La Residence Hue is located along the banks of the Huang (Perfume) River and is within walking distance to shops and restaurants. It is a 1.25-mile (20 minute) walk to the Citadel, which requires crossing the river by the Phu Xuan Bridge. The restaurants within walking distance of the hotel are local Vietnamese restaurants rather than tourist eateries, but we dined at several of them and had good meals despite the language barrier. The nearby shops also seemed geared towards local residents rather than tourists; however, we were able to make ourselves understood when we purchased drinks and snacks to enjoy in our room.
La Residence Hue was built in the 1930s and displays art deco features, clean lines, and a curved rotunda from which wings of rooms extend. The owners of the property restored and reopened it in 2005. We loved the style of this hotel: the fountain in front of the main entrance, the gorgeous Le Gouverneur Bar, the patio outside of the bar (Le Terrace), and the expansive outdoor swimming pool area and gardens. (Regrettably, we did not have the time nor conducive weather to use the beautiful saltwater pool.) Le Parfum restaurant serves three meals daily (breakfast is a buffet that cost $19 USD per person, but the other meals are a la carte). You can also choose to order from an extensive menu in the bar area and on the terrace.
This hotel has a total of 122 rooms and suites in many different categories. Rooms are located in either the Colonial Wing or the New Wing. Room types include Superior Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, Junior Suites (with names like Chambre Rouge and Ruhlmann), and Colonial Suites (with names like Voyage en Chine, Monument d’Egypt, and Ornithologue). One building houses a fitness center on the top floor that features two walls of windows that overlook the hotel grounds. The fitness center is a large open space with a few pieces of well-spaced equipment (two treadmills, two bikes, weights). At La Residence, the fitness center is not a cramped window-less space like in so many hotels. The same building features Le Spa, which looked serene and pampering from the outside. La Boutique and La Gallerie, the hotel gift shop and art corner, respectively, are located in the hallway between the lobby and Le Parfum restaurant and sells handicrafts, clothing, and home decor items and artwork and crafts by local artists. La Biblioteque, the hotel library, is open 24 hours per day and offers Internet, wireless, and books to borrow. A concierge / travel desk, open daily, is located on the street level. Complimentary bicycles are available for loan.
We booked a Junior Suite, after debating extensively which category of room to choose, because they all looked large and lovely. The living area and the bedroom area of the Junior Suite flow into one large space; no door exists to divide the rooms. In the Junior Suite, both parts of the room share one flat-screen TV positioned on a turntable. The living area contained a sofa, coffee table, and several end tables. Interesting knick-knacks / tchotchke items cover the surface of every table, which left no room for us to put our things. (We counted three different types of tea sets / tea collections in the living room!) The living area had a large desk and chair, but its odd position in the room blocked the sliding door slightly. However, when we checked out, we noticed that the sliding door had a feature in which the door slid both ways, thereby not obscuring the opening with part of the desk! User error!
The best feature of our Junior Suite was the huge terrace. The tile terrace (which was nearly the same size as our room) contained some potted plants, two teak lounge chairs with cushions, an umbrella, and teak side table. We wish that we had more leisure time at the hotel (and slightly better weather) to enjoy it.
The bathroom in the Junior Suite was quite small, but it contained a toilet, tiny pedestal sink, and bathtub / shower combination. The bathtub is raised more than one foot off the floor, so that even tall people needed a step stool to access it. The doorway to the bathroom was not even large enough to install a true door. Instead, the two narrow doors flipped open in the middle, which might not offer enough privacy for some guests; however, the bathroom opened onto the large closet / dressing area, and not right onto the bedroom or main living area, so that layout afforded more privacy. The closet area was large, with many cubbyholes and hanging rods; bathrobes, slippers, and an electronic safe were available. Harmony by Natural Rendezvous, a Vietnamese company that uses 100% natural ingredients, supplied the toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, razor, nail file, and shower cap. Wi-Fi is complimentary in both the guest rooms and in the public areas of the hotel.
An unusual request occurred when we checked out of the hotel. The front desk attendant asked that we stay in the lobby while an employee went to our room to determine whether we had forgotten anything by mistake. It seemed like an unnecessary ploy to check for damages or stolen items, and it left us with a bad parting impression after an otherwise excellent stay.
We really liked La Residence Hue and our Junior Suite (particularly the terrace!), and we wish that we had spent more time there.
