HOTEL REVIEW

HANOI PEARL HOTEL

Type: 4-Star Boutique
Location: Old Quarter, Hanoi
Hoan Kiem Lake: ~1 min walk
Cost: NZ$115–225 / night

Right in the guts of the Old Quarter, this was a different kind of stay to the Sala or the Bel Marina — no hustle and bustle, no room for a massive pool, just a great inner-city hotel done properly. Nothing wrong with anything. The rooms were the same high standard of cleanliness as the other two, and the location put us right in the thick of everything worth walking to.

Breakfast was great, with a bit less selection than the Sala or the Bel Marina — but that's purely down to space, not effort. They had staff cooking whatever you wanted made fresh, same as the other two hotels, just in a smaller footprint.

GOOD TO KNOW

What we didn't know going in: you can ask for a room with a shower over the bath, or just a shower on its own. Next time we'd go with just the shower — not exactly bath people. Rachel on the front desk sorted this out for us and was brilliant throughout the stay; the English at the front desk here was excellent across the board.

We'd had the luxury of pools at the previous two hotels, and it's genuinely harder to find a hotel with a pool in the middle of Hanoi's Old Quarter — so no surprises there, and it didn't take anything away from the stay. Fantastic location, full stop. Like the other two hotels, everything within their control — food, staff, advice, cleanliness, service — was great.

Bonus: there's a great little crepe stall just around the corner, worth the walk on its own.

THE VIETNAMTRIPPER VERDICT
Would we go again?
YES
Would we recommend it?
YES
Best thing: The location — right in the Old Quarter, a minute from Hoan Kiem Lake, with everything you'd want to walk to on the doorstep.
Worst thing: No pool — but that's an Old Quarter trade-off, not a fault of the hotel. Ask for a shower-only room if you're not a bath person.
NZ$115–225 / night
Current going rate for this 4-star Old Quarter boutique hotel, depending on room type and season. Book direct or compare on Booking.com/Agoda for the best rate on your dates.
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