Hanoi is a real gem of city, not least because of its thirty two lakes and one of the grandest of them, Hoan Kiem, right in Hanoi’s centre and just a stone’s throw from the old quarter, is right on the doorstep of the delightful Silk Path Boutique Hotel.
Almost invisible along Hanoi’s respected Hang Khay Street, squeezed as it is between a high end perfume store and a local cafe, the Silk Path Boutique Hotel is a curious blend of French renaissance meets luxury city pad run by a warm and enthusiastic hotel team who treat you like a long lost relative.
This is the beauty of a luxury boutique hotel, it should be small enough to bring a touch of personality and in the right hands, make you feel a little bit special, and this one does it very well indeed. From the welcoming drink to the farewell gift, it’s all done with a smile and a graciousness we admire so much about the Vietnamese people.
The rooms are cosy but perfectly proportioned and stuffed with luxury fixtures and fittings, everything you’ll need for a short stay in Hanoi. And of course, the front facing rooms offer a generous view of the lake opposite, particularly at night when the Ngoc Son temple, (the Temple of the Jade Mountain) which is in the middle of it, is beautifully lit.
Curiously, you have to order your breakfast choices the day before, which is surprising, given that breakfast is hardly fine dining. Then again, in the true spirit of boutique, the restaurant is rather narrow with limited seating, so perhaps they need to manage their traffic flow. Rather than get hot and bothered about it, I found it rather quirky and in a way, it added to the hotel’s charm for me.
As I mentioned, the Silk Path Boutique Hotel is bang in the centre of Hanoi and very close to the city’s main attractions, the opera house, historic museum, night market, Ngoc Son temple, and the equally quirky Water Puppet Theatre. Whilst Hanoi has none of the manic traffic issues of its southern counterpart Ho Chi Minh City, or for that matter the sweltering heat, you will still be able to experience how crossing a road is a skill set in Vietnam. Just walk slowly into the traffic and the multitude of bikes will simply drive around you. Never run. Never hesitate. Just do it
Silk Path Boutique Hotel is the smaller younger sister of the Silk Path Hotel, a long standing member of Hanoi’s luxury hotel set, but what it lacks in size it certainly makes up for in position and service.
Tell me more about the Silk Path Boutique Hotel
Silk Path Boutique Hotel offers premium deluxe rooms from £50 per night including breakfast. On selected tariffs.
21 Hang Khay Street Hoan Kiem District
Tel: +84 4 3938 5555
reservation@silkpathhotel.com
Getting to Vietnam
The bespoke travel experts Experience Travel Group (+44 203468 6268) offer a 10-day tour of Vietnam from £2,567 per person, including flights, transport, accommodation and selected excursions.
Vietnam Airlines offers the UK’s only nonstop flights to Vietnam, with six flights per week from Heathrow to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City on new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners – and excellent onward connections via its comprehensive network of over 40 destinations in Asia, including 23 within Vietnam and Indochina. Return fares to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi currently start from £391 or £425 per person respectively, inclusive of taxes.
UK Airport car parking: I Love meet and greet offers valet parking at Gatwick, Stansted and Heathrow airports. Costs vary throughout the year with a week’s parking at Gatwick starting from £78. Book atwww.ilovemeetandgreet.co.uk
