36 Pho Co Guesthouse

The apartment itself is spacious, and the road noise and people out at night weren’t too bad. Still, it felt very isolated, and going up and down those steep spiral stairs was a hike every time. It’s in a separate building across the street from the hotel, much less elegant and comfortable, with a rather dirty entrance. The exterior door was left unlocked during the day, and I didn’t see anyone else there. The restaurant uses the building, and food smells drifted up the stairs into the apartment throughout my stay. The apartment is on the fourth floor, or what we’d call the fifth in the US, with four flights of stairs and no elevator. The manager didn’t mention that when I reserved by phone. Parking was another surprise: about a seven-minute brisk walk away, in a muddy lot that didn’t seem very secure. It costs $15 a day. When I stopped to unload my bags, I nearly got a ticket because there’s nowhere to pull up unless you’re lucky. Someone warned me while the ticket was being written. There was no secure place to leave luggage. The manager suggested I leave my bag in the restaurant by the front door while I parked, which took about half an hour. My laptop and passport were inside, so I refused. That really shocked me. The step in the middle of the apartment is easy to trip over. I caught myself about six times, and the edge should be painted or marked before someone gets badly hurt. At the start, nobody told me there was a washer and dryer, though I was glad to find them myself. There was no detergent. The manager said to use rinse agent as soap. I looked it up, told him that wasn’t soap and that he’d misled me, and he replied it would make the laundry smell nice. He then gave me detergent. Strange. I extended my stay by a day, but sorting out the price and terms was a nightmare. The manager was extremely slow in every interaction and kept calculating how good a deal I was getting when I just wanted the price and conditions. I also found out only later that the apartment had a washer and dryer. The hotel and apartment felt like complete opposites.

The only room issue for me was that the toilet door didn’t block sound. Otherwise, this is a lovely little hotel in the heart of Weimar, just across from a great Vietnamese restaurant. The rooms have thoughtful decor and a real eye for design. They made me want to go explore Vietnam, though for now I was happy just enjoying this charming place.

The Vietnam-inspired feel is an interesting touch, and we really liked it. We chose the place for a good stay in Weimar, and would book it again next time we’re here. Our room was clean, the host and staff were friendly and helpful, and the food across the street at one of their restaurants was amazing. We tried the pho burgers.

A lovely guesthouse with service that was just right. The rooms feel carefully decorated, down to the little details, and the beds are comfortable. Being right in Weimar makes it an easy base for exploring the city.