Hanoi Boutique House

We arrived by night train and were able to get into our room at 6 am because reception was open. The extra charge was reasonable, and check-in was quick. Our room was spacious, clean, and well kept, with hot water and wifi. The hotel sits at the edge of the Old Quarter, close to cafes, bars, restaurants, street food, travel agents, an ATM, and money exchange. Some sights are walkable, and there’s a little bakery around the corner with lovely fresh treats. The downside was a huge cockroach in our room that was hard to catch. With street food and open kitchens nearby, those unpleasant roommates may be hard to avoid. :-(

We stayed here twice because Hanoi worked well as a base between trips to other regions. The rooms were clean, the bed was comfy, and it was good value for the area. Tien, the owner, is really kind. The Old Quarter gets loud: a market on the street below starts around 5:30am, and a nearby hostel's pub crawl can be noisy around 10pm. Bring earplugs. I'm not sure anywhere else around here would be quieter.

The room was much shorter than expected, with my head nearly touching the ceiling. It looked nothing like the photos and felt old and run down, and there was no elevator. The host pointed out that I'm very tall, then assigned me the shortest room and offered a normal-sized one for an extra charge. I wouldn't recommend it.

The room was a decent size, clean, and had a soft mattress with good support. The location scores well for walking around the Old Quarter, though cars can't make it down the narrow street. I asked specifically for a ground-floor room but was put on the fourth floor. There's no lift, so avoid booking here if you have heavy bags or bad knees or heart problems. Other drawbacks: no refrigerator, small thin towels, and a wet-room shower. Free water was included with the more expensive room, but service was inconsistent.