Since we were traveling in December we were a little antsy about the accommodation. The closer you get to Christmas and New Year, the busier the city is supposed to be. That’s why we booked our accommodation in advance. We were not disappointed with the accommodation at all! In fact we fell in love with it.
Hanoi has a large number of hotels and home stays in its midst. The hotels are both cheap and really swanky. $30 can get you a room which is on par (and even above par) with all international brands. If you want the best room for the cheapest price it is far wiser to book in advance.
We stayed at Splendora hotel and had a perfectly delightful experience. The staff was friendly and welcoming. Since our journey to Hanoi took us over 18 hours we were both tired and hungry. Refreshing slices of watermelon and a cool orange juice were just what we needed as a pick me up. They didn’t even wait to check us in before they ensured that we were well taken care off.
The rooms were spacious, well lit and had a lovely bathroom with exquisitely hot water. With the sun setting on the first of our 2 days in Hanoi and we were eager to start exploring what we could of the city. That’s where the hotel map came in extremely useful. If you stay in Splendora , I would recommend getting the tourist map from the counter. It has everything mapped on it: Tourist spots, good places to eat and even the railway station.
Breakfast In Splendora
No matter how busy you are, do not miss the breakfast that is complimentary with the room. It is a buffet system but they will also provide a menu of options that you can order hot off the stove. Among these options are sandwiches, burgers, pancakes, pho etc. We spent over an hour indulging and getting to know the Vietnamese cuisine there. If you start off in Hanoi like we did it is worth spending some time and understanding the words. Four days into our trip and we still know that pho seems to mean something like ‘noodle soup’. Using Google to translate can be a big boon in situations where language is a barrier.
The check out time is at 12 in the afternoon and we had a 9 pm train. The hotel offered to keep our baggage in storage for us and it was nice and safe while we roamed the city. While this may be expected of the hotel, Splendora went out of its way to offer us towels and a bathroom room to freshen up before we left. They even sent a guide to help us get our dollars exchanged.
Hotel Rating: 5 Star
Our one day stay in Hanoi certainly turned out to be memorable. We were able to cover all the sights around us in a day only due to the guidance that was given to us on the day that we arrived. Cheerful smiles certainly tend to make your day brighter. This is one hotel that I would definitely go back to.