Gia Bao Hanoi Hotel (s)

If you read my overview of Hanoi Vietnam you will already know that a very popular area for tourists and the residents of Hanoi alike is the area surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake.  For a short trip to Hanoi this area is surely the most convenient, best area to stay so after a night in Church Hotel which was a few minutes away we decided to move hotels to experience another.

Gia Bao Hotel was featured in (my friend’s) Hanoi Wallpaper Guide which showcases “a tightly edited discreetly packaged list of the best a location has to offer for the design conscious traveler.”

The Wallpaper guide recommended two rooms in the Gia Bao Hanoi hotel which both happened to be available.  The rooms it recommended were 504 and their biggest room on the top (7th) floor.

I took room 504 and my friend took the top floor which had a balcony.  I liked room 504 which felt like home and had a nice feel as you could tell someone carefully decorated the room, not that I care about decor but it was definitely noticable.

My friend chose the top floor room which was more expensive and had a rather large outdoor deck with furniture on it.  He found his room to be excessively loud as there was a construction project next door along with the honking Hanoi traffic which was loud on the top floor but rather quiet in room 504.

Across the Street from the Older 7 Story Gia Bao Hanoi Hotel

There are 2 Gia Bao Hotels!

The suite on the top floor was too loud for the tastes of my friend so he asked to be moved.  It turned out they would move him to their other hotel which happened to be brand new.  As you can see on the map, the 2nd Gia Bao location is very close to the older first one.  He enjoyed his newer and quieter room in the 2nd Gia Bao location as I enjoyed my location.  Even for two friends, one without a cell phone staying at separate locations the distance was not an issue at all.

Overall Impression

I thought the Gia Bao was the best hotel room I stayed at in Vietnam by far.  Everything including the large Samsung LCD television was appreciated.  The only thing which I can nitpick about was the bathroom was not as nice as I think every hotel’s bathroom should be.  Not that I’m a “design-conscious traveler” but the Hanoi Wallpaper Guide really painted an accurate portrait of the hotel and the room.  My room (below) #504 cost $50USD which was around the same price most mid-level hotels cost in Hanoi and Saigon but it was far nicer than all the other ones I stayed at.  The service was friendly and helpful and the location was great.  If I had to pick a hotel in Hanoi for a return visit, either Gia Bao location would be on the top of my list.  Visit the Gia Bao Hotels website for booking and more info.

Winging it Again

If you know me or have read some of this blog you already know I’m not the most prepared traveler when it comes to lodging.  I was once almost stuck in Buzios, Brazil homeless because I didn’t bother to reserve a hotel when the whole country of Brazil was trying to get a room for the holidays.  Well, it happened again upon entering Vietnam.  I had a friend who has lived for 2 years in Saigon but asking for a hotel recommendation can often be like finding 100 needles in a haystack.

We ended up on the ground with no hotel in mind other than the general recommendation to stay near Pham Ngu Lao Street.  We struggled mightily with the language barrier (the whole trip) to instruct the taxi driver to get us there but after a good 15-30 minutes from the airport through the normal insane motorbike traffic we were dropped off on Pham Ngu Lao Street.

Pham Ngu Lao Street

Pham Ngu Lao Street is the Khao San Road (backpacker’s ghetto of Bangkok) of Vietnam.  Everything along Pham Ngu Lao Street is for tourists and includes many bars, shops and of course hotels.  The primary difference between Pham Ngu Lao Street and Khao San Road is the traffic.  Pham Ngu Lao Street is extremely busy and noisy with people constantly honking their motorbike and car horns as well as cyclo drivers and others trying to make a buck off you.

Showing up carrying a bunch of bags with no idea of where to go did not help.  As we walked down the street, sweating from packing our bags we were under constant bombardment, albeit friendly from hotel (using the term loosely) owners trying to rent out rooms.  There was definitely not a shortage of rooms but the standards were iffy at best for some of them.  After viewing a couple $10-20 a night rooms we had enough and decided to just get a hotel right on Pham Ngu Lao Street.

Elios Hotel

Elios Hotel stood out from the rest with its large brightly lit lobby and 3 Star placard on the outside which was common in Saigon.  The 3 star placard somewhat seemed to prove a hotel’s legitimacy as there were so many accommodations especially throughout the Pham Ngu Lao area. The staff was very helpful, friendly and had adequate English speaking ability which made the check-in and check-out process a breeze.

The Room

Two rooms were available on the 11th floor for my friend and I.   One had a window and the other did not.  I chose the one with the ‘view’ which happened to be a tiny window I could barely get my camera out of to snap the picture at the top of the post. The room was average at best.  There was nothing special about it whatsoever and probably didn’t warrant the price which was $47.62 a night.

The room had a mini bar stocked with soda, water and beer as well as a safe but there was nothing really nice about it.   What Elios Hotel lacked in room it made up for with service and the restaurant.

Amenities

Elios Hotel’s Blue Skye restaurant on the roof had indoor and outdoor areas which were great for getting a sky view of the adjacent park as well as the traffic and buildings of Saigon.  The hotel also has a “fitness center” which is actually a tiny room next to the restaurant on the top floor with 4-5 pieces of equipment in it with no air conditioning.  If you’re dying for an exercise session the cardio machines provide a nice view of Saigon.

TAKE NOTE

Room 1101 was right below the restaurant so bright and early in the morning at around  6am it got really noisy.  To me it sounded like the hotel staff were wearing wooden sandals and running down the stairs.  If you want to sleep in make sure you avoid the 11th floor rooms, especially 1101 which was right next to the stairs like the plague.

You would think in a touristy area there would be a bunch of places to eat after midnight but I found the area of Pham Ngu Lao where Elios Hotel was located to be completely dead and quiet after midnight.  It was uncomfortably quiet even for me to walk around outside hunting for food.  Luckily the front desk guy was more than happy to order me what he called “Chinese Food.”  To me it was Vietnamese food but it arrived in about 5 minutes, was cheap and delicious.

Overall Thoughts

Elios hotels rooms were not very impressive but it made up for it with great service and a nice view from the top floor restaurant.  We quickly grew tired of the manic Pham Ngu Lao Street and decided to find a quieter area and check out another hotel.  Although I was  not dissatisfied with Elios Hotel I would recommend it for people who like hanging out and drinking with the backpacker type of crowd as well as anyone who is in Saigon one night and wants to do some shopping or sight seeing.