I stayed at the Golden Sun at 23 Hang Hanh on June 4th and 5th. There are three of them so I can only speak of this one.

The service at this hotel is fantastic. All of the staff were very helpful but I have to give special mention to Thao who went far and above what I expected. Among the things she did was order taxis for me and give me a list of reputable taxi companys to use to avoid being ripped off by fast meters. Unfortunately, I used a taxi that was not on the list and got ripped off by a super fast meter (my mistake). I am not very good on the computer and she was always happy to help me when I had a problem. Any question I would have she was always more than happy to help. What a joy.

I arrived very early at 6:30am and was given a room right away. I was hungary so I asked if there was a good restaurant close by so I could get breakfast. I was told to please use theirs. Breakfast is included in the room rate so I ended up with 3 breakfasts for a 2 night stay. Early check in and extra breakfast at no extra charge.

I have stayed on previous trips at the Hanoi Hilton Opere, the New World and Renaissance Riverside in Ho Chi Minh City These are excellant hotels but you just can't get the amount of personal service that the Golden Sun (and Thao) gives.

Breakfast is served on the 7th (top) floor with a wonderful view of Ho Hoan Kiem Lake. I am a big guy and the selection, quality, portions was more than I needed. And, again the service was great.

The room was large, clean and very comfortable. It had a fridge and complimentary bottles of water. After check in they called the room and offered an upgrade for 20 dollars on the top floor with that excellant view of the lake but this room was perfect for me.

The location is perfect. One block west of the lake down a small street loaded with restaurants and a short walk to the lake and the old quarter. It is also centrally located to get to all the attractions.

The hotel has computers to use with high speed internet at no charge. This worked good for me since I don't have a cell phone and I used this to communicate with my wife in the U.S.

What I liked best - Everything. I can be somewhat pickey but in all honesty I could not come up with anything to complain about.

We had a very pleasant stay here! The room was spotlessly clean and quite spacious. It had big windows and a big screen tv. The staff was the most friendly and helpful we've met on our trip! Breakfast was included and there was free internet. It's located close to the lake and the street is pretty quiet. This room was good value and we will definitely come back here next time we are in hanoi.

Recommended Golden Sun Hotel..Many thanks to the front desk staff T, A, C, M, B, H, the breakfast crew and also the bed crew. Dear Manageress, how did you do it? You certainly have a wonderful team who are always out to help and brighten up with cheer and smiles.

I had some grouses from my Halong tour and they immediately went to work contacting the agent to make sure my unhappiness was conveyed even though the tour was not arranged by them.

My room was clean although I would have preferred an extra foot or so of width but then this is Hanoi and buildings are always so tight.The (new) aircon works which was important in a humid summer. The water pressure of the shower was too weak for me but maybe that was because I was on the highest floor. Anyway I could live with that as there are so many positives.

Breakfast servings were huge and delicious and the view of the lake makes for a perfect start to any day. I can imagine how lovely it would be in spring.

Other than a small hitch at the airport, my stay at the Golden Sun Boutique Hotel was a marvellous one. Conpared to the many hotels in Hanoi Old Quarter, this one feels like home. In fact, I felt a little sad I had to leave as it ws getting too homey and the Vietnamese people are so warm.

I even had a nice surprise on the last day. Thanks! If ever I return, no guessing where I would like to stay.

Clean - rooms and bathroom were clean. Showers leaked a bit but not biggie. Also, rooms had STRONG air conditioning. Helps beat the freakin' humidity in Hanoi.

Location - right near Hoan Kiem lake and Old Quarter. Easy to find taxi and other major landmarks. Also near several travel agencies for easy single / 2 / 3- day trip planning.

Service - fluent in English, extremely friendly. We had to move rooms during our stay as our travel schedule changed, and I accidently left my jacket in the old room. They moved it to my new room without even asking! Fantastic.

Food - homecooked meal

Pricing - very reasonable at $32-37 per night

Taxi - cheaper taxi ($15 vs $25-30 of regular taxi) and better car

Internet kiosks - free of charge in the lobby

Overall, a great hotel for the value. I would recommend Golden Sun one vs the later ones - the other hotels (Golden Sun 2 and 3) have better amenities like flat screen TV's, but the rooms seem to lack windows. Also, breakfast at GS one is near rooftop, with a view over the entire city.