ozvpm_andy

My wife and I are heading to Vietnam for three weeks in March. I've read various reports of some good Accor properties in the country and looking for advice of which are the ones not to miss and which I should give a miss. I'm Accor Platinum too, so interested in info about lounges and upgrades etc too

Thanks

gilbertaue

If I may suggest, shortlist some hotels and go through this Accor thread. If you filter/search results under "vietnam" you can then read up on them. Lots of reviews etc have been posted here.
All Pullmans and Sofitels in Vietnam have lounges.

Goldorak

The Sofitel Métropole in Hanoi is certainly a must.
I also like a lot the Sofitel Saigon Plaza. But the Pullman Saigon has also excellent review which you can read on this forum (but I have never stayed in this one).

kay sedia

I have an upcoming stay in Hoi An, booked a basic room and have been notified that we are upraded to suite in advance. Both Sofitels in Hanoi had great platinum recognition and upgrades. There is a Mercure on Phu Quoc Island that was really nice, little recognition, but they were in transition at the time. I'm looking forward to Sofitel Saigon next month and Bali next week.

FGunawan

I'm on my way back home from Hanoi. Stayed at both Sofitel Plaza Hanoi and Sofitel Metropole. Both recognize platinum members very well. Staff at Sofitel Metropole are a melange - some are very courteous while some are just plain snooty. But all are helpful. And the Metropole is so steep in history, it is a Hanoi tourist attraction in its own right. I would recommend the Historical Wing - it has a very strong character. If you are looking for a modern 5-star experience however, go for the Opera Wing.

Pullman Da Nang Beach Resort is fantastic. Beautiful location, first rate facilities, and very generous towards platinum guests. Hotel Royal Hoi An is very lovely. Those are very easy to recommend.

Sofitel Saigon Plaza is also a great place to stay, with generous treatments towards Gold members (I was Gold when I stayed there).

pb9997

I stayed both at Pullman Saigon and Hotel des Arts Saigon and believe Pullman to be much more solid, robust and a comprehensive operation than Hotel des Arts.

Pullman Saigon fully acknowledges Accor elite members, their lounge is great on the 30th floor with magnificent views all around. Food and beverage selection is quite good, in the evening they offer three different cocktails along with spirits, several types of cheese, finger food, desert.... Staff is very well trained and genuinely focused on attentiveness. Property not only upgrades elite members but also offers complimentary two items of laundry per day, turn-down service and a huge bedroom with a Nespresso machine, items plentiful replaced whenever neeeded. Location wise is great being less than one block away where all the bars, restaurants and events happen all night long with tons of foreigners on the streets. There is a shuttle, should one want to go downtown (Opera House, Notre Dame and Museums) that takes 5 minutes - a 20 minute walking otherwise. A 10-minute walking to the main market. Welcome drink valid at any bar and for any cocktail - We had ours at the rooftop bar: Great music, outstanding views and attentive waiters. Breakfast in the main restaurant is a feast not only in variety but also the way the spread is displayed -not to be missed.

Hotel Des Arts Saigon is beautifully designed but clearly is a work in progress under a soft opening. Flaws happen again and again and simply kept piling up until becoming annoying. Platinum level is recognized but no upgrade offered. A welcome drink was offered but only for house beer and one beer to be shared for the two of us registered in the room - Bear in mind that in Saigon this beer costs only 0,33 USD or 8,000 VND. Toiletries did not get replaced everyday and only a regular kettle in the room. Lounge offering is poor, both for breakfast and in the evening when drinks may take up to twenty minutes to be delivered, almost all the time without any guests in the lounge.

Eventually one is much better off staying at Pullman and having one second drink at the Hotel des Arts rooftop bar, by the pool as a regular customer. Or enjoying that second drink at any other top notch bar in the city for a different view, such as the tallest building in Saigon.

wkndtraveler

Here is my tips:

Ho Chi Minh City
Sofitel Saigon Plaza was a typical Sofitel – very good and didn’t disappoint us. We always feel like being at home when staying at Sofitel so for us it’s always a safe choice.
I wouldn’t choose to stay at Hotel des Arts Saigon MGallery Collection. As pb9997 mentioned, it’s clearly under a soft opening still. We had too much problems during our short stay there.

