Most people feel a sense of accomplishment trying to cover as many tourist attractions as possible in the short span of time that they have at any holiday destination. While I can certainly understand that behaviour and have been guilty of it in the past, I see no need to rush to tick off a checklist. This is especially if it means just skimming the surface of the place visited, or if it involves travelling to the point of exhaustion.
On the contrary, I subscribe to the motto that every hour that is enjoyed, is an hour well spent.
This is why I booked a 5 nights trip to Ho Chi Minh City. Most people were pretty shocked when they heard how many days I would be spending at HCMC, with the consensus that 2 or 3 days would be sufficient for covering the main tourist attractions.
That might be true, if you plan on covering mainly the District 1 attractions such as the War Remnants Museum, The Independence Palace, The Saigon Post Office etc. Might even be able to squeeze in the Cu Chi Tunnels and a cruise along the Mekong River if you rush.
If you wish to watch a video review of Hilton Saigon, as well as see what I did in HCMC, you can head to my Instastories.
The truth is, we scored ourselves a good deal at the recently opened Hilton Saigon and I wanted to have some time to enjoy relaxing in the hotel and enjoying hotel’s facilities as well.
There are many reasons why we decided to book our stay with the Hilton Saigon. Here’s what we love about the Hilton Saigon.
Location
The Hilton Saigon is in a prime location in District 1, directly facing the Saigon River. It’s only a 5 – 10 minute walk from places such as Nguyen Hue Walking Street, the Saigon Opera House (where the Hop On Hop Off bus terminal is located, the recently opened Ho Chi Minh City Metro underground) and the Vincom Centre (Shopping Mall). Within a 5 minute walk itself I spotted numerous cafes and local eateries.
The Nguyen Hue Walking Street comes alive at night when traffic is closed off, and some people might prefer to stay at a hotel nearer to that area to be in the thick of things. This is something we considered too, but we found the Hilton Saigon to offer a good balance between a relatively convenient location, a somewhat more exclusive area (less rowdy), one with fabulous views, not forgetting it is a spanking new and luxurious hotel!
The rooms
I was smitten by the photos of the rooms when I first started researching for our holiday. Since the hotel is new, the decor is modern and pleasing. The rooms at the Hilton Saigon hotel are elegantly designed with a mix of Vietnamese and international influences, featuring warm earthy tones, rich wood paneling, and polished hardwood floors.
The rooms also feature a spacious sofa sitting area, which makes it very inviting. The sofa is spacious enough such that our 8 year old child could sleep on it without any issue.
Views views views
Not every room has a view of the Saigon River, but I highly recommend that you get one if possible so that you’ll be able to enjoy the fantastic view from the comfort of your own room. Some people pay to go to the top floor /observation deck of Landmark 81 or Bitexco Tower but there’s no need to do so if you’re staying at the Hilton Saigon.
This is undoubtedly one of the highlights of staying at the Hilton Saigon, although it is also possible to enjoy the views from the hotel’s 5th floor lobby, the all day dining restaurant and at the Executive Lounge.
For the avoidance of doubt, the views from the lobby, the Executive Lounge and river view rooms are mainly that of the Saigon River and a little bit of the buildings flanking the river. You won’t be able to get a view of Ho Chi Minh City centre if that’s what you are looking for.
Bathtub
Every room, even the entry level rooms come with a huge bath tub. I often pay a premium just to secure a room with a bath tub because my kids love tub time so much. The one at Hilton Saigon was so humongous, I could even fit in the tub together with my 2 kids!
The best part about our room category (King Premium Corner River View Room) is that our bathroom has a view of the Saigon River as well. This is the only room category at Hilton Saigon with the bathtub by the window. If you love rooms with a view, which I do immensely and will take pains to book a room with one, I highly recommend this room category.
It is quite mesmerizing and a rather rare opportunity to be able to relax in a warm bubbly bath while peering out at the views.
But fret not if you are merely staying in the most basic category. You’ll still be able to enjoy the Saigon River views if you go to the lobby, The Strand or the Executive Lounge.
I can see what you’re doing in there….
The one issue I did have with the bathroom though is that although the toilet, the shower area and the bathtub are all separate, the usage of glass doors for the shower and toilet makes them see-through. So it’s not actually possible for multiple people to use the bathroom at the same time unless you don’t mind being seen….
Executive Lounge
Since we are Hilton Honors Gold members, we were given an upgrade from our original booking which happened to allow us access to the Executive Lounge. The Executive lounge is open from 1pm – 10pm and offers an afternoon tea service as well as an evening cocktail service.
Since they only open at 1pm, it means you can’t have breakfast at the Executive Lounge. You will have to go to The Strand, which is their all day dining restaurant for your buffet breakfast.
The Executive Lounge looks extremely inviting with its large and plush sofa seats as well as the panoramic view. Colour palette as with the rest of the hotel is sophisticated and soothing. We had such a great difficulty deciding between whether to spend our time in this relaxing lounge, with drinks and nibbles provided, or head back into the city to do more touristy stuff.
