jmorris

I searched "Hanoi" and nothing came up so I figured I would add this post. I stayed at the Hilton Opera in Hanoi for a week in Decemeber and would rate the hotel a good choice for those seeking comfortable western accomodations at a reasonable (by western standards) price. My rate was $155++/night for a King room on the Executive floor, and I used an AA buy 1/get 1 free coupon for 3 of the 7 nights. The hotel is two blocks away from a number of excellent restaurants, including those surrounding the Metropole hotel, a 5-10 minute walk from Hoan Kiem lake, and maybe 15 minutes from the old quarter. The staff were extremely helpful although their English abilties were a little varied. Our room was in excellent condition with a nice, modern bath with a seperate stall shower; decor was maple and stone (I forget whether it was marble, granite, etc.). The desk was amply sized and the bed comfortable. The room was stocked with three small bottles of water each day, which, combined with what we brought back from the lounge, was all that we needed. Our only complaint about our room was that the window was small relative to the size of the room, but this was done so that the hotel would blend with the adjacent Opera buliding.

Breakfast service in the lounge was a good assortment of dim sum, congee, waffles and pancakes (the latter not quite hot enough for my taste), breakfast meats, cold cuts, pasteries, fruit, cereals, and at least three juices, which I believe were fresh. One of the best features was the ability to order eggs (including omlettes) and some very good pho from the wait staff, who would have our orders sent up to the lounge from the restaurant below. The evening selection was sparser-I believe some assorted fried appetizers-but we only investigated it once. We dined at the Chinese restaurant in the hotel twice, which was very good, even by the standards of my native Singaporean friend.

A couple of other tips-this hotel could not cash a personal check when I ran short of cash; indeed this seemed impossible anywhere in Vietnam, including at the local American Express representative office, which does not provide anything other than travel services (despite what the AX reps say in the US)--it is possible to obtain a cash advance at a bank, however. The taxi ride to and from the airport was fixed at $10, which was a bargain for this 45 minute trip even relative to the astoundingly low taxi fares within Hanoi, which were less than $1 for anyplace we wanted to go. AT&T does not exist in Vietnam-to avoid paying hotel rates or figuring out how to use a public phone, you need to have a Sprint or MCI calling card. Finally, Hanoi is a great place to buy anything silk or linen, such as scarves, dresses, suits, etc., at great prices.

estnet

Thanks for the interesting report- is the hotel really worth that amount of money even with the discount (were you upgraded to exec. level or was that part of the room cost?)

westcoastman

Wow. $155 for Hanoi. That is crazy. I would also like to hear more about the room that would make it worth so much when there are so many decent rooms out there for $15.

hfly

I was thinking the same thing. Generally rates around $100 can be had, but for $50 you can get suites at other hotels with in room jacuzzis, laundry included and lots of other things.

Joh

Agree with HFLY. We stayed August very nearby, v.nice Hotel in a guaranteed booking SUITE with jacuzzi, with laundry/dry cleaning, breakfast, unlimited internet, 20% off food and bar, etc, etc., for $US50 night. Hotels are dying in Hanoi. Big oversupply of rooms.

jmorris

Ok, ok, so I should have checked these boards before I stayed rather than after. You are all a testament to what makes these boards great. In my defense, it worked out to $89/night with the coupon. The $155 rate was for guaranteed executive floor. I don't remember the details, but I had the $155 rate for the first night, and a slightly lower rate that was not executive floor for the remaining six, to which I applied the coupon. I figured this would increase my chances of staying on the executive floor the whole time, since they were unlikely to downgrade me. We tried to get in to the Desyolia (something like that) hotel based on other's recommendations but it was sold out. The room was nice by western standards and excellent by developing country standards. I agree that there are better value places to stay. We wanted a safe, known product in a new building and were willing to pay to minimize our chances of disappointment.

SanDiego1K

My husband and I have stayed at the Hanoi Hilton twice, and enjoy it very much. Both times, we succeeded in getting a rate of about $50/night. I had to check my desired dates for about two months on the Hilton website before I finally found an acceptable rate - they were heavily discounted thru Dec. 31, and we were arriving Jan 1. The rates finally dropped, and we grabbed them.

