Nice, with a few warnings

As has been written here, the Hoa Binh does indeed place you right in the middle of the action for old Hanoi. The question you need to ask is: is this where I want to be. Read some of the postings in the Hanoi forum first. Your first consideration is noise and traffic. Hang Be Street is jammed (liked most others) to immovable proportions from 5AM till Midnight+ and every vehicle honks every 5 seconds- no kidding.. Even the highest floor will scarcely eliminate road noise.

Next, there is no escaping old Hanoi- beggars, peddle carts, ladies with fruit or fans, will each require 4-8 polite "no" before they will quit. While there are large sidewalks they are end to end packed with parked motor scooters forcing the pedestrian out into traffic to walk.

The "Pub" next door is a welcome respite and several places within walking distance like Little Hanoi and Red beer are good places to eat.

If your travel dream is to be immersed into a NY city, London, or Tokyo experience without traffic controls and a fairly grimy day to day grind on the streets- then this place is right up your alley. Nice staff and a clean place.

Service beyond our expectations

Our family of four were fortunate to stay here in December for 5 nights. The location of this hotel could not be better, right in the centre of the Old Quarter, with a market at the door. After suffering a bit of culture shock landing in this city of 4 million people, 6 million motorbikes, we quickly settled into Hanoi life, learning to adapt to the seemingly chaotic traffic and environs. Just crossing the road was a challenge, with few if any breaks in the traffic (traffic lights? forget it; hardly any and rarely obeyed). The trick is to move very slowly, with no unpredictable movements, and the traffic will simply go around you.

The hotel itself was excellent, very comfortable and clean. If we ever experienced any problem, such as running out of hot water, the staff would be there in the blink of any eye to fix it. Breakfast was fantastic, the beds were very comfortable and the facilities excellent, particularly given the price point.

My adult son managed to leave his mobile phone under the bed when we checked out of the hotel, and did not discover its loss until much later, when we were in Southern Vietnam. After emailing the hotel, the staff confirmed that the phone had been found. Arrangements were made for the hotel to post the phone back to Australia, which unbelievably, they did free of charge. Thanks very much to the staff for this kind and generous gesture.

I would not hesitate to recommend the Hoa Binh Palace Hotel, and look forward to returning one day.

Great local, comfy rooms!

A great location right in the old quarter... the hotel doesn't look impressive from the outside, and the lobby is not impressive. But, the rooms are very nice and very comfortable with nicely appointed bathrooms. The noise is an issue, so try and ask for a high floor... but it's noisy everywhere in this area, and worth staying in this colourful exciting part of the city.

Breakfast is quite good, in a great room with windows that look over the city near the top of the building.

We had to cancel our last night because our plans changed, and they gave us a hard time and insisted we pay for the night we were not going to be there. We refused, but agreed to pay a 50% fee. We booked through a 3rd party website, so not sure what the rules were. I think we made too much of this, and they figured they could rip us off on this point. A frustrating end to our otherwise nice stay.

It is very close to recommended Handspan Travel agency and its vegetarian cafe.

Noise drove us nuts

We were a family of four, and when we arrived, the kids were in a room on a different floor. When we asked to have them on the same floor, we were told the hotel was fully booked. We started to call our agent and, miraculously, a room became available on the same floor.

For first-time visitors to Hanoi, this hotel is instant culture shock. the street it's on (Hang Be) is jampacked with motorcycles all day and all night and - as all over Hanoi - they honk their horns all the time. There is no place in the hotel that gets you away from the noise, and our first night there, we were up at 4am to the first honks from the street.

Some visitors will like the noise and hyper-bustle, as well as the wet market that's right in front of the hotel, but we didn't. We moved out, paid more and went to the Sofitel Metropole instead. Check out the Giabao hotel, on a quieter street also in the Hoan Kiem District, or even the Church Hotel near St Joseph's Cathedral. Both look less likely to drive you nuts.

Good value for the price

Followed recommendation of tripadvisor, booked there for one night. The hotel is fine, location is very good if you look to be in the middle of the street life of Hanoi. Price is competitive seen the rates of international hotels there, so I would recommend this hotel for people conscious about their money. The rooms are smallish, but bed is great (king size) and bathroom also all right. A hotel to enjoy Hanoi's shopping adventure, good to get out and find yourself in the middle of the shops.

