For some reason, I booked a SQ flight to Hanoi during a promotion @ only $268nett per pax but I picked SilkAir to come back due to better flight timings. It was my first trip to Vietnam and I was excited about it. Thankfully, I found Mercure and it was time again to clock more points into my Accor Silver.
Address – 94 Ly Thuong Kiet Street – Hoan Kiem District, 10000 Hanoi Vietnam. Website. Tel: (+84)4/39447766.
Price – USD97++ per night x 3 nights = USD291.06 in total – with the Accor Super Sale @ 30% off with free breakfast.
Prior to Arrival – I had emailed to ask about hotel pick up rates and was quoted USD50 = VND1.1 million. We didnt take it as we found it expensive despite the fact that there was no fixed rate taxi system from Noi Bai Airport.
Getting There – So it was a stroke of good luck that service 86 started mid 2016. I found this blog very useful in actually finding the stop after you exit the terminal (sorry not re-posing the info here in case). The bright orange signage and bus makes it easy to spot too. You drag your luggage onto the bus, grab a seat, and the staff will come around to collect the fare of VND30k per pax, which translates to about USD1.50. The staff will also pass you slips of paper with the bus stops in english and ask you which stop you are stopping at, and sometimes she prompts you that you have arrived. There is also a mumbling announcement of the various stop names as well as a english LCD screen showing the bus stop names too. No problem for tourists at all. Mercure was 4mins walk from the last of the 10 stops and the ride took 1 hour for me.
Location – Honestly, a bit too far from the old quarters. I’ve read some reviews that says you can walk to it but its about 15mins walk and the chaotic traffic makes it abit hazardous to navigate your way around. There are cafes and stuff around the hotel itself but nothing as major and as tourist friendly as the old quarters. A 10-15mins cab ride to the old quarters costs an average of VND30k which is very reasonable – ask the hotel to get you one as they tend to get the more reputable ones, and thus safer (I presume). My most expensive ride cost VND90k but I suspect this one had the metre rigged.
Check In – Swift and fuss free.
Room – I booked a Deluxe 1 Queen-size bed and 1 sofa and got 707. It felt more spacious than its advertised 35SqM. Sofa + table for chilling out, and work desk and mini bar all in order. Cleanliness was nothing to complain about although the carpet seems rather worn out. Bathroom was a good size but not enough hooks! Toiletries were mecure branded but I didn’t try them.
Breakfast – Was better than expected. Good spread of local and western dishs and plenty of breads. We noticed that the staff only asking non asians if they like coffee / tea 🙁
Service / Other amenities – Hotel had a very small gym which could have made do. Service was nothing to complain about in general. We booked a half day cooking class via the Buffalo Tour desk at the lobby, and also a 1-Day Halong Day Tour. All was done properly and quality of the tours was nice.
Check Out – Swift and fuss free too. Front desk also offered to get a taxi to the airport for a fixed rate of VND350,000 which was reasonable.
While the property made for a good stay, if I had to come back to Hanoi, I probably will pick a hotel that is within the Old Quarters just for convenience sake.