Soho Residence by Otis Apartment & Hotel

We barely noticed the three nights passing because we mostly used the apartment to sleep. The location was excellent, with attractions within walking distance, and there was a lovely hall and an air-conditioned elevator. Breakfast was a bright spot too, especially with jet lag when getting to breakfast can be hard. Still, the apartment had dirt and stains on the walls, hair on the bed, and a construction site outside the window where they were putting up a crane. It left me with mixed feelings, so make up your own mind.

It’s an easy walk to bui vuen st., and I’d stay here again. The Wi-Fi was fast, and the room had a balcony with air conditioning that worked well. Breakfast was about an 8. The lady cooked fresh eggs for you.

We left after two nights. There are plenty of lovely, cheaper places around, and communication here was awful. Nobody explained the rules or room cleaning, and it seems the privately owned apartments belong to different investors who don’t have a clue. “Full service” meant two thin towels in one room and four in another. There was no kettle or scissors, the sheets didn’t even cover the whole bed, and the only lights you could switch were in the corridor. No bedside lights or tables. Most apartments look onto a huge construction site, so it was very noisy. At breakfast, the lady didn’t speak English and couldn’t understand simple requests like hot coffee or no sugar. The breakfast and staff office were squeezed into the same tiny room. This felt like big money winning out over Vietnamese kindness.

The view isn’t guaranteed, and communication was awful. The one bright spot was the man at the door, who was the only person I met face to face and greeted me with a smile. Better to go to a real hotel.