Hanoi Lucky Guesthouse 2

We ended up taking a taxi because the bus they sold us as a ticket kept stopping at all the sights along the way, although they had said it would stop only once. We didn't want to wait any longer. They'd advised us against the local bus to Ninh Binh and sold us this tour ticket instead. The local bus would have cost much less, and we probably would've arrived two hours earlier. The staff were friendly and breakfast was good. Our room was clean, the bed comfortable, though it smelled a bit and there were a few cockroaches at night.

Free breakfast was another reason I liked the place, and the location in the old city made it easy to get around Ha Noi. The staff were so sweet and friendly, and helped me a lot by suggesting great places and food to try. The four-person dorm is small but has enough in it, while the double room is larger and has its own toilet. I really loved the staff.

The room was a decent size, tidy and clean, with air conditioning that worked, although it was temperamental. We arrived after a long trip to find our booking wasn't in the guesthouse register. The receptionist was very kind and gave us a family room instead of the double we'd booked, so that crisis was sorted. We were only staying one night and wanted to go to the station for sleeper train tickets. The receptionist kept recommending the overnight bus instead, saying it was better and cheaper. After we said no several times, she called and offered two tickets for about 2,100,000 dong, but only if we booked in the next 10 minutes. That felt like a pressure sales pitch. We knew the price was too high and bought the tickets at the station for under 1,600,000 dong. The guesthouse is a good place to sleep and explore Hanoi, and the breakfast was okay. I'd still recommend staying here, though the increasingly pushy sales attempts made us uncomfortable. I understand they're trying to earn money, but when a guest says no, they should leave it there.

I stayed eight nights in a mixed dorm with four beds, and the staff were very welcoming. One of the women ordered lunch for me one day and gave me lychee and dragon fruit, which was kind of her. But the room had only one bathroom, and there was a big hole in its door. I mentioned it, but nothing was done. There was also a strange young person in the room for a few days who never seemed to go out and was always talking on a laptop or phone. I couldn't tell if they were male or female.