We also stayed here in March, and I can understand where the previous reviewer is coming from. However, when you are traveling with small kids - aged 9 and 6 - it is very handy. It's quite hard to get connecting rooms in Vietnam and an apartment gives a lot more space. It was a bit expensive, but not as expensive as paying for 2 hotel rooms in a 4 star hotel. There's a supermarket downstairs and its quite central. Overall we thought it was a good base.
Travelling with my teenage girls, I booked a two-bedroom apartment fully laid on with 2 bathrooms, lounge/dining area, kitchen with washer/dryer, a gazillion cable channels, etc. Very comfortable, well-appointed accommodation with pool, tennis courts, gym and supermarket downstairs in a reasonably central area between the railway station and French quarter (10-15 minute walk away). A little soulless, this is the place to stay when you don't really want to be in Hanoi, like most of the expats that live here. Rates are corporate, ie overpriced, but cheaper through online travel agents, which I booked for US$193. When I wanted to stay one more day, the hotel offered me the same rate, but come checkout they added an extra booking charge. Only a few dollars but very annoying and kinda sums up the place - in it for what they can squeeze out of you. Stay here if your company pays, but I wish I'd booked a smaller place in the heart of the French quarter.
We stayed at the Somerset Grand for 5 weeks this year and it was a wonderful experience! The rooms were large and clean, the service was wonderful, and the meals at the restaurant were great, especially for those accustomed to Western food. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again! My husband and I stayed there with an infant and a preschooler and we had plenty of room. The preschooler enjoyed the indoor and outdoor playground and the pools. When I got quite ill in Vietnam, one of the receptionists actually rode to the hospital via the ambulance and babysat our children in the hospital until I was able to be discharged a day later.
I love the Somerset Grand!
This hotel was built in the 1970s and no one ever did anything to it ever again! The rooms are dark and gloomy. The combo washer/dryer flooded the kitchen and the ruined our clothes. The restaurants in the hotel serve terrible food. I can't believe that, with the exhorbitant price charged per night (compared to other hotels in Hanoi), that their SLOW internet service isn't free of charge. Staff were courteous, but not well trained in the use of their computer systems. I would never stay there again, nor would I recommend it to anyone else.
Dear dontlikecoffee
Thank you so much for your recent visit to Somerset Grand Hanoi. I am terribly sorry to read about your disappointment and the less than stellar experience. We take our guests' feedback very seriously and we will certainly look into your feedbacks for further improvements. We are currently upgrading our residences to our pool and guest elevators. We have completed our phase 1 renovation in the apartment last December and will be carrying out refurbishment for the remaining of the rooms from July 2018. I also wish to confirm that WiFi is totally free.
Thank you for your constructive feedbacks. I would be pleased to speak to you regarding your visit and comments. I sincerely hope that we can be given another opportunity to welcome you back and redeem our performance.
Warmest regards,
Lew Yen Ping
General Manager
After a couple of problems booking with the hotel on line, our family of 3 spent 5 nights at the Somerset Grand Hanoi.
This hotel is very well located for Hanoi sightseeing by foot and is surrounded by lots of great eating options. We also had takeaway from local Thai and Chinese restaurants, making good use of our nice dining room in the hotel. Jaspars in the hotel is a pub style steak and pizza restaurant - not our style and quite expensive.
No smoke smell problems with our apartment (702). The standard of accommodation was far higher than the Somerset HCMC that we also stayed in on this trip to Vietnam.
We stayed at the Somerset Grand for 3 weeks while we adopted a baby. My wife and I traveled there with our 2 1/2 year old son, and a friend to help out with the kids. We stayed in a 3 bedroom apartment, which had a decent kitchen, and very large living/dining area. Two full baths. The bedrooms were: 1 with kind bed, 1 with queen, 1 with 2 twins.
We found the service to be oustanding, and the people really, really nice. Very family friendly, and lots of other adoptive parents stayed there. The location is good, and we spent a lot of time venturing out and around Hanoi.
My only suggestion: Full English comprehension can be difficult in Vietnam, so if you have very special needs, talk to a translator before going, and get cards made with your needs written out. That way everyone will know what you require without confusion.
We found the Somerset to be much less expensive than a hotel, with all the upsides.
