📍Novotel Ha Long Bay: An Honest Hotel Review 2024.
WONDERING IF STAYING AT NOVOTEL HA LONG BAY IS WORTH IT?
No landscape is more synonymous with the gorgeous southeast Asian country of Vietnam than the magnificent islands of Ha Long Bay. Comprised of over 1600 steep limestone karst mountains, this breathtaking seascape of outstanding ecological value is an absolute must-visit and a boat trip is the best way to do that.
However, many people take these tour companies on their offer to pick them up from Hanoi and drop them back there too, simply driving through Ha Long City, the gateway to these breathtaking islands, but that would be missing out on some incredible activities and attractions.
So, if you want to stay and explore the city after an unforgettable Ha Long Bay cruise or catch the first ferry or cable car to Cat Ba Island like I did, then keep Novotel Ha Long Bay on your radar for an overnight accommodation option as it’s a fantastic 4-star luxury choice that I enjoyed for 3 nights.
Novotel Ha Long Bay.
- 4-star luxury hotel.
- 4.3/5 from 1719 Google reviews.
- Gorgeous design and layout.
- Beautiful outdoor infinity pool.
- Uninterrupted views of Ha Long Bay!
Novotel Ha Long Bay: Review Overview.
In this detailed review of my stay at Novotel Ha Long Bay, I explore my favourite aspects of accommodating here and detail problem areas that the hotel could address to enhance guest experiences. Aspects I cover include the rooms’ presentation and atmosphere, the quality of the facilities, the pool, its dining options, its location in proximity to attractions and whom the hotel would be best suited for, concluding with my overall thoughts.
Is Novotel Ha Long Bay Worth Visiting?
Yes. Novotel Ha Long Bay is a gorgeous stay with many luxurious offerings, such as luxurious rooms with impressive layouts and striking design elements, spectacular ocean views overlooking the revered mountainous peaks of Ha Long Bay’s many islands, a stunning reception area, restaurant and bar and a lovely outdoor pool area with views over said islands.
It’s also in great proximity to several of the town’s attractions. However, one of the glaring issues was noise on nights when Halong Beach was having beach parties, which is a turn-off.
Rooms.
General Overview & Room Amenities.
- Standard hill view, superiors bay room, executive mountain view, executive bay view, Junior suite bay view.
- 32-60m2.
- Half the rooms have views overlooking the breathtaking Ha Long Bay!
My Room. – Executive Bay View. – 11.02.
✔️ Pros.
- Top tier points for having the coolest and most unconventional layout, with few hard right angles. Plus, it was entirely open-planned and the furnishings were well adapted to the space, which gave it a lovely flow.
- The balcony had direct views overlooking the distant mountainous islands of Ha Long Bay, and because the bed was directly behind, I could enjoy views of the beautiful landscape from there and the seat at the end of the bed!
- One of my favourite features was that the gorgeous oriental “backboard” behind the bed was an elegant dual-purpose sliding statement piece that added a luxurious level of romanticism as it meant you could communicate from the bath to your significant other in the bed. Plus it allowed plenty of natural light into the bathroom!
- The room was super spacious and immaculately clean, with plenty of bench and wardrobe space to put your belongings.
- It came fully equipped with coffee and tea-making facilities.
- There were 4 large usable mirrors in spacious areas to adequately and effectively use rather than other rooms where they are typically cramped in a corner.
- I liked that the bathroom was more of an extension of the room, rather than a separate space, but it could be adapted into a private one when need be.
- I enjoyed the three-way use shower and that both it and the toilet have spacious cubicles.
❌ Cons.
- Sound was a problem. At the beach, several hundred metres away, they have parties. Being on the balcony was fun to dance to the music for a few minutes and see the light beams but it got old fast. Inside with the door closed managed to dampen the sound reasonably, but even with the supplied earplugs, it wasn’t enough to block it out entirely.
- I could see over other people’s balconies because of the hotel’s slanted layout.
- The off-centre TV is always something that irks me. It is not in a great position to watch it from the bed or the couch.
- Nitpicking here, but it could use an artwork or something on the wall above the desk because it just felt blank. Perhaps a panoramic of Ha Long Bay, or the city itself.
Facilities & Services.
