Friend and I chose this nicely furnished hotel over the highly-ranked Meracus hotel two doors away. Location was excellent along the footwear street, with interesting shops nearby. We were warmly welcomed by Mr Tom. We wanted only a simple twin room, but was upgraded to and excellent room that could fit four. Hotel price was really great value for money... newly furnished rooms, huge bathrooms with big shower, wifi, fresh fruits in the room. The included buffet breakfast was fantastic with good quality and nicely presented food, menu that changes each day, and friendly staffs that offer to cook pho or fried egg for you. Each time when we returned from walking in the streets, we were greeted with warm smiles from the frontdesk staffs.
We booked our Halong Bay and Sapa trip with the hotel too. It's great that they had a room reserved for us to shower during the transit on return from Halong and waiting for the night train. And when we came back from Sapa at 7am, they kept a room ready for us to check in early.
Do bear in mind that the prices quoted are exclusive of a 10% government tax.
The boat in Halong Bay (V'Cruise) was nice, but the journey to get there and return was horrible in a cramped and uncomfortable minivan.
Also the partner hotel in Sapa (Global Hotel) was a bit of letdown... no room service, stained linens, no wifi in the room, staffs that blast the music while you're having breakfast. Nevertheless, room was big and the higher rooms had good views, food was good. Service was mediocre... they did not tell the guide where to drop us to wait for the return train to Hanoi... and we had to wander on the streets with a can't-be-bothered guide. You can (and probably should) opt to pay more to get a better hotel in Sapa.
