Luxury Backpackers Hostel Hanoi: Best Value Hostel with Staff Friendliness Beyond Mere Exercise of Work
I visited Hanoi the 2nd time I am happy I was able to achieve what I wanted to achieve. It was a short 3-day trip so I wanted it to be as chill as possible, not putting too many places to see and things to do in the itinerary and putting aside any temptation to go to Halong Bay or Sapa. I simply wanted to go for daily leisurely walks around old quarter and discover places to eat without rushing. I managed to visit again the ones that made me long to return like Banh Mi 25, the spring roll shop near the St. Joseph Church, Guilang Cafe, the eateries around Dong Xuan Market and explore the ones I failed to see before like the Imperial Citadel and One Pillar Pagoda.
It helped that I stayed at Luxury Backpacker's Hostel along Ngo Huyen Street. The hostel is located in a narrow inner street but in a very central location. It is onlya few minutes walk to St. Joseph Cathedral and Hoan Kiem Lake which is the most popular and revered lake among the many lakes in Hanoi.
Ngo Huyen is home to many other hostels are located. This is a small version of Khaosan Road in Bangkok where travelers from all over the world converge. Expect that the street is so full of life day and night. Everything you need is within reach. There is even a bookstore next to Luxury Backpackers where I feel safe exchanging my dollars at very good rates.
About Luxury Backpackers Hanoi
56 Ngo Huyen, Hoan Kiem Hanoi, Vietnam
Luxury backpackers has been in operation since the beginning of 2016. The hotel is located at No 56 Ngo Huyen street , Hoan Kiem District , Ha Noi, Viet Nam. opening up a long new road which went through many different names before its current title of being Ngo Huyen. This street was used to be named Luxury backpackers.
In their website it says " Our operational slogan is “Come with expectation, leave with satisfaction and home sweet home”. We stay clear and focused on our goal. We are highly proud of our service, offered by our management team and staff, highly trained and experienced, who are ready to be at your service anytime, to make sure that your experience in Hanoi will be a memorable one.
Thirdly, we would like to see ourselves as one of the representatives of Vietnam tourism in general and Hanoi people in particular. We take Hanoi’s image as our own reflection, and Hanoi’s fame is our recognition. We would love to invite you to see for yourselves the fast development of our country, the everyday life of our friendly and kind people, and the authentic culture of the area and its citizen. It is this city that we love, and we are about to show off the best quality it has."
Call: +(84)32585566
Email: thuhien761985@gmail.com
Very Homey Lobby
I like the lobby, how pleasant it looks to the eyes and how relaxing the orientation is from the reception area to the inner section where one can dine or simply sit by the wooden chairs and have your beer. The lantern-style ceiling lamps helps set the cozy,intimate mood at night. All I can say is that I love hanging out here. Or maybe I have said it over and over. lols. My favorite spot was the table next to fridge so that I can easily grab my favorite Hanoi beer and drink to my heart's desire.
We originally booked a private room for two (2) nights but we also tried the dormitory room on our first night because we landed from Manila past midnight and we didn't feel like sleeping at the airport so we went straight to the hostel and found ourselves in one of their comfortable dormitory rooms which costs only $8 per bed .
Superior Dormitory Rooms
I already stayed in one of the hostels on the same street and I find their dormitory room at Luxury Backpackers far better thanks to separate curtains for utmost privacy, wooden bed frames which is more sturdy (less noisy too) and chiropractic bed mattress which is friendly to your back on long-term stay. The lockers under the bed is very spacious and there are individual reading lamps per bed too. I also like the fact that there are two toilets/showers and they are both kept clean at all times. The airconditioning system is also very efficient. It was rainy season when we visit and it could feel humid at times but I never felt that while inside both the dormitory and private rooms.
Private Rooms at $35
Their private rooms are spacious and aesthetically pleasant with comfort as 2nd-to-none priority. The queen-size bed allows for a pleasant sleep even when with a companion. Despite the many hostels around, Luxury Backpackers is a standout thanks to its very friendly staff and nice rooms. I like private rooms for the privacy they afford. Having our own room, we could just scatter our things around and not worry about bothering others.
The shower heater is very efficient and it is cool that other than a safety box, there is also a personal fridge by the closet to keep our drinks chill. It could be a bit bothersome having so many switches in the room but private rooms are indeed generous with lights so you can choose which lights to turn on or off to achieve a certain degree of dimension to the room. I guess it would be nice if the have bigger mirrors in the room but with two available ones, what is there to complain about?
Hearty Breakfast
The $8 room rate for dormitory rooms already includes breakfast which is normally $3. Same goes with the private rooms. Breakfast is ala carte with choice of some local and international set meals. For Vietnamese food, the options are 1. Vietnamese noodles with chicken or beef ( pho ga) and 2. Egg fried rice ( com rang trung). For international dishes, 1. two friend eggs with bacon and baguette, 2. butter, jam, honey with baguette, 3. pancake with honey and 4. scrambled eggs with hotdog and baguette.
