3D2N Review in Pullman Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam

2 days, is all I get for planning this last minute business trip to Hanoi, Vietnam.

First, a quick rundown on the background of this trip

On a sunny Friday afternoon, I was recalled by my superior from a project site in Batam, Indonesia and told to prepare to go to Hanoi for a meeting on the next Wednesday.

Working in a small company means that most of the travel arrangement (from flight to hotel and transportation) needs to be self arranged. This can be good or bad, depending on your personal preference. For me, I like it because I can plan my schedule and accommodation to suit my convenience, as long as it's within reasonable budget and I achieve the objective of the business trip.

The meeting confirmation from my client came only on Sunday evening. Therefore, all I have is Monday to book my flight and hotel for the trip.

The reasons I booked Pullman Hanoi is very simple

First, it's location is out of the core town centre, but not too far out that getting to the interesting sightseeing spots in Hanoi becomes a problem. As my meeting location is out of town (to be precise, 3 hours drive from Hanoi), I do not want to spent too much time stuck in traffic getting in and out of town.

Second, among all the Accorhotels group in Hanoi, it is (surprisingly) the cheapest at USD 78 per night before tax. Even Mercure la'gare, which I've stayed in a couple of times before, cost USD 10 more.

Third, I've heard the good reputation of hotel under the Pullman branding, and always wanted to give it a try.

Therefore, without much second thoughts, I booked a room for 2 nights under the "no cancellation, no change" rate from Accorhotels.com.

At Check-in

I arrived at the hotel around 7pm on the first day. At check in, I was told that somehow the Accorhotels computer system did not capture my booking, and was asked whether I have any booking confirmation number. Thankfully, I did have a soft copy saved in my phone.

Tip: In these days of electronic "everything under the sun", it's always wise to have a hard copy, or at least a soft copy in your mobile devices or laptop, which can be readily accessible even when you're not connected to the internet.

The reception staff took a look at my booking confirmation, and after a quick call to his manager, confirmed that even though their system did not capture my booking, they will honour the price which I booked the room. Yeah, as if it's my fault that your system did not capture the booking.

As a AccorHotels Gold card holder, I was given a free upgrade to the executive room, with free access to the executive lounge (more about that later).

When it was made known to the staff at check-in that I had to leave the hotel early tomorrow morning, and do not have time to eat breakfast at the hotel restaurant, the staff immediately offered to pack a simple breakfast for me to takeaway. Excellent service! Thumbs up

With everything settled, I took the lift up to level 10 and entered my room.

The Room

First thing, "Do not disturb" sign on.

The room is pretty much standard size for a non-suite hotel room, a double bed took up nuch of the space, with the bathroom located just right next to the entrance. There is a 2 seater sofa right beside the window and a worktable with connectivity panel consisting of international power plug, wired LAN connection, HDMI, USB and VGA input connected to the 40" Samsung LED TV. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Connectivity Panel with HDMI, VGA, and USB connection directly to the TV.

For probably the first time in all the hotels I've stayed in, the bedding comes with what I would call bolsters.

Also the first that I can remember, the minibar items are completely free. The mini-fridge is stocked with a can of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Hanoi beer and bottled green tea. While there is a small chocolate bar and potato chips as light snacks.

As with many higher end hotels in the market, the "coffee making facility" has been replaced by a capsule espresso machine, which comes very useful in the morning.

There is even a packet of hot cocoa should you need one before sleeping.

The bathroom comes with the usual amenities you'd expect for a hotel of this standard.

One thing that disappoint though, is that the internet connection, both wired and wireless are quite slow, maxing out at about 6 Mbps for both upload and download speed. I've achieved 100Mbps fibre connection in some local accommodation or ngah nghi in Vietnam's countryside before, so I don't see why this can be a problem in Hanoi.


The Executive Lounge

The lounge is located on the same floor as my room. During meal times, there is a simple selection of buffet food for the empty stomach out there. If you just want to have some light snacks, there are peanuts and chips available during the non-meal times. On top of the usual soft drinks, coffee, tea and juices, the range of alcoholic beverages are also quite extensive.

There's a computer with printer should you need it, and a small meeting room for 6 person.

Oh, and did I forget to mention, all these are free if you have access to the lounge.

Breakfast Spread

On the morning of the third day, I finally had the chance to enjoy the buffet breakfast in the hotel restaurant. The spread is pretty extensive, with selection of international and local food available. There is also the egg station, and a "stall" with freshly cooked "Pho".

The only problem is, the staff seem to be unable to cope with the breakfast crowd, as I notice many of the food needs to be refilled, and there don't seem to be enough staff handling the restaurant crowd. And the restaurant is not even half full when I had my breakfast.