This is what we had for their afternoon tea sessions
And this are some of the items that were available for evening cocktails
It’s just a small selection of nibbles for afternoon tea, good enough to tide you through if you happen to be in the hotel during those hours.
The evening cocktails are more substantial than afternoon tea, with some selection of alcohol. If you go for multiple rounds of the finger food, it is possible to treat it as a simple dinner.
Breakfast at The Strand
Our room accords us free buffet breakfast at The Strand. The spread is pretty extensive and there are many hot and cold dishes to choose from, including some made-to-order dishes and eggs done any way you like them. This is pretty normal for hotels in Asia, and people who predominantly travel in Europe or the USA are always amazed by how sumptuous the hotel buffet spread is the first time they visit.
The spread of Vietnamese food is pretty good. I tried to steer clear of the usual Western suspects such as bacon and sausages so that I could try more Vietnamese food. Bahn mi is something you have to try when you visit Vietnam and I’m glad to report that the mini bahn mis available at the buffet were delicious! I made sure to grab some everyday. I really do wonder how they manage to get the baguettes so crisp.
Another dish that I was glad to make acquaintance with is the Bo Ne, essentially Vietnamese steak strips and egg, with some baguette thrown in to mop up the goodness.
Hilton prides itself on its wellness theme so I’ve noticed that all the Hilton properties that I have stayed at have a rather generous selection of freshly squeezed fruit juices. If you want milk, you also have a choice of nut-milks.
So as you can see breakfast at Hilton Saigon is a pretty lavish affair and it was a daily dilemma deciding between whether to enjoy the hotel breakfast thoroughly or skip it for local fare outside. Actually we had the same conundrum in regards to the Executive Lounge as well! So if you’re a business traveller, you know you are in good hands if you stay at the Hilton Saigon.
Residence Eleven
Since we had so many days at the Hilton Saigon, we decided to check out a couple of the restaurants there. Ensconced on the 39th floor is Residence Eleven, the hotel’s Chinese restaurant focusing on Southern Chinese cuisine. It masterfully combines the sophistication of traditional Chinese cuisine with a modern twist, taking guests on an epicurean journey of modern and authentic Chinese flavors.
A distinctive feature of the restaurant is its signature wood-fired oven. Here, guests can savor expertly roasted meats, alongside classic Chinese dishes such as Peking Duck and Dim Sum, as well as contemporary creations like Birds’ Nest and Crab Soup, Hong Kong-style Stir-fried Australian Lobster, and Steamed Leopard Coral Grouper.
We decided to check out their dim sum brunch buffet where we got to savour signature dim sum dishes like Iberico Pork Siu Mai, Scallop Dumplings and traditional Shanghai Buns for only VND 788,000++ per adult. It’s only available from 10.30am – 2.30pm.
The Strand for dinner
All-day dining restaurant The Strand may exude a casual vibe in the mornings, but it transforms itself into an elegant restaurant come nightfall, complete with dim lighting and a slightly hushed environment. Although it’s so easy to get affordable food outside the hotel, or order in using the Grab app, we also wanted to indulge in nice restaurant meals, which would have cost us much more back in Singapore.
Thoroughly enjoyed our dinner at The Strand, where the steaks we ordered were cooked to the perfect doneness and had such a wonderful flavour. With the intimate setting and less guests to attend to, staff also had time to regale us with their experiences of living in Ho Chi Minh City and working at the Hilton Saigon.
Service Excellence
A special shout out especially to the staff at Hilton Saigon for their warm hospitality. We were always greeted with a friendly smile whenever we stepped into The Strand for breakfast. One guy even remembered we ordered flat whites the day before, and offered to get us more when we saw him again. The concierge staff were also ever ready to help us with our luggage or offer their advice on what and where to visit in the city.
We had such a good time at the Hilton Saigon! Can’t wait to return again soon to Ho Chi Minh City!
Scroll down for more photos!
Pool time for the kids! Because it was December when we visited, the pool water was a tad too cold for my liking! It was strange that people could be suntanning on the decks but the pool water never did get warm, even in the afternoons. Still I had to endure and jump in because the kids wanted to swim!
The kids whooped with joy to find 2 baby pools, one at 30 cm height and the other at 0.5 metres. Alas, these two pools were even colder because they are sheltered from any direct sunlight. Perhaps it will be nice when the weather is much hotter.
You can see the Saigon river from the pool area too!
We went up to Song Bar to take some pictures. It’s quite a nice area for photos and to chill at night.
Here’s the Instagrammable stairway at Hilton Saigon which you must not miss taking a photo of, if you’re ever visiting.
Vietnam is the land of coffee, or cà phê as they call it in Vietnam. Look at this perfectly brewed flat white from the buffet breakfast. A pleasant surprise for a hotel buffet.
Hilton Saigon
Address: 11 Me Linh Square Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Telephone: +84 28 3823 7979
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