- Travel sustainable level 3 – according to booking.com
- Outdoor infinity pool.
- 1 restaurant.
- The Square.
- 2 bars.
- Lobby Lounge Bar.
- Poolside Bar.
- 5 meeting rooms.
- Hoi An.
- Hue.
- Phong Nha.
- Yen Tu Ball Room.
- Ha Long Ball Room.
Outdoor Swimming Pool.
✔️ Pros.
- The outdoor swimming pool was a lovely space and the temperature was perfect.
- It featured a pool bar and a woven wooden swing.
- It has partial views overlooking the building opposite, the empty field, and the mountainous islands of Ha Long Bay.
- There was also a shallow connected pool for young kids and toys for them too.
❌ Cons.
- The pool bar wasn’t open any of the times I was there.
- The man who picked me up for my powered paramotor experience told me that the hotel used to be beachfront, but they have since moved it forward, so it’s not ocean views.
The Square.
✔️ Pros.
- Beautiful, bright and airy space with gorgeous furnishings.
❌ Cons.
- There was not a great range of selections for people like me with certain dietary requirements.
Lobby Lounge Bar.
✔️ Pros.
- Gorgeous design and layout.
- Spacious and comfortable.
❌ Cons.
- Some of the seats are way too wide to sit on. They are more for tucking your feet on, which is not something I felt comfortable doing in a public space with my shoes on.
Staff.
✔️ Pros.
- All the staff interactions were excellent. They were friendly, welcoming and helpful.
Location.
✔️ Pros.
- Great location. It is within easy walking distance from downtown and attractions such as Sunworld Ha Long Bay and the beautiful party beach of Ha Long Beach.
- Within short driving distance of the cruise terminals for day trips and overnight cruises on Ha Long Bay.
❌ Cons.
- The proximity to the party beaches seems like it wouldn’t affect the stay as much as it did, but they are very loud, especially since there is nothing between them and the hotel. Even inside the room with the balcony door closed, it was still audible, although muffled. However, it was still unpleasant. I assume it’s only on Fridays and weekends, as it was only like this one of the three nights I stayed.
Overall Impressions.
My overall impressions of Novotel Ha Long Bay were mostly positive. I loved how they made such a unique layout so liveable with such fantastic flow and included elements that added a high-end sophistication to the room, such as that gorgeous headboard panel separating the bedroom and the bathroom. It was beautiful and dual-purpose, serving as a centrepiece and a window whilst adding high-end luxury to the spaces. And waking up to those views of Ha Long Bay was fantastic.
The rest of the hotel was also gorgeous, spacious and elegant and its location to Ha Long City’s major attractions also helped make my stay memorable. However, the big glaring issue with this hotel is the sound dampening. It wasn’t effective enough to block out the music from the party beaches, which makes relaxing in the pool, room and or balcony hard, let alone sleeping. They did provide earplugs to help counter this, which was nice. But, overall, even though it is not their fault, it was not great having to hear that for so long while I was trying to have some downtime.
Who Is The Hotel Most Suitable For?
- Those undertaking a cruise to the famous limestone karst islands of Ha Long Bay and want to explore stay local and not head back to Hanoi, where the cruises typically pick you up or drop you off. I highly recommend a three-day cruise.
- People who want to see Ha Long Bay on a budget and not take a cruise.
- Folks visiting Cat Ba Island who want a place to stay before or after visiting the beautiful Lan Ha Bay Island.
- Those who love partying at the beaches!
- Folks visiting Sunworld Ha Long Bay.
Novotel Ha Long Bay: FAQs.
Does Novotel Ha Long Bay Have A Pool?
Yes, Novotel Ha Long Bay has a lovely outdoor pool that overlooks the majestic mountains of Ha Long Bay.
🤩 Check Prices and Availability!
Conclusion: Honest Novotel Ha Long Bay Review.
With the breathtaking peaks of 1600 individual mountainous islands as its backdrop and plenty of things to see and do in the stunning coastal gateway of Ha Long City, Novotel Ha Long Bay is a fantastic place to base yourself if you’re looking for 4-star luxury, gorgeous views, an infinity pool and more.
If you plan to visit Ha Long City, consider looking at these other posts.
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