i found the staff helpful & the rooms adequate. i asked for a room on the lower floors & got one. no complaints.

I have nothing good or bad to say about this place. They helped us when we asked, did a good job, did nothing bad. The rooms were basic/unspectacular, and we had heard of other hotels that had similar services at a lower price (we paid 24$). But for the convenience of organizing our hotel pickup, and sending us off well... More

Girlfriend and I had booked 5 nights at this hotel but left after 4. We wanted to leave more because we had experienced all we wanted to in Hanoi but the hotel had run its race as well.. Hard to sleep not because of the obvious tooting but because of a water pump that started up every time someone flushed... More

My boyfriend and I stayed here for 3 nights, the hotel staff are incredibly friendly and helpful and the rooms are basic but nice. The beds were comfortable and the room and bathroom are clean (they are cleaned every day). We were supplied with clean towels three times during our stay! One negative, it is a bit loud. Sound seems... More

I booked an individual room here. It was ok : clean, with tv, fridge. It was really cold and the a/c could not heat the place. Although I know that in superior room, it can heat. Overall, I was a little deceived that they were not serving breakfast, the wifi did not work in my room, and that my room... More

Stayed at the Especen for 3 nights at the end of January, 2012. It's decent. I think the best part about it is that it's a bit off the beaten track so it's a lot quieter than most of the hotels in the old quarter, yet it's still a super close walk to all of the hustle and bustle of... More

This hotel is expensive for what is offered. Yes it was clean and comfortable but we definitely could have found a similar place for half the price.

I am getting more and more convinced that Lonely Planet needs some major reviewing of this hotel as it is their recommendation in the cheap category, stating its cleanliness and efficiency. They definitely need some re-thinking. We booked in advance before heading to Cat Ba and they showed us a big room with two king beds and a bathroom, it... More

Location was close to Cathedral and Lake. Annex was slightly noisy, good exchange rate (probably the best I found in Vietnam), security was a little lacking, no ventilation (their bathrooms will have mold problems eventually). There's a good Pho Bo place a few doors down. Make sure you have the right address as there's 5 or 6 other Especen's in... More