My spouse and I spent three nights at the Hilton Hanoi Opera in late
March 2014. Be sure not to call this hotel the “Hanoi Hilton”, which
refers to the historically infamous Hoa Lo Prison, the gatehouse /
museum that is a 15-minute walk away. We remitted Hilton HHonors points
for a complimentary award stay in a King Hilton Executive Suite, which
we booked on-line.
The Hilton is a 45-minute drive from Hanoi’s
Noi Ba International Airport. (HAN). The hotel offers private transfers
to and from the airport in a BMW530i for approximately $70 USD each way,
whereas a taxi costs approximately $15 USD each way. This hotel is
located in the French Quarter of Hanoi, a few blocks from Hoan Kiem
Lake, the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre, and the Old Quarter. Hoan
Kiem Lake, whose name means “Lake of the Restored Sword”, is home to the
Ngoc Son Temple, Huc Bridge of the Rising Sun, and the Thap Ruaor
Turtle Tower. The location is adjacent to the Hanoi Opera House (hence
the hotel name), close to restaurants and high-end shopping. The hotel
has two entrances, and taxis are queued outside of the main hotel
entrance. A large market is located within a few blocks of the hotel, as
well as many tiny shops / stalls where guests can purchase drinks (both
alcoholic and non- alcoholic) and snacks.
The heated outdoor
swimming pool area is small but attractive, although it was unused when
we visited. The weather was too cool and cloudy to relax by the pool; in
fact, we had read on-line that the pool operates seasonally beginning
on April 1, but it was unofficially open two weeks prior to that time.
The fitness center (with 10+ machines) features windows that overlook
the pool. The hotel has a well-equipped and staffed business center.
Guests can exchange money at the front desk (via SeA Bank).
This
hotel offers a few dining options. Ba Mien is located on the second
floor of the hotel in a series of two rooms; the main area is a
glass-enclosed dining room. We ate breakfast twice at Ba Mien, which was
included with our room rate. The restaurant breakfast included an
extensive display of Asian and Western food. JJ’s Sports Bar on the
second floor is open from early afternoon, and serves drinks and light
snacks. Two other dining options exist at the Hilton Hanoi Opera House: a
fine-dining restaurant on the second floor called Chez Manon, and a
casual cafe / bar on the street level called Cafe Opera that has both
indoor and outdoor seating. A boutique is located on the street level,
as well as a tour desk to help guests plan activities.
We booked a
King Hilton Executive Suite that featured a separate living room and
bedroom. The living room contained a very comfortable sofa and easy
chair, coffee table, end tables, flat-screen TV, and desk / chair, off
of which was located a separate half-bathroom / powder room that
featured one enclosure for the sink area and a separate enclosure for
the toilet. You could close off the living room from the bedroom with a
set of double doors. The bedroom was large, with a king-size bed, two
nightstands, armchair, and small side table. The clothes closet
contained bathrobes and slippers; a second smaller closet contained the
mini-bar and electronic safe.
The main bathroom was spacious,
with the main area housing the sink and soaking bathtub. Located off the
main bathroom area was a separate room / enclosure for the toilet, and
another room for the shower. The hotel offers Peter Thomas Roth
Mega-Rich toiletries, including shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, body
wash, massaging soap bar, facial soap, and toothbrushes. The
air-conditioning in our Suite worked well; in fact, we wish that the
hotel provided an extra blanket and pillow to wrap up.
When we
checked in to the Hilton, the front desk agent mentioned that he wanted
to upgrade us because we were HHonors Diamond members; however, we had
already booked a high category room, so they were unable to upgrade us
further. In exchange, he inquired what type of wine we preferred, and
sent a bottle accompanied by a fruit basket, to our suite as a special
welcome gift.
The executive lounge / clubroom on the seventh
floor provided all of the necessities. Food varied with the time of day:
a Continental breakfast spread, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails
with several kinds of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres (enough choices so
that guests could make an evening meal of it if they wished). Service in
the lounge was attentive, with the staff remembering each guest’s
favorite drink after just one visit. The main room of the lounge did not
have doors to seal it during off hours; guests can probably spend time
there, just without access to food and drink.
We were pleased with the Hilton Hanoi Opera House, both its location and the category of room in which we stayed.