We rolled up at the door of this place having arrived in Hue by train. The first thing that happened was we were sat down in the beautifully-designed bar and given lemongrass iced tea to refresh ourselves. Five minutes later we were taken up to our room. To say we were blown away would be an understatement; a huge bed, dark hardwood floor with inlaid tiles, french doors opening onto a massive balcony looking over the river... the more we explored, the better it got. One sweet touch was the scattered rose petals on the bed, biscuits hand-iced with "Mr" and "Mrs", and a card of congratulations from the management after we had mentioned to the receptionist we were on our honeymoon.

The building itself is stunning, the French art-deco design giving the whole site a unique historical feel. Roaming the tiled corridors or strolling through the fragrant riverside gardens, one can well imagine the opulent luxury in which Vietnam's colonial rulers surrounded themselves. It's almost as much a museum as it is a hotel.

The staff were polite, charming, attentive and helpful. The only exception to this was the "travel concierge" desk, which is effectively a branch of one of the tacky package holiday companies and was a bit too keen to sell us trips, tours and book us in to mediocre hotels in other places. Far better to do your own research and make your own bookings using the free internet terminals in the next room down the hall!

We only ate in the restaurant at breakfast, the buffet being extensive and packed with nice fresh fruit, pastries, good cooked options and cold cuts.

Other reviews here talk about the location being a little out of the way. This is perhaps half true - it's about a ten minute walk to the middle of things down a pleasant street following the river. If that's too arduous there are always rickshaws and motorbikes touting outside the gates, otherwise the hotel will rent bikes, which can be a great way to get around if the heat doesn't get you. Whichever way, the position was certainly not inconvenient for us.

All in all, I have to recommend this hotel about as highly as any I have stayed in. It's not cheap and so it's right to have high standards, but there was very little that did not surpass my expectations. I can't wait to find an excuse to go back!

It was very rainy when we stayed here, so we didn't get to enjoy the great views we had. If you can, stay in a room with a view of the Perfume river, it's very pretty. The room itself was very nice, although nothing special. The double doors to the bathroom added a nice touch, although we're still wondering why they provide bath salts when all we had was a stand up shower.

The rest of the hotel is very clean and the staff was very nice (I found that if you stay in nicer hotels in Vietnam the staff is generally above average). We actually sent out some shoes to be cleaned that we thought were destroyed with water and mud and they came back 3 hours later in better condition than they were before the trip.

The restaurant was very good and had a nice mix of Vietnamese and French food. It was very reasonably priced too.

It wasn't the best place we stayed at, but it was perfectly nice. I would recommend this place.

We thought La Residence was decent, but a bit on the stiff and formal side. Everything about the room was fine, except the shower needed constant adjusting because the water temperature kept changing. Experienced travelers know that this is a common third-world issue even at 5-star hotels, so we weren't too bothered by it. We were taken aback by the lack of a hotel shop where people could purchase routine necessities like shaving cream, batteries, etc. Naturally there is a shop for high-end scarves and souvenirs. But there are adequate vending stands right across the street. The shopkeepers know enough English numbers to conclude a transaction, and better they should get your money than the hotel.

I tend to be suspicious of hotels that dont show the types of rooms they offer with pictures & descriptions. Generally they are deceiving, and this wasnt any different. Superior room: dark, no views, old furniture, bathroom totally outdated, and when one took a shower, the water leaked & the whole floor was fooded.
All in all I would not recommend this hotel, it was the worst of our honeymoom, and I even thought of moving to another hotel.


BEWARE OF:
* I tried the Spa and found worn out bathrobes (literally with holes) & no amenities in the changing room.
* location is far from convenient, no restaurants around make taxi a must.
* mosquitoes in the swimming pool due to proximity with the river
* The hotel restaurant. Noisy self service buffet goes on all night, with no separate area for a la carte ordering, which doesnt help to get the ambiance right for a nice relaxing dinner, specially since the restaurant is cold & dark.

DO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF;
* The hotel looks fantastic from the outside, it is true, and the pool is beautiful (and full of mosquitoes due to the river proximity).
* the front desk service is more than helpful (you can rent a motorcicle of one of the front desk ladies for 20 dollars the whole day, or they will reserve for you at the wonderful Y Thao Garden.
* Dont miss the Tropical Garden Restaurant in town.
* Fantastic internet service - 8 computers permanently available complimentary.