La Casona Boutique Hotel

The quiet neighborhood and relatively affordable price keep this hotel from getting a lower rating. We spent two nights at La Casona Hotel in Saigon, and the stay was just about acceptable, with some serious drawbacks. The neighborhood is peaceful, apparently mostly Korean, and has plenty of good restaurants. We appreciated the calm after the inner city, though the hotel is far from the center and you’ll need a Grab to get around. Don’t miss the Red & Round pizza place next door. It used to be considered the best pizza in Saigon, and it’s still good when you need a break from rice dishes 😉 We had booked two balcony rooms on the 5th floor, but were given ordinary rooms without warning. The receptionist was lovely and apologized, saying the hotel was overbooked, though I couldn’t help wondering if that was a strategy. On the second night, only one balcony room became available. It was nicer and the mattress a little softer, but the shower drain was outside the cabin, so every shower flooded the whole bathroom. The balcony itself was sweet, but its ashtray hadn’t been emptied and the outdoor furniture wasn’t clean. Even in this more expensive room, cleanliness was barely acceptable. The rooms were basically okay and generally clean, though they felt a bit grimy by Western standards. Some beds were extremely firm and uncomfortable, and poor soundproofing meant we were repeatedly woken by guests in the hallway. Breakfast is only available through room service, not as a buffet or in a common area, and we didn’t try it. The hotel has recently been modified, with a convenience store now in the lobby. It no longer looks like the charming photos online. If you use the stairs instead of the elevator, you walk right through the store, which is awkward.