Era Apartment Giang Vo

The cigarette smell was the main problem. Staff tried to help, even though signs warn of a 1,000,000 dong fine for smoking indoors. The stairwell and balcony didn't smell of cigarettes, but they couldn't stop other tenants from ignoring the ban. That kept this from being a five-star stay, though I did wonder for a long time if even four stars was too generous. ;) I stayed seven days and paid about $14/night, which felt like good value. The bright, spacious room was near Cat Linh station, with shops nearby and a large shopping mall 1800 meters away. There are also lots of other shops, restaurants, and coffee shops around. A taxi gets you close to the apartment, though you still have to walk the last 100 meters. The owner was helpful, the neighborhood was quiet, the location was very nice, and having a washing machine was a big plus. The floor was very dirty, so I had to mop it myself, and the dish drainer was greasy and filthy. The room was described as fully equipped, but it had no cutlery, frying pan, regular pot for even a small batch of rice, cutting board, regular knife, or coffee mug. I ended up buying the frying pan and many other items shown in the photos myself. :(

Fortunately, another room was available when I got there, so I could switch. The original room smelled bad and had a huge damp or dirty patch in the middle of the white floor. The alley was quiet, which was the one good thing. Otherwise, you get what you pay for, and even rooms a few tens of thousands cheaper were completely different. It was my first time booking here, and the service wasn't very good. They had a hotline, but I had to call repeatedly before I could get through. I probably won't come back.

I needed to iron my clothes and they didn't have an iron, so I had to walk across the street to Hieu Tam Laundry. The place seemed fairly new, probably recently built. You use a key card to enter and exit the main entrance, but the room has a mechanical key. Mine was spacious, airy, and had a balcony. It also had a water heater, air conditioning, induction hob, sink, refrigerator, wardrobe, and a pretty good projector. I booked it because I had business nearby.

The room was clean and fully equipped, close to Cat Linh Station. I'll support the place when I visit Hanoi.