Memorina Ninh Binh Resort

The rice fields around the resort are beautiful, and we enjoyed cycling there in the evening and admiring the nearby large temple. It was a quiet place for our family and children, with an area where you can see animals. When we got hungry, we ate at Bai Dinh Viet's Choice Restaurant nearby, which suited our taste. We recommend staying here, five stars.

The rooms are cleaned daily, and ours was tidy, attractive, and had working air conditioning. Breakfast isn't buffet style every morning, mostly just on weekends, when there are more guests. The somewhat remote location makes it a good choice if you're after a quiet, peaceful place to relax. I can recommend it for that.

The place is rural, which is part of its local charm, and I'd happily stay again if I had time to enjoy the Ninh Binh area at an unhurried pace. It's a nice property with beautiful, spacious rooms and good facilities. The staff are helpful, though their English is limited. It clearly isn't aimed at foreign visitors, so it's useful to know that beforehand. Dining is entirely local, and cold beer isn't available unless you arrange it ahead of time, or use ice the way locals do. Credit card payment wasn't available either, though I can't tell whether that was temporary. The location is pleasant but far from most attractions. You'll need taxis if cycling moderate distances doesn't suit you or the weather is bad. Walking isn't practical, but basic bicycles are available.

We arrived in the middle of the evening and nobody was there to check us in. After searching around, we found a staff member eating in the restaurant, and he showed us how to check in. The room they gave us wasn't the one we had booked on Booking, but we were tired and just wanted dinner. The kitchen had closed at 7 pm, so there was nothing to eat. We rented a motorbike instead, and the receptionist rented us an old one with no brakes for 300,000 for two hours. We were hungry, so we accepted. The laundry came back dirty, not blended and not ironed, and they tried to charge us 500,000 VND for it. We left with one night still remaining, but got no refund, and nobody seemed to care that we were leaving. Only one staff member could speak English, which made communication so much easier, obviously. I don't know whether it was because we were foreigners or something else, but it was a terrible experience. I wouldn't recommend this place.