Introduction
Here’s our handpicked selection of Hanoi’s best hotels. We last updated the list in August 2015 and we’re constantly on the lookout for new places.
If you plan to splash out once on a hotel during the your travels in Vietnam, Hanoi might well be the place to do it. Built in 1901, the Metropole is Vietnam’s best historic hotel - some say its best hotel - it’s beautifully done. And despite the history and elegance, by world standards, it’s reasonably priced too.
Other luxury hotels that also warrant a look include the Hotel de l’Opera, a flamboyant, theatrically-themed hotel downtown, or the Intercontinental West Lake, with its lake views and resort-style facilities.
If luxury hotels are not your thing, don’t despair, there are loads of very comfortable places to rest your head for under a $100USD per night - and very good options between $25 and $50 too. Hanoi’s hotels offer good value for money across all budgets.
I have two important pieces of advice for travellers to Hanoi looking for a good 3 star hotel. The first is, make sure you get a window. A high percentage of hotels in Hanoi’s old quarter have many windowless rooms - and they’re not necessarily very forthcoming with that information.
The second is, beware of the tripadvisor premium. We’ve looked at close on 100 of these places and price variations are often far more dramatic than the variation in quality. Most of them are fair to good. And everything in our list is at the better end of the scale. If a hotel has a very high tripadvisor ranking, this will be reflected in the price. It may not be reflected in the relative quality of what’s on offer.
The old quarter is now packed with narrow hotels that soar high, show a little design savvy and offer nice rooms at reasonable prices. Sadly, many of these hotels have been responsible for the demolition of old quarter gems, and thus, they’ve taken a toll on the visual appeal of the area. Most visitors to Hanoi end up staying in the old quarter, in one of these places.
The old quarter is the traveller epicentre of Hanoi. With restaurants and nightlife, as well.
We’ve compiled our listing over the past 6 years taking account of location, quality, service and value for money. We don’t receive any payment for these listings. They're handpicked and independent. We’re interested in introducing Hanoi’s best hotels.
If you have any suggestions, send them to info@rustycompass.com
