Bodega Hotel, Hanoi

We Flew into Hanoi from Hong Kong and stayed at this hotel. This an be booked through the Hostelworld website. We got a taxi journey from the airport whch cost us 10USD to the hotel. Our flight arrived in Hanoi just after 9am and the taxi journey was around 40mins and we were allowed to check in upon arrival which is always pleasing.

The hotel -

Upon first impressions the hotel was a pleasent one. The Hotel staff were ...
...was useful as we spoke little Vietnamese.

The room itself had a
- Huge double bed,
- Mini bar fridge (which is cheaper then the local shop)
- Bath/Shower
- TV with many channels
- Free Breakfest
- Free Fruit in your room
- Free internet

Thankfully as well the hotel offered a full laundry service which was badly needed after spending time in a rubbish place in Hong Kong ... more

We Flew into Hanoi from Hong Kong and stayed at this hotel. This an be booked through the Hostelworld website. We got a taxi journey from the airport whch cost us 10USD to the hotel. Our flight arrived in Hanoi just after 9am and the taxi journey was around 40mins and we were allowed to check in upon arrival which is always pleasing.

The hotel -

Upon first impressions the hotel was a pleasent one. The Hotel staff were extremley friendly upon our arrival and spoke excellent english, which was useful as we spoke little Vietnamese.

The room itself had a
- Huge double bed,
- Mini bar fridge (which is cheaper then the local shop)
- Bath/Shower
- TV with many channels
- Free Breakfest
- Free Fruit in your room
- Free internet

Thankfully as well the hotel offered a full laundry service which was badly needed after spending time in a rubbish place in Hong Kong and needed to wash many of our items to ensure we didnt have any bed bugs in them.

Hanoi -

As I said we arrived early in the morning whch meant that our first day was about getting some sleep as we were up at 4am in Hong Kong, However when we did wake from our comfy bed we headed straight to a market to buy souvenirs. However for some reason many of the market traders wouldnt allow us to browse there products, but eventually we did find one who did and these were very cheap.

Our Hotel was loctated on Hang Bong Street which is very central to Hanoi and allowed you to explore all of the major sights. Unfortunatley walking isnt recommended as crossing roads is hazadous. Hanoi has a population of 4million and the bike population is the same and they dont stop for red lights!

Ha Long Bay -

Another good thing about the Hotel is that you can book trips to many sights, we choose to go to Ha Long Bay. A collection of small islands and caves about a 3 hour drive from Hanoi. We saw a floating fish market, a floting village and a couple of caves. We also enjoyed a lenghty boat trip to get to and from the islands. Whilst e were getting to the islands we were served an excellent lunch of local cusine. The total cost of this package was 25USD per person and lasted a whole day. Although this did take 6 hours of driving time to actually get to/from the site.

The hostel also provided city tours and tours of other sites. It also offered bus service tickets for neighbouring countries at a competitive rate.

Tips -

- Dont try to cross the road and if you do either follow a local or dont stop as this is when the problems start.
- be careful with your money. Make sure you agree prices before you buy something and count your change as we were short changed twice
- If you dont fancy crossing the road, get a trishaw which you will need to haggle for as the starting price is alot higher then it should be. Best to check with your hotel for how much they would pay
- It sounds odd but act american! Everyone wears NY hats and the US dollar is widely accepted. Americans also dont need a visa whereas us poor Brits do for about 35GBP.

Medical stuff -

We didnt need any speical injections for Vietnam, but were (and still are) on Anti Malaria's. Obviously it best to check with your GP before going exactly what you need.

Cost

The hotel costs 14USD per private room or 6usd for dorm sharing with up to 5 other people. Hanoi is reasonably cheap for eating and drinking and sovenirs. However do not expect western food.

Drawbacks?

The hotel is near a busy road and the traffice never seemed to stop. Vietnam seem to use there horn as a symbol of them been on the road so earplugs may be recommened. 

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