Hanoi
Sofitel Hanoi Plaza is an excellent hotel and I can warmly recommend it. We chose it over Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi because it was more than three times cheaper.
However, we visited Metropole twice and had two lovely Vietnamese lunch there. I also asked front desk if they could show us around the hotel and they did. It’s a very beautiful property and I already started to regret that I didn’t book it while I was enjoying my lunch there but then I remembered the price difference between the two Sofitel in Hanoi and was happy again for my decision.
During the tour, I was able to see luxury room in the historical wing, premium room in the Opera wing, lounge, gym, and spa.

Pros and cons:

Sofitel Plaza
+ Huge pool
+ Exceptional good service
+ Amazing views to Westlake
- Limited food selection in lounge (for example, during tea time they only serve bread with butter and petit four)
- A bit dated

Sofitel Metropole
+ Very special atmosphere
+ Central location in old quarter
+ Way better food selection in lounge (at least during high tea when we visited there)
- Small pool that is surrounded by restaurants and walk-in tourists (like us )
- Prices

ozvpm_andy

Thank you everyone for your opinions and advice

We have booked now and are very excited.

3 x nights at Hotel d'la Opera (Hanoi)
1 x night at the Sofitel Metropole (Hanoi)
2 x nights at Hotel Royal oh An (Hoi An)
4 x nights at Pullman Danang Beach Resort (Danang)
6 x nights at Pullman Saigon Centre (HCMC)

Will add my own report after the trip in March

FGunawan

Gosh that's an exciting collection!

Hotel de l'Opera is a stone's throw away from the Metropole. They're almost across the street from each other. Great location, and l'Opera looks very good from the outside, we already put it down in our stay wish list, when we're back in Hanoi.

By the way, when you get into a taxi or ask for direction, don't say "Sofitel Metropole". It will confuse them, they might take you to the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi. Just ask them to take you to "the Metropole".

KezzaKawasaki

Snap! We have also booked a 10 day trip to Vietnam in mid February, and were able to secure some great rates during the previous 50% off sale (not the latest one). Our itinerary is as follows, I'm glad now we did not book Hotel Des Arts in Saigon as we were tossing up between that and the Pullman.

3 x nights at Pullman Saigon Centre
4 x nights at Hotel Royal Hoi An
2 x nights at Hotel d'la Opera
1 x night at Sofitel Metropole

The Metropole was not offering sale rates but we are very fortunate to be able to use our free Accor Plus night - we paid a slight surcharge to stay in the historical wing.

I'll be writing up a trip report - especially hotel treatment of Platinum status - and will post in late February when we complete our trip.

Excited too to be visiting Vietnam for the first time.

lingua101

I am thinking to go Hanoi on the Good Friday weekend. (as it seems this is the farthest I can fly into with only 25K miles on Sq)

Definitely thinking to stay at Sofitel Metropole for a night using complementary night. But quite reluctant to pay for USD 220 for the additional night, as my flight will depart around noon.

Also other property including Sofitel Plaza Hanoi rate is just around USD65 and MGallery is USD85.

So should I move hotel or I should just forget Metropole for now?

gilbertaue

The Sofitel Plaza is great too. Just change hotel.

lingua101

Will that easy to move between 2 hotels?

I look at Hanoi map, Sofitel Plaza seems a bit closer to airport. Am I correct?

gilbertaue

Very easy. Max 15min by taxi. The hotel is still very much in town. View over the lakes will be a very different setting to the Metropole.

KezzaKawasaki

As a self-funded leisure traveller (and Accor Platinum) the Sofitel Metropole is the most amazing hotel we have stayed in recent years. Just incredible and superb in every regard. The club lounge is spectacular. It's worth every $ your spend here and I would happily pay 2X or 3X over the Sofitel Plaza and MGallery properties (which are also very good) just for the experience of staying here. Hanoi is a superb destination, it is now one of our favourites.