La Paz Resort Halong

The island was being evacuated because a storm was approaching, but nobody at the hotel told us. We only realized there was a problem when the island seemed almost empty and we asked about it. We then found out that we were one of just two groups still there. That lack of communication in a potentially dangerous situation was really worrying. We had booked and paid for a room for four, but were given only two towels and three pillows. When we asked for more, the staff simply said no, which made for a bad start. The hotel fell short on both basic service and safety. I definitely wouldn’t recommend staying here.

There’s barely anything to do on the island besides swimming and taking a cruise. The price reflects the place’s former glory, not how run-down it is now. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’d consider staying if it cost half as much. The TV only gets the hotel’s own ads, the door doesn’t have a secure lock, and the bed is just two beds pushed together as a king, with nothing to stop them from sliding apart.

It’s a small place, but still interesting. The storm last year left the little theme park feeling almost abandoned, and reconstruction is expected to take up to two years. Trees were torn out on Harmony Hill, roof tiles were destroyed, and the metal queue rails were badly bent. Walking around felt like being on a set for an end-of-the-world movie.

We had ten rooms, and every floor was dirty, sandy, and had even small stones on it. Our feet turned dark, like we’d been walking outside barefoot. When I told the staff, they only smiled and did nothing. There was dirty laundry piled outside the house too. One room was missing slippers, and they demanded 160k for the old pair, even though nobody had taken them and they’d probably turn up somewhere. The place was empty, and our guide was bringing them groups of clients, but they still didn’t care. The staff were rude and unprofessional.