During our recent trip to Vietnam, we needed a find a Ho Chi Minh airport hotel as we had a late flight in and then a flight out the next morning and I didn’t see the point in going right in to town. The kids had been on the road for close to 19 hours when we arrived in Vietnam.Â
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Ho Chi Minh Airport Hotel
There is a hotel located right at the airport but they only had a couple of very expensive rooms available so I decided that we would need to look a bit further afield. I put Ho Chi Minh airport hotel into Agoda and scrolled through the options. I come across the Saigon’s Book Hotel and as a bonus we were able to book 5 people into one room. This saved us paying for a second room which is what we normally have to do to accommodate all 5 of us.
The Rooms
The room was enormous! It was very clean and tidy and best of all it had cold beer in the fridge! After nearly 19 Â hours on the road, both Craig and I couldn’t get to that fridge quick enough!
The room had 2 king size beds, I had expected that there would be an extra roll out bed in the room but there wasn’t and due to the size of our kids I didn’t bother going to organise one. Our kids are very small for their ages so they were all about to share one bed. They were so tired anyway that they were straight to sleep after the initial excitement subsided and a quick FaceTime call to home.
Both the beds were in one room so while the kids went to sleep Craig and I had a quick beer and relaxed. Well Craig relaxed, I was searching for flights for the next day as Jetstar Pacific had delayed our flight and I was very unhappy. We did end up rebooking with VietJet. VietJet is a local budget airline and initially I was nervous but I’m glad we made the move and got to Nha Trang much earlier than if we had of not changed flights.
The Location
Now, I have to admit here, the plan was to walk from the airport to the hotel as on the map it looked completely do-able! The reality was that it really was too far! The best thing though is that it was raining when we arrived so I didn’t even attempt it and didn’t make a clown of myself! I just checked the distance on Google Maps and it indicates a distance of 1.2kms but I tell you it felt a lot further than that! Regardless of the distance I was very happy to be in the taxi!
Unfortunately I can’t remember how much we paid for a taxi but it was one of the luxury taxis and if we had of got a normal green and white taxi it would have been a lot cheaper. We are seriously only talking a couple of extra dollars here so not enough to break the bank. As you walk out the airport terminal people will call out to you if you need a taxi and you will be expected to pay upfront, these are the luxury taxis so if you are wanting to save a few dollars, head towards the cab rank in the middle and wait for a green and white taxi, they are also metered taxis so as long as the meter is on you shouldn’t have any issues with the price.
Facilities
Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to fully explore this hotel as we had only had time to have breakfast really. The restaurant is on the ground floor in front of the hotel. You walk out the front of reception and then in a glass door on the left hand side.
The restaurant is nice and clean and offers a range of eggs cooked however you like with a traditional french style baguette roll. If you love coffee then you must try it vietnamese style, filtered coffee with condensed milk served cold over ice. Craig loved it and thats coming from a coffee snob Melbournite! I don’t drink coffee but I do love the smell!
Costs
This hotel was a bargain, particularly because we were able to have all 5 of us in the room, it makes a massive difference in the budget. As always I booked this hotel through Agoda. I find them to be the best for Asia.
Cost:         1,350,000dong              $82.00AUD
That’s less than $20.00 per person and I think you will agree from the photos that the room was spacious and comfortable. We were more than happy there and would stay again if in the same situation where we had an early flight out the next morning. The Saigon Airport Bluesky Apartment which is located walking distance from the airport was going to cost $170.00 for one night, this is mostly because we required a 2 bedroom apartment. Its very unusual to find somewhere that will allow all 5 of us in the one room and we prefer to have us all in one room.
Just note that if you are planning on walking to the hotel from the airport that you check how far it is because what looks like walking distance possibly isn’t walking distance in reality. We were saved by the rain as I was determined to walk as it only looked a wee way down the road! My advice, get in the cheaper green and white taxis and save yourself the drama!
If you have a couple of days in HCMC, I suggest a hotel closer to District 1, we stayed at the Signature Saigon Hotel and found it a great central spot. Â We did a great independant Walking tour off HCMC with the kids from here. Other great activities to do with the kids is visiting the Vietnamese Water Puppets or a Cyclo Tour which was the traditional form of transport prior to motorbikes!
Safe travels!
Sal & Co!
