As the taxi pulled up in front of a really nice kind of small hotel that did not seem to fit into the neighborhood, I found myself at the Sunway Hotel. Having had a nightmare experience with getting a hotel in Hanoi last year, I went online and found a hotel this year before arriving. I chose the Sunway Hotel because of its price - not really knowing anything about it. The location of the hotel was really good, with it being a short cab ride to about everywhere that you might want to go to. There are several small cafes that offer some good Hanoi style food as well as nearby street vendor places.

Now that I have stayed there, there is no doubt in my mind why it has consistently won awards as being the top boutique business hotel in Hanoi! The rooms were nice sized and very clean, and the double paned windows blocked the noise of Hanoi under construction out. I had a room that gave me a good view over the local neighborhood and some interesting architecture nearby. The top floors of the hotel are under construction, but the work crews did not start in till later in the morning, so noise never was a problem. You will find the business center and gym are now on the 2nd floor instead of up top. It is also one of the very few hotels in Vietnam that has drinkable water from the taps. Many of the hotel staff were fluent in both English and French. Many of the guests there were French tourists, and it is a good sign of a great hotel when their have the employees that are able to cater to guests in more than one foreign language. I really appreciated the help and assistance the front desk and the doormen offered on where I should visit during this trip to Hanoi (having seen many of the tourist sights last year already).

The hotel offers a breakfast spread that includes pho (Hanoi style of course) and Vietnamese, European, and Japanese specialties and eggs to order.