The Now Boutique Hotel

I had a nice stay apart from the bathroom issues. The hot water turned lukewarm after about two minutes, so there wasn’t enough to fill even the bottom of the nice bathtub. Sometimes there was also a strange smell from the pipes. The hotel itself is beautiful and the staff are friendly.

The room was pretty dark, and the water pressure was really poor. The service was great, though, and the two receptionists we met were lovely and kind.

The staff were nice, but the hotel was dirty and damaged, with scratches and marks everywhere. The pictures don’t look like the place we found. Even the front glass door, which looked like it had never been cleaned, gave a warning about the condition inside. The pool was missing tiles, parts of the deck were lifting, the towels were grey, and there was thick dust around the edges and under the bed. I had booked five weeks but left after two, and asked management for a refund since they could resell the room. They refused, then ignored me completely, including when I asked for an invoice. In all my years using Booking.com, I’ve never been treated this way.

The room was spacious, had a bathtub, and the bed was big. Housekeeping did a great job, and I could see the care they put in each day. I also thought the price was surprisingly good for the room size, location, atmosphere, and attentive service. I stayed for two weeks and really enjoyed it. The reception team were all so kind and made me feel looked after. The hotel has a lively feel, with tropical flowers and a warm welcome, unlike some of the more boring places in the city center. It’s a short walk to the center, and just three minutes on foot to local spots serving banh cuon and mi quang. The one issue was getting bitten by insects a few times while asleep. The room felt clean and the sheets were changed regularly, so I didn’t think it was because anything was unclean. It seemed to get better after several full linen changes. Maybe I’m just sensitive, since I haven’t seen other reviews mention it, but some extra sanitizing around the bed, especially in the hidden areas, would be reassuring.