Hanoi La Selva Central Hotel

Breakfast was the hotel's best feature. You can order unlimited food from the menu, and it was actually good. The location is also great, close to public transport, restaurants, and shopping. Staff were helpful with carrying bags upstairs. The building seems to join three buildings together, though, and some rooms have no lift access, so you have to climb three flights of stairs. The cleanliness was awful. There was a strong stagnant-water smell throughout the hotel, like the smell in the spa. In our first room it was so bad that we asked to move. The manager said it was from the cleaning agent, which clearly wasn't the cause. They did accommodate the room change, but the new room was very dirty. The sheets were fine, but the floor had dust and hairs in different colors, clearly from different people. I avoided putting any of my things down on it. After returning from Sapa, we found the hotel somehow closed, with a motorcycle parked in the small lobby. We had to keep knocking until someone came to let us in. I rate it 3/5. It would have been tolerable if the floors were clean and the plumbing causing the stench were fixed.

The location remains the hotel's strongest point, and the staff were as polite as ever. On our second visit, we were again assigned room 308, which is reached only by stairs. The room itself was in the same state as last year. Breakfast was an à la carte buffet and the food was simply amazing, though the menu should match what is actually served. The La Selva burger breakfast was supposed to come with fries but didn't, and some omelettes listed with sausages arrived without them. We had loved our previous stay and hoped to see the restaurant server who gave such outstanding breakfast service, even bringing souvenirs for her, but she no longer works there. WiFi in our room was fantastic in the evening, then got pretty bad in the morning.

The included breakfast was fresh and delicious, with good-sized portions. The room was dark and quiet for sleeping, and the bed was comfortable. It's a great base in the Old Quarter, close to the lake, restaurants, and shops, with plenty to explore on foot.

The room's sound insulation wasn't great. I could hear the upstairs neighbor talking and coughing, though they weren't especially loud, as well as chairs scraping and footsteps. Luckily I'd brought earplugs. Otherwise, the rooms were clean, the hotel was nice, and the area was very accessible.