Lotus House

We went to Vietnam over the summer, and decided to book this hotel because it was central to most of the sights and shopping centers in this area. When we booked the hotel, we also booked a van from the hotel to shuttle us to the hotel (I would strongly recommend this, as there is a high crime rate in vietnam, and it is very likely somoene will try and take advantage of tourists). The price was reasonable, and the service was great when Mr Sun (the hotel manager) was present. This hotel was about a 15 minute walk to Haom Kiem lake. There is a variety of breakfast to choose from at this hotel every morning. I enjoyed eggs and fresh baked banh mi every morning. This was one of the best fresh baked breads we have ever eaten. My sister enjoyed their pancakes, which were a cross between our traditional pancakes and crepes with an almost maple syrup sauce. The staff went out every morning to purchase them. There were also cereals, juices, tea/coffee, and fruits at the buffet as well as some desserts. out of all the restaurants we ate at during our stay here, we enjoyed the hotel food the best. The rooms were smaller than we expected, however this is how many of the boutique hotels in this area are. The washrooms were also small, but they gave us robes and slippers, and the water pressure was good. The window from our room faced the next building which I felt I could stick my hand out the window and touch the next building. The nights were peaceful, and little noise was heard. We enjoyed a chicken and tofu sandwich, both equally tasty. The rooms had cable, internet, fresh sheets, no smell, never a shortage of hot water, and a cozy feel. Our only problem here was that our air conditioner broke down on the second night, but Mr Sun was able to call for repairs and have this fixed when we notified him. There is a banh mi sandwich shop close to this hotel, called banh mi 25, this is well worth trying. You can also attend the weekend market, which has a number of nick nacks, clothes, shoes, toys etc. The tourist prices are expensive. I found a lot of the items to be more costly than they were here. I would recommend that you bring your own fan (maybe two incase one breaks, its really hot here, you will need this item, if you would like to purchase this while your in Hanoi it will cost just over $4 for a cheap paper fan you get here for about $1). The only thing I regret not doing is not booking a food tour, we just didnt have time for this during our stay. We also booked an excursion with Mr Sun to Ha Long Bay with the V'Spirit. This is well worth the money you will be paying for it. We had negotiated our vehicle back to the air port with the purchase of 4 tickets. The price the hotel charged for the tickets was cheaper than most of the other vendors would charge you around the city. The guide was very pleasant, and informative. The staff onboard the boat were amazing, and great cooks. We went into the caves saw rock formations, cooked spring rolls with the chef, and even had two nights of squid fishing. We had the chance to see a family who lived on the lake in a floating house; how they lived with minimal material items was really interesting. You could swim here if you choose to. Mr Sun really made our hotel stay very comfortable, and I would recommend this hotel if you are not very picky about luxury accommodations, but are looking for excellent service, and a good meal every morning.