Conclusion

A near perfect stay. Other than the internet speed and breakfast, the whole hotel is in tip-top condition. Service level and attention to guests' needs is top notch. The room is in a very good condition.

Even if you didn't stay in the executive room, the promotional price of roughly USD 78 per night for the entry-level room is still very value-for-money for a hotel of this quality. It can easily compete on equal terms with other hotels costing upwards of USD 200-300 per night.

8 things you should (and will) see in Vietman

Having travelled in and out of Vietnam countless times in the last one year or so, there are many things that never fail to amaze me. Vietnam is a country one should visit when in the region. For most Western tourists, the cost is still relatively low when compared to surrounding countries like Thailand and Malaysia. A decent room in a 3 star hotel smack in the middle of Hanoi won't cost more than USD 100. While most meals will cost less than USD 5 per person.

Note that this list is not exhaustive. And will be biased slightly to things in the countryside because I spent most of my time in the countryside in Northern Vietnam.

1. Ha long bay

Listed as one of UNESCO’s natural heritage site. The thousands of limestone islets in the bay, some big enough to contain it’s own cave system, is truly a sight to behold.

Ha Long bay is 3 to 4 hours by road from Hanoi, where most tourists will start the tour. You can choose to have a day tour, 2 days 1 night or 3 days 2 nights. I would strongly recommend to spend at least 1 night on one of the many floating junks where they take you out to the bay, sleep in the luxurious cabin for 1 night and then bring you back to Ha Long and Hanoi. Tour price and level of luxury varies, so do your research in advance.

A less traditional tourist boat for an overnight cruise into the bay.

Sunset in Ha Long

For those who have a fear of going out to sea, it is possible to (have a limited) view the islets without going on a cruise, but you'll have to take a local transport to cross the Bai Chay bridge to Ha Long City and drive along the coast.

2. Burial ground in the middle of paddy fields

While most of us living in big cities typically associate graves and cemeteries as eerie places to be avoided, the Vietnamese seems to think otherwise. The moment you travel out of the cities, it became apparent that there are what seems to be graves placed right in the middle of paddy fields where farmers work their field and children play. I can only imagine that the villagers choose to be buried within the land which they farm all their life. It also makes prayers by the later generations easier.

3. Vietnam style cafe

Vietnam style cafe can be found everywhere from the big cities to the countryside, even along major roads which are used for transportation. The rule is, as long as there are vehicular traffic along the road, cafes will take foothold at the roadside.

Almost all the cafes have chairs which tall people will find it difficult to sit.

Because the chairs are around 40-50cm off the ground. Nevertheless, cafes are a good place to sit down with a cup of Vietnamese coffee and watch others as they go by their daily lives.

4. Bia Hoi

Fresh beer which are unique to Northern Vietnam (at least that is what my friends from South Vietnam tell me). It is dispensed from taps very much like other beers. The only difference is, it is brewed fresh daily and has very light alcohol content.

5. Seafood

Being a country with more than 2000km of coastline, seafood made up a major part of Vietnamese diet, especially for those who lives near the coast. Be sure to look out for restaurants advertising “Hai San”, which means seafood. Though I would advise having an english speaking local to do the translation as many locals outside the big cities do not speak English.

6. Motorcycles.. swarms of them..

Once you get out of the airport terminal, you’ll notice that there are swarms and swarms of motorcycles. Even in the countryside, there are still many of them around.

This is due to the fact that import tax for cars in Vietnam is very high, which makes owning a car out of reach for many Vietnamese.

With the number of motorcycles around, you'd think that crossing the road will be a nightmare. The reality is much easier than you think. The key is to cross with a constant speed and don't make sudden stop or change in direction. Be predictable. The swarms of motorcyclist will weave around you. (This rule DOES NOT applies to cars)

7. Odd looking shop houses

For some reasons, land plots in Vietnam assigned for shophouses are abour 3-4m wide, but can be quite long/deep. And there don't seem to be any height limit. Which have some interesting result. Depending on the owner's budget, some shop-houses will be built to 5 or 6 stories high, while the one beside it is only 1 or 2 stories.

8. Snake wine

While not unique to Vietnam, snake wine are commonly found in the streets of the major cities. Snakes (preferably venomous ones) are put whole into the rice wine and kept for months while awaiting the ethanol to deactivate the venom protein, rendering it harmless.

If you're thinking of buying a bottle back home, just take note that the cobras commonly used in the wine are considered protected species in many countries and you may just end up on the wrong side of the law.