As Hilton Gold, we were automatically upgraded to the executive lounge and were sent there to check in. We like the hotel for many reasons - its newness, its location, its restaurants, its executive lounge, its health club, and the economical massages and reflexology available in the health club.

askias

My wife and I are planning a trip to Hanoi in August and I was going to pay $120 for a room at the Hanoi Hilton. The replies on this thread seem to indicate better deals can be had, but they don't specifically say where. Can someone provide a better deal? Thanks.

kempis

Triple HHonors® Base point at the Hilton Hanoi Opera
HHonors Specials


Earn triple HHonors Base points and receive an upgrade to the Executive Floor (confirmable at reservation). Or, choose to earn triple miles with Air France, American Airlines?, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Japan Airlines, KLM, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest Airlines?, Qantas Airways, Qualiflyer, Singapore Airlines or United Airlines?. This offer is valid for your stays at qualifying business rates.

Terms & Conditions



valid dates

Apr. 02, 2002 - Dec. 31, 2002

2400

Who can forget the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" and the horrible torture its "hoteliers" inflicted on American soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen? I recognize that the "Hanoi Hilton", where Senator McCain, Admiral Stockdale and hundreds of others were brutalized, was not a hotel but a terrible prison. However, that the Hilton would keep a "Hanoi Hilton" is an affront to every man and woman who ever served in our armed forces. One can only imagine Jane Fonda standing in front of the Hanoi Hilton serving as its official greeter. I hope that I'm not alone in stating there aren't enough HHonor points to get me to stay at the Hanoi Hilton.

SanDiego1K

In defense of this property, the complete name is Hilton Hanoi Opera, named because it is immediately across from the Hanoi Opera. It is a beautiful hotel. I have stayed there twice, and enjoyed it very much each time. It is unfair to penalize the Hilton chain because their brand name was inappropriately used to describe the atrocities committed on prisoners of war.

hfly

What Jane Fonda did during the war was disgusting and I do not like her for that and other reasons, however I do believe that your rant above is pretty far into left field.

Yes there was a prison which was nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by the airmen who were kept there. It has nothing to do with the Hilton Hanoi Opera.

I find it amazing that anyone would have this sort of feeling towards Vietnam at this place and time. The US has full diplomatic relations with Vietnam and there is no animosity over there. It has been 30 years since the US pulled out AND for that matter Senator McCain has stayed in the Hilton Hanoi Opera on at least several occasions in recent years and has enjoyed it greatly, so why shouldn't anyone else.

Yes the US lost close to 60,000 people in Nam and it was a dirty terrible war. To put it in perspective however we lost many times that in WW2 yet by 1975 (30 years after the end of the war) the US had invested over $600 Billion (in todays money) in Germany and Japan and US troops were defending these countries.

mario33

Has anyone had a recent stay at this property ?

I am planning a trip to Hanoi and the rates from the Hilton website is nowhere near the $50 rate mentioned above.What would be a reasonable rate to pay during this time of the year?

Any suggestion on transportation from the Hanoi Hilton Opera to Halong Bay ?

Thanks.



[This message has been edited by mario33 (edited 11-19-2002).]

hfly

There are two basis ways to pursue this. 1) Contact the hotel directly and see what special rate they can give you direct, or 2) find a specialized agency that will cut you a deal. I would suggest doing (1) first.

For getting around Vietnam, private cars and drivers can be had very cheap,. and for that matter a taxi to HAlong Bay may even be had for a very affordable price.

fimo

I've stayed at the Hanoi Hilton several times, and have gotten a rate of USD75. Contact the hotel directly and negotiate. When we were arranging the first visit, they offered us $85, but Metropole gave us a quote of $80, so we bargained it down since Metropole is a better rated hotel than the Hilton Hanoi.

A good hotel, but I really didn't like the green colour scheme! On a couple of occasions I've gotten rooms with a mini-balcony.

Am not very impressed by their in-house dining, there are too many great restaurants in Hanoi. But I do adore their lotus shoot salad (ngo sen thom thit) on the room service menu! I don't always have the chance to dine at a Vietnamese restaurant that serves lotus shoot salad so it's nice to be able to have it at the hotel. Oh - and the plate of welcome chocolates is always a nice treat!