Somerset West Lake Hotel Hanoi

Coming up to the end of a three week stint in Vietnam we decided to opt for a serviced apartment for our 5 days in Hanoi. We got off the train from Sapa at around 4 in the morning, stumbled into a taxi and made our way to the Somerset West Lake - a very pleasant surprise.

We had booked ahead and were welcomed by name as we walked into the lobby. Checkin was very fast and we were then ushered to our apartment that exceeded all expectations. A fully functional kitchem and bathroom, flat screen tv, full laundry facilities and a huge king size bed.

When we emerged into the sunlight a few hours later, we found West Lake behind us and a local market across the road. The breakfast at the hotel was a bit ordinary, but we made up for this by heading out to the market each morning for eggs, fresh bread and fruit and ended up buying quite a few evening meals here as well.

The hotel is a little bit out of the main hustle and bustle of Hanoi - about 10 minutes from the Old Quarter with the average taxi fare costing around 50,000 dong ($A4).

Would definitely stay here again - also the cafe downstairs has free internet for guests as well.