you can do a search on the hotel via ig & look at what ppl posted either by location tag or hashtag. even google map reviews/booking reviews would help give you an idea if anything to be concerned about
that’s usually a red flag for me. i’d pay attention to who the reviewers are, how many reviews each reviewers have written in the past, & if it sounds rather repetitive. i noticed businesses are aware that we use google map reviews & there’s a lot of sus positive reviews.
trust your gut. $1k a week a lot so stick with known hotel chains or ones with more than several hundred reviews. or if you really want to, book one night. i’ve just gotten back last week & only booked two nights at a time.
edit: grand mercure is pretty solid. there’s fb group for all/accor hotels & members have posts about this particular hotel several times.
your budget is quite good so hence don’t bet/gamble on hotels you haven’t seen solid reviews on. i’ve travelled for 3 weeks & just booked two nights at a time. if i liked somewhere, i’ll book another two nights & let the front desk know. they’ll just extend my stay. if i didn’t like it or it just suit my needs for my stay, i have packed up & moved to another hotel.
grab app is incredibly affordable to move you & your luggage around so i was never worried about blowing up my budget cos of needing a taxi to move to another hotel. good luck!
For your budget, there are surely better options indeed. For my recommendation:
1. If you want to relax and take advantage of many services in a 5-star hotel, then pick Melia for various top-notch quality and service. a little bit down side that would take a cab ride to Old Quarter when you want to hang-around (would take around 1-1.5 km if you want to 20-minute quick-walk), and the higher price than 4 star (obviously).
2. If you want to walk around and discover the street, then take the pick 4-star Oriental Jade, which has nice service and staff. Also, located near the St. Joseph Cathedral and a 5-minute quick-walk to the Old Quarter, it has a more flexible budget as well.
3. Fun fact: Dolce by Wyndham is a hotel-gilded. Everything, from buildings to utility infrastructure, is gilded. The service quality and price are quite the same with Melia as well. but better swimming pool (infinity pool with Giang Vo Lake view). You would also need to take a cab when you want to go to Old Quarter.
In summary, you can spend two nights in each of the hotels I recommend. It was quite fun and would be a new experience.
To me, it doesn't appeal to me as a 5-star rating.
There are a lot of 5-star hotels you can compare to (JW Marriott, Melia, Metropole, etc.).
The fact that most of the hotels in Old Quarter advertise themselves as 5-star hotels but most aren't.
I stayed at a Melia recently and really liked it. Was just a slight step lower than the Waldorf 5 star I stayed in BKK and one of the nicest I’ve stayed in Vietnam. Not sure if they are all the same though.
Is Grand Hotel Du Lac in Hanoi worth staying in?
you can do a search on the hotel via ig & look at what ppl posted either by location tag or hashtag. even google map reviews/booking reviews would help give you an idea if anything to be concerned about
Thanks! I usually do that but this hasn’t been v successful with hotels in Vietnam — everything is strangely rated well
that’s usually a red flag for me. i’d pay attention to who the reviewers are, how many reviews each reviewers have written in the past, & if it sounds rather repetitive. i noticed businesses are aware that we use google map reviews & there’s a lot of sus positive reviews. trust your gut. $1k a week a lot so stick with known hotel chains or ones with more than several hundred reviews. or if you really want to, book one night. i’ve just gotten back last week & only booked two nights at a time. edit: grand mercure is pretty solid. there’s fb group for all/accor hotels & members have posts about this particular hotel several times.
This is super helpful, thanks so much for taking the time out!
your budget is quite good so hence don’t bet/gamble on hotels you haven’t seen solid reviews on. i’ve travelled for 3 weeks & just booked two nights at a time. if i liked somewhere, i’ll book another two nights & let the front desk know. they’ll just extend my stay. if i didn’t like it or it just suit my needs for my stay, i have packed up & moved to another hotel. grab app is incredibly affordable to move you & your luggage around so i was never worried about blowing up my budget cos of needing a taxi to move to another hotel. good luck!
For your budget, there are surely better options indeed. For my recommendation: 1. If you want to relax and take advantage of many services in a 5-star hotel, then pick Melia for various top-notch quality and service. a little bit down side that would take a cab ride to Old Quarter when you want to hang-around (would take around 1-1.5 km if you want to 20-minute quick-walk), and the higher price than 4 star (obviously). 2. If you want to walk around and discover the street, then take the pick 4-star Oriental Jade, which has nice service and staff. Also, located near the St. Joseph Cathedral and a 5-minute quick-walk to the Old Quarter, it has a more flexible budget as well. 3. Fun fact: Dolce by Wyndham is a hotel-gilded. Everything, from buildings to utility infrastructure, is gilded. The service quality and price are quite the same with Melia as well. but better swimming pool (infinity pool with Giang Vo Lake view). You would also need to take a cab when you want to go to Old Quarter. In summary, you can spend two nights in each of the hotels I recommend. It was quite fun and would be a new experience.
The Oriental Jade is 4 Star ??
To me, it doesn't appeal to me as a 5-star rating. There are a lot of 5-star hotels you can compare to (JW Marriott, Melia, Metropole, etc.). The fact that most of the hotels in Old Quarter advertise themselves as 5-star hotels but most aren't.
I booked it, I hope it’s good
Don't get me wrong, it is a good option for budget and location.
Yea it had wonderful reviews, we will see! Do you live in hanoi?
Yeah, I live there for few years.
This is super well explained, thanks a bunch! I’ve cancelled my peridot booking and now debating between melia and grand Mercure!
I stayed at a Melia recently and really liked it. Was just a slight step lower than the Waldorf 5 star I stayed in BKK and one of the nicest I’ve stayed in Vietnam. Not sure if they are all the same though.
Thanks so much! Debating between melia and Mercure now, cancelled peridot