Novotel Hotels in Ha Long

Novotel Ha long Bay We are now at the end of our first week in the beautiful country of Vietnam travelling from Hanoi to SaPa and today Ha Long Bay. Knowing this is not a travel forum I do have to comment on the beauty of Vietnam and even more strikingly, the generosity of the people with whom we have come across in our very brief time here. The staff at the Novotel in Ha Long Bay are no exception! We were greeted with a warm welcome. We arrived very early at 9:00 am following an overnight train trip from SaPa to Hanoi followed by a two hour mini coach ride to Halong Bay, not expecting anything other than the option of leaving our bags whilst we waited for check in later in the day. Once again we were greeted with unfailing courtesy at the door by Ngọc, who took our bags and directed us to the front desk where Huang and Hoang offered to find us a room as soon as possible. Twenty minutes later we were invited to go to our upgraded suite so we might rest rather than wait for another room later in the day. Hoang then escorted us to our room, followed by Ngọc with our luggage. Our room is magnificent and the view over Ha Long Bay breathtaking as you can see from the photos. The facilities in our room were excellent, the bed comfortable and the bathroom just perfect. We even have a fabulous sitting area to relax and enjoy the view over Ha Long Bay Thanks also to Hiem, the Housekeeping Manager, who assisted us when we were first using our key cards at our door and asked if there was any more he might do to assist us. The lounge area in this bright and sunny reception area is cosy and we were nicely looked after by the barman, Bach. Breakfast was a la carte on the morning we were here but can also be a buffet in other days. Trang was gracious and kind as she assisted us in our breakfast choices. It was 10:00 am and we were checked in and hoped we might have a coffee before venturing out for the day. The breakfast dining room was shutting but Trang who was waiting at the entrance welcomed us in and helped us with coffee and food even though the restaurant was shutting for the morning. Such a kind gesture and much appreciated after a long night and morning to get to this beautiful part of the world and this already amazing start to our stay at the Novotel. Once again this is another beautiful hotel in Vietnam, managed and staffed by a wonderful, caring team. Thank you to P.Anh at reception who was so helpful with our queries and for arranging transport for us in our departure. Hospitality world wide could take a leaf out of the Vietnamese understanding of generosity and the care of their visitors. We for one will be returning to this beautiful part of the world