Vietnam forum

Hanoi Joy Hotel or Hong Ngoc 2?

destroyinga-
ngel

backpacker
Posts: 15
Private message

We will be arriving in Hanoi at the end of March for our first trip to SEA from the US. We will be staying for 4 weeks and will be doing the usual trekking, etc., plus popping out to Luang Prabang for the New Year and elephants.

I would like our first few nights to be fairly stress-free as we get through our jet lag and culture shock. I've reviewed hotel recommendations that I've found online, and I'm trying to decide between Hotel Joy, where we are promised a deluxe triple with balcony for $30 per night, or the Hong Ngoc 2, where we can get a suite for $68 per night.

Lonely Planet loves Hotel Joy, but a small handful of people on Trip Advisor relate bad experiences, whereas everyone on TA seems to have had a good experience at Hong Ngoc 2 (the 2 specifically; not looking at the other Hong Ngocs).

Can anyone help us decide between the two? I would prefer not to receive various recommendations for other hotels, as there are too many to choose from and I'm hoping to keep this simple.

Thanks in adavance!

#1 Posted: 5/1/2011 - 23:41
daawgon

som tam seller
Posts: 552

The listings here at Travelfish are considerably more reliable than either Lonely Planet or TA in my opinion. I know neither of those hotels, but I did enjoy a few drinks directly across the street from the Joy at the wonderful DAB Cafe on Bat Su. I stayed (Dec 2010) at a brand new and wonderful place on Hang Dieu - the Hanoi Art Hotel (pretty damn nice too).

#2 Posted: 6/1/2011 - 06:08