Villa Song Saigon

Our river-facing suite was beautifully appointed, and we woke to a glorious sunrise. Villa Song is a lovely getaway in Thao Dien, within a comfortable walk of lots of cafes, restaurants, and shops. To get to District 1, you can take the hotel's own boat, which is an experience in itself, or use the very affordable Grab ride hailing app. The restored property has thoughtful little touches everywhere, and the caring, attentive staff led by hotel manager Tien greet you with sincere smiles. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and couldn't recommend Villa Song more strongly.

The rooms were clean and nice, but the price felt a little steep for what you get. The restaurant wasn't quite as good as I remembered from earlier visits. The menu has changed, and the quality seemed lower. Still, the lovely pool was definitely the highlight, though there's room to improve given the price.

The room was larger and airier than we expected, with an open view toward the Song River from our balcony. We knew we'd spend our evenings out there. It faces the restaurant below, so noise could bother someone sensitive to sound, though it didn't bother us. Breakfast was delicious and ordered from a menu, with the option to eat right by the river. There was always enough room in the shared areas for the number of guests, and we thought the saltwater pool was excellent, especially since chlorine isn't good for your skin. My wife and I spent a few days in Ho Chi Minh City at the end of January after someone tipped us off to Villa Song, a boutique hotel. We usually pick chain hotels, telling myself that our status might improve the experience, though we'd enjoyed boutique stays before and should choose them more often. After this visit, we will. We arrived at 10pm and were welcomed warmly. Everything was ready, and there were no problems. That set the tone: the service was incomparable, and no question felt too big or too small. We had a couple of minor language misunderstandings since we were both speaking a foreign language, but they were always sorted out with smiles and a laugh. The hotel is a little outside the center. Its free boat shuttle to and from the center wasn't running while we were there, so the hotel arranged transport to the nearest Waterbus stop instead. We had a fantastic few days and highly recommend the hotel.

The quiet, elegant setting and lovely pool were good, but the people side of the stay felt off. Staff seemed indifferent, nervous, unhappy, and uncomfortable, and spoke very little. I suspect the front of house leadership isn't engaging or training the team well. Breakfast felt stingy too, with a maximum of one food item and one drink, which seemed unnecessary given the generous portions. The drinks rule felt designed to annoy guests who clearly have money. Some things also looked uncared for: broken table mats and glass table tops hadn't been replaced, and paper napkins were used instead of linen. It gave me the impression the hotel was losing money and that management didn't understand the details of a luxury stay. There are few places like this in HCMC, but as a complete experience for people with hearts, I found it less enjoyable than places a third of the price.