Nam Dat Hotel by D'Lecia Ha Long

The two-room studio apartment worked well for a family, and the renovated hotel is in a good location. Top-floor rooms also have a view. But the price is far too high for what you get. It’s advertised as four stars, yet felt more like an upgraded hostel. Breakfast has to be ordered in an app, with only four dishes to pick from, which is inconvenient and not worth it. One night, a clerk woke everyone through the app to ask about breakfast timing, a strange disturbance in the middle of the night. There’s no room safe, which left us feeling less secure. Reception is on the second floor with no elevator, so it’s unsuitable for people with disabilities. For that price, I’d rather stay in a proper hotel. It’s simply not worth it.

You can walk to the bay and a shopping center, and the staff were super friendly. They checked every day whether we needed anything or wanted housekeeping. The hotel looked just like the ads, with clean, spacious rooms and delicious breakfast. I’d recommend it for a nice stay in Halong City. On the first day it was so hot that we were sweating. The AC wasn’t on, and when we left the room it went off because we only had one keycard, which controls the electricity. A few hours later and on the following days, the air conditioning was perfect. We also found hair and dirt left by the previous guests on day one and had to call the cleaning staff back. The frontdesk apologized several times and sent someone right away. After that, the room was impeccable. Nothing would keep me from staying again.

The only small issue was the view from the room. Otherwise, this is a very new and beautiful hotel, with stunning design in a modest old money style. The bar coffee is the most delicious in the world.

Rooms are cleaned, though. The toilet wasn’t working properly, and there was renovation noise at 7.30 am. Breakfast offered no choice, just an American breakfast, and coffee cost extra. Staff at the coffee shop had a very bad attitude, except for one waitress.