Sanouva Saigon Hotel – 3 Star Value, Great Location

Well, it’s now peak season in Ho Chi Minh City. I can’t believe the number of tourists roaming around District 1 at the moment. We are also expecting quite a few guests in the next couple of months. Some of them will be staying with us, but others prefer to stay closer to the action for one reason or another. As such, I’ve been trying to track down a great value hotel in  Ho Chi Minh City for when they get here.

I’m afraid my accommodation page sorely lacks in entries. As we live here in an apartment, we haven’t personally experienced any hotels other than what you see listed there. And, I’m not about to put just any place up without either personal recommendations from close family and friends or a personal inspection.

The Lobby of the Sanouva  (Photo courtesy of The Sanouva Saigon Hotel)

My criteria are good value, convenient location, spotlessly clean and tight security. Efficient and friendly staff will seal the deal. As our friends will only be a few days, easy access to the main sites is a must. With that in mind, I went to check out the Sanouva Saigon Hotel yesterday. Just two blocks back from Ben Thanh Market, around the corner from Independence Palace and close by some of our favourite restaurants, it fitted the bill. It has great reviews and ratings on all the booking sites including Expedia, Booking.com, and Agoda. With rooms starting from around $50 I thought it worth a look.

I set up an inspection with Ms. Bien, the Sales Manager to take a look at the rooms they have available. It’s one thing looking at glossy pics on the internet, but from experience, I know the reality can be disappointing. If you haven’t got time to read any further, I’ll make it quick. The Sanouva is a winner!

Clean, spacious bathrooms. (Photo courtesy of the Sanouva Saigon Hotel)

I arrived early for the appointment and was ushered into the small restaurant where I was able to observe the reception area. Just on 2 pm, a steady stream of guests were being checked in very efficiently by the professional and friendly staff. I did note that bookings are essential this time of year. One guest found that without a reservation for the following two nights he was going to have to go elsewhere. For me that was a good sign. Reading the reviews on the various sites, I did note that they have lots of repeat visitors so they must be doing something right.

I was pretty blunt and asked Ms. Bien directly ‘Why would someone stay here when there are dozens of other hotels in the area?’ She was happy to explain that they aim to beat out the competition by focussing on their guest’s satisfaction. All staff are trained to go the extra mile to help guests make the most of their visit. From my observations, the training has worked. The team actually looked as if they liked their job. It might sound a simple thing, but for me, there’s nothing worse than surly, unhappy staff, when you are feeling awesome about being on holidays.

Bright, spacious rooms – Deluxe (Photo Courtesy of the Sanouva Saigon Hotel)

I did a quick tour of the rooms starting at the basic Deluxe through to the Sanouva Executive. Even the most basic room was pretty impressive. Light colours, clean, modern lines and lots of natural light gave them a spacious, fresh feel. The upper category rooms had huge windows that reveal impressive views from the higher levels.

Things that impressed me:

• Both the bedrooms and the bathrooms were modern, sparkly clean and spacious.
• Even the smaller rooms had plenty of space to walk around the bed and sit at the desk if you need to work.
• The rooms were all very quiet. Considering the amount of noise on the streets outside, they have done an excellent job of sound proofing, and
• The rooms are very secure. There is a guard out the front, alert staff in the foyer, key card access and a safe in every room. There should be no need to take your passport and valuables out onto the streets. (See my post on staying safe in Saigon)
• A buffet breakfast is included in the price of the room, as is WiFi, bottled water and use of the gym. The last one is just in case you don’t get enough exercise walking around Ho Chi Minh City.

The Sanouva Executive has a separate living room. (Photo courtesy of the Sanouva Saigon Hotel)

The spacious living area in the Executive room. (Photo courtesy of the Sanouva Saigon Hotel)

There are many other inclusions  as listed on their site. Everything you’d expect from a decent mid-range hotel. They can arrange all sorts of tours for you, although it’s in such a great location it’s pretty easy to head off on your own. (see my Day 1 and Day 2 walking tour itineraries)

You can make secure bookings directly through the hotel website. Ms Bien tells me they always have promotions  so it’s worth checking them out. I also had a look at the booking engines Expedia, Booking.com and Agoda to see if prices varied. Expedia gave the best deal for the higher level rooms at the time, but prices were pretty similar for the base level room so take a look and make an informed choice.

So all up I’m more than happy to add the Sanouva Saigon Hotel to my accommodation page as an excellent value mid-range stay for both tourists and business visitors alike. They have a 3-star rating but, judging by the standard of the facilities, they must be at the top end of that range. I’ll definitely be recommending it to my visitors as an option when they choose their hotel in Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Chi Minh City Highlights now has another impressive mid-range hotel on the list.

Details for Sanouva Saigon Hotel

The hotel is located at  177 Ly Tu Trong St, Ben Thanh Ward, Dist 1, HCMC. You can find a map here

Website:  www.sanouvahotel.com
Email: sales@sanouvahotel.com, reservation@sanouvahotel.com

The Sanouva is in a great location to see visit all the sites (Photo Courtesy of the Sanouva Saigon Hotel)

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