From Nha Trang, we worked our way Northward through the cities of Da Nang and Hue, before arriving out our final destination in Vietnam, the capitol city of Hanoi.
For our final few nights in Hanoi, we were back in a big city which meant we were back on “the loyalty/points train.”
As such, we decided on staying at the Hilton Hanoi Opera.
But was that a good choice?
Review: Hilton Hanoi Opera
Image: hilton.com
The Hilton Honors Redemption & Booking
Average Price Per Night During Stay: $104
Room Type: “Two Twin Beds”
Hilton Honors Points Required: 27,000 points (per night)
CPP for Redemption: .39 CPP
Point Redemption Value: Poor (pretty much rock-bottom for a Hilton redemption)
Because I was a Diamond Member, we opted to just pay cash due to the low CPP value on the redemption in hopes that we’d get still get a crazy Hilton upgrade.
Location & Arrival
We caught the last flight from Da Nang, which (unfortunately for us) got delayed about 6 hours.
That meant we arrived even later than our usual [super-late] norm.
The ride from the Airport added another 45 minutes – even in the middle of the night.
The Hilton Hanoi Opera was located next to the Hanoi Opera House (on the other-side of a coffee shop) in the Central Business District.
It was walking distance to the more “fun” French Quarter and Old Quarter sections of Hanoi where most of the tourist attractions and restaurants were located.
The Front Desk & Check-In
We were greeted in English and thanked for our Hilton Diamond loyalty.
We were told we’d been given an “upgrade” to the 7th floor where the Executive Lounge was located (although the room itself wasn’t upgraded).
We received our room keys and welcome letter and made our way across the cavernous lobby toward the elevators.
The front desk
The Welcome Letter
The Lobby
The pink Peach Blossom Trees are used in Northern Vietnam during the Tet Festival [Chinese New Year]
The Bakery & The Bar
The Hallway
Although the Hilton Hanoi Opera opened in 1999, it somehow felt much older than that.
The hallways were somewhat austere and felt heavily trafficked.
The Bedroom
That feeling carried over to the room, where the decor reminded me of what luxury looked like in the 1980’s.
Nevertheless, the room was good-sized and clean, if not completely unexciting.
The Diamond Member fruit plate welcome gift
Room Amenities
The room came with bottled water, a safe, a refrigerator, and a basic tea maker and tea.
There was a lone [photogenic] beer hiding in the fridge under the safe
The Bathroom
The bathroom somehow felt even more 1980’s than the bedroom.
Even still, it was large and had everything needed for a comfortable stay.
The Hilton’s toiletry brand of choice was Crabtree and Evelyn, which I always found to be “just OK”.
The Executive Lounge
As lackluster and “standard” our room was, we at least found a saving grace in the Executive Lounge, which we utilized for daily breakfast and snacks.
Read the full review of the Hilton Hanoi Opera’s Executive Lounge here
The Swimming Pool
Image: hilton.com
The Fountain
The Bottom-Line Review: Hilton Hanoi Opera
Surprisingly, this was one of our least favorite hotel stays in Southeast Asia.
It wasn’t that there was anything “bad” about the stay per se, it’s just that everything was so glaringly lackluster, tired and painfully standard.
That sentiment went for the service, the rooms, the amenities, the hotel itself, the Diamond Member treatment, and the hotel’s location.
The one bright spot was the Executive Lounge, where the service was excellent (and cheerful) and the breakfast was great.
Overall, I’d say our stay at the Hilton Hanoi Opera was “just OK”.
Final Rating: 6.5 out of 10
