Casablanca Hotel

The man running the place was friendly and helpful. He even carried my bags up to the third floor, which I appreciated. The free WiFi had a strong signal throughout, and the location is handy for restaurants across different cuisines and price ranges, cafes, bars, laundries, and convenience stores. Motorbike parking is on the footpath and exposed to the weather. For a cheap hotel, it met my needs for one night, but I moved elsewhere the next night. The room was spacious and acceptably clean, with air conditioning and a refrigerator that both worked well, though the fridge was noisy. It also had two queen beds with thin mattresses, a bedside table, chairs, and a small round table. One mattress was quite hard, about 7/10, and the other a little softer, about 6/10. Putting them together made things moderately comfortable. The private wet-style bathroom was spacious enough and acceptably clean by Vietnam standards, with good hot water, though it didn’t last endlessly. The hotel is noisy, especially from the always-noisy Vietnamese guests who seemed to pay no attention to the time. It was a little quieter from midnight to 5am. Its great location is also part of the problem. The Booking.com description led me to expect a TV, but there are none in the rooms, which disappointed me. My room also had no complimentary water, though bottles were visible at reception. Maybe the room attendants forgot. On the plus side, they’re pet friendly, and my dog stayed with me at no extra charge. All the rooms are on upper levels, reached only by narrow stairs. The place is fine for budget travelers, but probably not if you’re fussy, so keeping expectations low helps. My room suited me for an overnight stay.

The biggest problem was the bed. It smelled bad, felt damp, and the sheets looked unwashed, with yellow stains. The bathroom wasn’t clean or in good shape either. Hot water took ages, and when it came, the pressure was so weak that a proper shower was almost impossible. Cold water was the only other option. The room was dirty, musty, and damp, with old, worn furniture. The humidity never let up and even warped our belts, besides being bad for electronics. The table and chairs were absurdly small, like they belonged in a child’s room. Housekeeping was nearly nonexistent. Over a week, we were asked just once whether we wanted the room cleaned. The welcome felt cold and unprofessional. The hotel also often smelled strongly of durian because reception staff brought it to work. That’s disgusting in a hotel. When we returned the rented motorbikes, they tried to charge my brother and me for one extra day each, beyond the actual rental period. It felt unfair and unpleasant. I wouldn’t recommend staying here if you want basic cleanliness and comfort.

My girlfriend and I slept really well, and the room was pretty good. It’s very close to the city centre and well worth the money. The staff were kind, and they helped me find a very cheap taxi to the airport. Thanks a lot.

This isn’t a four-star place. It’s old, cold, and noisy. Someone knocked and tried opening my room door at 8 am, waking me up. When I opened it, she just said sorry. Why do that? Then they knocked again at 11:45 to remind me about checkout. Really bad.