Liked this hotel a lot!

This review is an addendum to that written by Miss Otsuka below, who was my travel partner to Hanoi.

We booked the Hoa Binh Palace Hotel through the Internet, even though we only read 2 reviews then. It turned out to be a fine choice of a hotel (more than 3-stars in my book)!

It is centrally located in the Old Quarter (particularly good for exploring the various streets of the Old Quarter) and allowed us to go back to the hotel after lunch to take naps and take walks around Hoan Kiem Lake almost everyday. Although it was in the Old Quarter, the rooms had good sound insulation. The rooms were new and clean, with amenities I did not expect from a 3-star hotel. They had fruit baskets everyday (good selection of local fruits), nice bath robes, sturdy slippers, toothbrushes, razor, 2 small bottles of water (good size for carrying around), & TV, among others. There was free wireless internet! And if one forgot their computer, there was also a computer for guests to use. The rooms were cleaned very well everyday. The 2 small bottles of water were replenished everyday.

The breakfast offered fruits, breads, eggs cooked to order, and some Chinese style dish, among others. The best part for me was the different Vietnamese breakfast dish they offered every day. I got my fill of the yummy chicken pho and other noodle dishes at breakfast such that I was able to taste other Vietnamese dishes outside the hotel.

I second Ms. Otsuka's observation on the staff -- they were friendly, hospitable, efficient, and helpful. The ladies in the front desk and Mr. Tran, the hotel manager, were most helpful.

The staff are also very honest. Some days, we left our suitcases not just unlocked, but opened wide (unintentionally), and we lost nothing. But, if one were really security conscious with one's valuables, the rooms have the usual safety deposit boxes found in 5-star hotels.

I would certainly go back there again the next time I go to Hanoi!

Great location and clear, new rooms

We stayed in this hotel for 5 nights. It is the best hotel in the old quarter of Hanoi. It is new, clean and managed well with all the standard amenity.

The location is perfect for shopping, eating, and walking. A market is just one step away.

Hotel staff are young, friendly and helpful. They made reservation for us for restaurants and halong bay tour.

They also have a good restaurant on the top floor with a nice view of the hanoi city.

We recommend the hotel highly to anyone who wants decent rooms in a great location in hanoi! We will certainly go back to the hotel next time we have a chance to go to hanoi.

Best hotel in the Old Quarter,Hanoi

This was my third trip to Hanoi in the past year and on my last visit I stayed at the Hoabinh Palace Hotel which is a really great new hotel and is moderately priced. The hotel is ideally located in the Old Quarter at 27 Hang Be Street,Hoan Kiem District,Hanoi. The hotel opened in early July 2006 and has excellent rooms which are quite spacious by Hanoi standards. The restaurant on the top flloor has a great view and serves really good food but there are also a number of great restaurants and bars nearby.The hotel owner Mr Tran Tuan and his staff are very efficient and helpful.There is free internet available for guests. Advance reservations will be a must for this hotel as there are few hotels at such good value in Hanoi.

Really The Best- Hoabinh Palace Hotel

2/7/06

We stayed 2 nights in the Executive Suite # 301, and had a fantastic time. The Hotel is new, beautiful and has great service. A great value for an enjoyable visit to Hanoi. The bed was comfortable, bathroom decadent, and, staffvery helpful. We will besure to stay here again when we return, as we couldn't get enough of the airy balcony,gorgeous views from the restaurant, and the terrific location.As the hotel continues to develop its service, more rooms are finished, and the staff becomes a finely sited machine, this will be competing with the Metropole for top location in town

Thanks for a great stay!

Timothy Omeara

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Delightful place

Brand new hotel right on the edge of The Old Quarter, 5 mins from the lake so convenient for shopping, restaurants, markets etc. Room was a little on the small side but well appointed, with good lights, satelite tv, tea/coffee facilities, ample storage & in room safe. Bathroom was lovely - big stand alone shower with excellent pressure. Staff couldn't do enough for us and the tours they booked were excellent.

The top floor restaurant had an extensive menu, great prices and breakfasts were huge.

Hotel also had elevators. An excellent mid price range hotel.