I already stayed in one of the hostels on the same street and I find their dormitory room at Luxury Backpackers far better thanks to separate curtains for utmost privacy, wooden bed frames which is more sturdy (less noisy too) and chiropractic bed mattress which is friendly to your back on long-term stay. The lockers under the bed is very spacious and there are individual reading lamps per bed too. I also like the fact that there are two toilets/showers and they are both kept clean at all times. The airconditioning system is also very efficient. It was rainy season when we visit and it could feel humid at times but I never felt that while inside both the dormitory and private rooms.
Their private rooms are spacious and aesthetically pleasant with comfort as 2nd-to-none priority. The queen-size bed allows for a pleasant sleep even when with a companion. Despite the many hostels around, Luxury Backpackers is a standout thanks to its very friendly staff and nice rooms. I like private rooms for the privacy they afford. Having our own room, we could just scatter our things around and not worry about bothering others.
The shower heater is very efficient and it is cool that other than a safety box, there is also a personal fridge by the closet to keep our drinks chill. It could be a bit bothersome having so many switches in the room but private rooms are indeed generous with lights so you can choose which lights to turn on or off to achieve a certain degree of dimension to the room. I guess it would be nice if the have bigger mirrors in the room but with two available ones, what is there to complain about?
The $8 room rate for dormitory rooms already includes breakfast which is normally $3. Same goes with the private rooms. Breakfast is ala carte with choice of some local and international set meals. For Vietnamese food, the options are 1. Vietnamese noodles with chicken or beef ( pho ga) and 2. Egg fried rice ( com rang trung). For international dishes, 1. two friend eggs with bacon and baguette, 2. butter, jam, honey with baguette, 3. pancake with honey and 4. scrambled eggs with hotdog and baguette.
I like the fact that they have more options for international meal sets. The Old Quarter is flooded with local street food anywhere you look but for those who stay here for days or weeks, a little comfort food for breakfast could be a welcome treat. We originally planned to skip having breakfast at the hostel on our first day but ended up having it anyway because we were already starving when we woke up. Other than the one (1) plated breakfast you can avail, there is free fruits, unlimited coffee or juice and soup. A good compliment. My friend opted pho on our first day and it was not bad at all. You can of course find better ones downtown but this one is good enough. As for me, I went for egg friend rice. Although it looks rather plain, it is actually nice and addicted, so addicted that I had it for two consecutive days.
Staff Friendliness
Beyond Mere Exercise of Work
The smiles of the staff makes you wanna hang around for a good chat. Since day 1, we were greeted by Linh who was all smiles even if arrived past 2:00 am and Vhoung was also there to assist us in our rooms. These two I have chatted with so many times for the rest of our stay here as they took time to talk to me and share their thoughts and answer the many questions I have about Hanoi and Vietnam life. You know, locals know best and you learn more by talking to locals than mere sightseeing.
For me to look forward to going back here at night to drink beer at the lobby rather than outside is telling of how much I feel at home here and enjoy the company of the staff. I would like to shout out to James, Linh and Vhuong for going out of their way to assist us and for the wonderful time sharing ideas and travel experiences. Even Hein, the manager was so friendly and hands on. You all made us feel like family!
Beyond Mere Exercise of Work
The smiles of the staff makes you wanna hang around for a good chat. Since day 1, we were greeted by Linh who was all smiles even if arrived past 2:00 am and Vhoung was also there to assist us in our rooms. These two I have chatted with so many times for the rest of our stay here as they took time to talk to me and share their thoughts and answer the many questions I have about Hanoi and Vietnam life. You know, locals know best and you learn more by talking to locals than mere sightseeing.
For me to look forward to going back here at night to drink beer at the lobby rather than outside is telling of how much I feel at home here and enjoy the company of the staff. I would like to shout out to James, Linh and Vhuong for going out of their way to assist us and for the wonderful time sharing ideas and travel experiences. Even Hein, the manager was so friendly and hands on. You all made us feel like family!
Two (2) Luxury Backpackers Locations
Luxury Backpackers Hostel has two locations in Hanoi with the other one just behind our hostel at Ngo Huyen street. It is the same size but is located in an inner section rather than along the street. All rooms here are private and when I paid a visit, it is indeed more quiet here. If you want more privacy and peace then this is where you owe to stay. Their private rooms are spacious and straightforward with light room paint color.
Kindness That You Will Always Remember
This I will never forget. We were to book for a Grab car for the airport when Linh approached me. He asked what transport we will take and I mentioned Grab. He asked how much it costs from my app. I showed him --around 350,000 dong which I find cheaper compared to the 420,000 we paid on a regular taxi on our way here. He said maybe he could find us a cheaper rate using his app and true indeed he found one at around 250,000 dong. This is because he frequently uses his Grab app to book taxi so he gets cheaper rate.
This is the meaning of going out of your way to help guests. Linh is only an intern at Luxury Backpackers but he takes his job by heart. This is consistent with the friendly and caring nature of the staff at the hostel. I am deeply thankful for this act of kindness.
I already miss the staff here. Hope to see you guys again when I come back.
______________________
This is the meaning of going out of your way to help guests. Linh is only an intern at Luxury Backpackers but he takes his job by heart. This is consistent with the friendly and caring nature of the staff at the hostel. I am deeply thankful for this act of kindness.
I already miss the staff here. Hope to see you guys again when I come back.
______________________
Comments
Post a Comment