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Famous as one of the best seaside town in Vietnam,
visitors go to Halong bay to enjoy the spectacular of
Halong bay with limestone rock formations, mountain
tunnels and hidden lagoons. Western tourists to Halong
bay usually spend the night on board the cruiser however
Asian visitors especially domestic Vietnamese prefer to
stay at hotels. There are hundreds of hotels and
guesthouses in Halong city and most of them are crowded
at weekends or holidays such as Labour day May 1st or
National day 2nd September. Within the frame of this
article I would like to recommend 5 best choices of
hotels in Halong bay within your budget and preferences.
Travel Halong Bay
1 - Top luxury choice: Novotel Halong hotel
Novotel Ha Long is one of the best hotels in Halong
under both equipment and services, Novotel Ha Long is
luxurious, modern mixed with traditional oriental
features. The hotel has 214 spacious guest rooms, most
with balconies facing the sea, where guests can indulge
views over the sea at sunrise or sunset. This hotel
organize BBQ party every Saturday dinners and buffet on
weekdays, dinner at the hotel is pretty expensive about
20 usd/person. There is a beach near Novotel hotel in
the Royal Amusement park, however you don't need to go
out for swimming as Novotel has a big pool facing the
sea, very clean. As for me you should use the hotel pool
in stead of going to beach as it is very relaxing at the
pool, just take a leisure walk along the beach in the
evening.
2 - Best choice for family with kids: Halong Dream
Hotel
One of the first high end hotel in Halong city, the 4
star Halong Dream hotel is ranked among the best hotels
for family going on holidays with children. Halong Dream
hotel has a total of 184 rooms fully equipped with the
finest amenities in accordance with international
standards. The hotel is located in the heart of Halong
city with beautiful views of Halong Bay with its unique
architecture, consisting of 15 floors designed in
ancient French architecture, all the furniture are made
of wood creating a warm and cozy atmostphere for to the
hotel. The room we stayed was large with plenty of floor
space for our kids to play and she got a real good
wooden baby cot for herself. The spacious restaurant
with ample space and tasteful decor can cater for
hundreds guests with Vietnamese, Asian and European
dishes. Trang An bar & cafe opens from 10am to 12pm with
plenty of wine and drinks, the bar can accommodate 120
people at the same time.
3 - Best choice for mid range travelers: Cong Doan
halong hotel
A state run hotel located on top of a hill in the city
centre. Cong Doan (or Trade Union) Halong is slightly
outdated hotel a bit hidden from the tourist beach area.
Perhaps Cong Doan is one of the few state hotels that
satisfy foreign tourists with it's professional service.
Although the Cong Doan hotel was built a long time ago
the quality of facilities are still very good, rooms are
large and well equiped, very clean and the cleaners did
a good job by changing the towels 2 times a day. Staff
at the hotel are very friendly and helpful although not
all of them can speak English. Despite the fact that I
did not like this hotel location that much, I would
still recommend it if you don't have a big budget.
Everything is good for the value of money.
4 - Best budget hotel for backpackers: Entity hotel
Entity is a 2 star hotel located in the busy area of
Halong city with many budget hotels and restaurants.
What I like about this hotel is that it has almost
everything nearby, there are plenty of restaurants,
cafes, massage places, clubs...Food and drinks are very
cheap. Entity hotel has 20 rooms fully equiped with
rates from only about 25 usd with buffet breakfast. As
the hotel is right in front of the main road leading to
the beach where you can stroll around and experience the
local nightlife. The bed is big and comfortable though
the morning breakfast was a bit disappointed with a few
choices. Entity hotel is often full at weekends with
domestic tourists from Hanoi go to Halong bay and
Chinese visitors coming from across the border.
5 - Best guest house: Phuong Nam hotel
If you are traveling on tight budget and want to keep
your expense as cheap as possible this is definitely
your choice. Phuong Nam is a basic family hotel built on
Hau Can road of Bai Chai area. Phuong Nam hotel has 7
storeys with about 30 rooms, rates start from 10 usd
including breakfast. The hotel is located in a very
quiet area and if you choose a room on high floor you
can have a spectacular view of Halong bay through the
window, especially the sunset in the morning. The rooms
are basic but clean with hot water and air conditioner.
Breakfast is served with mostly instant noodle with beef
and bread with eggs, the hotel don't serve lunch or
dinner unless you order in advance however you can find
some local restaurants just a walk away. There are only
a few staff at the hotel and they are very helpful
though their English is hard to understand.
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