drink and be merry starting right outside the door. A mini mart is close by as are shops, stalls and some local attractions. The Hoan Kiem Lake is relatively close, perfect for an early morning stroll or even a jog if you’re that way inclined (I wasn’t)
There is a lovely looking restaurant on site, although we only ate breakfast in the hotel and that was in the area shared with the sister hotel next door. Cereals, breads and pastries were available and a selection of buffet style hot dishes (more local cuisine than full English). Eggs done in various styles including omelettes were available to order.
Service throughout was great and the hotel staff greeted you with a welcoming smile and looked happy to do your bidding.
Although there was a lift operating at the hotel, a few steps needed to be negotiated to access our room, so guests with mobility issues should check its suitability before booking.
From our experience this is an elegant and excellent hotel to base yourself in when exploring Hanoi.
You can read more about my experiences in Hanoi “HERE”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/blog/destination-features-asia/indochina-with-selective-asia-chapter-1-hanoi
