We were booked to stay at the Hanoi Capital Hotel but there was no electricity so they put us at the Hanoi Palace Hotel instead. What a nightmare. I won't go into detail as you can read the other reviews to get a general idea. I'll just remind you that you have been cautioned.

There were 6 of us in our group and this was our 7th hotel in Vietnam, organised by our travel company in Australia via its representative in Vietnam - so we knew we were being ripped off as we had 6 others to compare it with - the travel company in Vietnam later admitted they had been conned by both the hotel and its website! The hotel was nothing like the internet write-up - it was far from “beautiful and luxurious” nor was it “well-furnished”, and certainly did not offer”more value than a 4 star hotels (sic)”! There were blocked toilets which overflowed onto bathroom floors, a pervading whiff of raw sewerage, a cockroach in our bathroom; another couple had a window which had a beautiful view of brick wall only centimeters from it, where they saw a rat running down, there were dust piles and rubbish under our bed and between the bed and bedside table. Yes there were a free computer and Internet, but only in some rooms, it only worked intermittently and we would rather have had the basic in-room amenities - there was not free water as advertised,(and as we have had in every other hotel in Vietnam, Malaysia and India) no tea/coffee or safety deposit (or not in room and we wouldn’t have trusted the office) as advertised, only 2 thin towels, (in a supposedly new hotel!) The 5th floor of the hotel was still being built,(you went up the stairs and there was the open building site!) the 7th floor didn’t even exist, never mind the supposed restaurant advertised! The “breakfast facilities” were primitive, unhygienic and dirty – we only risked some o/j and bananas! When we enquired about laundry service, a person behind the desk rummaged around and produced a scrunched up plastic garbage bag, needless to say we did not avail ourselves! We felt very unsafe - staff came into the room uninvited, following staff who were delivering extra towels and had a "good peer" around and also looked intently into one woman's handbag, there were various people hanging around the foyer at all hours, it was impossible to tell who were staff as no one had uniforms or badges! The disco in the basement started up around 6pm and continued until midnight – this was no mere distant music but loud banging/thumping which reverberated through the floor, bed, pillow and your head – it was as if it was in the room with you – sleep was impossible – we were on the second floor but those on the 5th were also badly affected! Appeals to the managing director, whom we eventually tracked down, were met with offers to possibly move rooms the next night or move to another of their hotels – no thank you! We insisted our local tour rep. book us elsewhere, and all 6 of us paid extra for other much better (yet supposedly same star rated) hotels (the Paradise and Galaxy) for our remaining 3 nights in Hanoi.

At USD85, we thought this hotel was a little pricey, but we decided it was better to stay in the top room of a 3 star hotel, than in the cheapest room of a 4 or 5 star. Besides, it was the only one we found which advertised rooms with a kitchenette. With the added bonus of a balcony. Upon arrival, we found there isn't any room with a kitchenette (or a balcony). We also found out the next morning that the buffet breakfastconsisted of tired looking bacon floating in fat and some other unrecognisable concoction, some bread and some fruit. Period. Ah, and the restaurant on the 7th floor mentioned very prominently (with photos!), forget it, there isn't one - thereis not even a 7th floor! What it has, though, is a disco in its basement! And even on the 5th floor, it's a fact impossible to ignore...

The manager of this hotel offered me a cheaper room in another of her hotels (the Hanoi Capital Hotel) which opened on 5 Dec 07. I was supposed to come back to my room at the Hanoi Palace on 5 Dec (after a day trip), pack my belongings, then they'd take me to the new room at the Hanoi Capital. When I got back from my day trip, I was told the Hanoi Capital wasn't ready for occupation because it had plumbing problems. The management at the Hanoi Palace had taken the liberty of packing my belongings while I was away on my day trip and left my luggage at the reception! So I had no room that night but fortunately found one in a neighbouring hotel that night and for the next two nights of my stay in Hanoi. Internet is intermittent, I didn't get 2 morning calls and there were no tea and coffee making facilities (as the manager had promised). It was, however, clean and the shower was good.