If you read a guidebook on Hanoi, there are several distinct areas that are recommended for visiting:
- Old Quarter – home of the picturesque Hanoi street life, its fragrant market, a bunch of hostels and tourist-oriented coffee shops surrounded by (as the name suggests) pretty old buildings
- French Quarter – includes whatever the French managed to build during the colonization period – wider streets, pretty columned buildings, which now host hotel and boutiques
- Westlake – a mostly residential area surrounding the largest lake in Hanoi, center to expat living, where hearing English is probably more common than hearing Vietnamese, and coffee shops feature access to electrical outlets for those that work remotely and like to annoy the locals with loud Zoom meetings
InterContinental Westlake is one of many hotels located on the shores of that lake, and it’s a pretty spacious property, with main hotel building surrounded by a bunch of overwater buildings.
The over-water buildings are connected by walkways.
My room was spacious, featuring hardwood floors, a small seating area and access to two balconies. In the bathroom there was a shower cabin (with full shower door, a rarity by today’s diminishing hotel standards), bath and a Japanese toilet. The amenities in the room included a hot water kettle for tea and an Illy Iperespresso machine that was replenished with new capsules daily – that actually came in useful, as Vietnamese robusta coffee can be a bit too much if you like consuming it black and with no sugar, something that even the locals rarely dare.
The way it’s built, every window of the main hotel structure or any of the over-water buildings is guaranteed at least some water view. The rooms marked “city view” tend to overlook the lake (and a few high rises on the other shore), whereas mine was just facing the little lagoon and the walking path that surrounds most of the Westlake.
That green-fenced walking path tends to be pretty nice, and you could hypothetically have a leisurely walk around the lake, but given the local custom to park a motorbike in any available space, by mid-day the nice serene walking path quickly disintegrates into a motorcycle parking lot, forcing pedestrians into the streets.
The health club takes up a building of its own, and contains a fairly spacious gym, locker rooms with sauna and steam room (that came in handy in January). For a hotel gym you get quite a bit.
The free weight section is somewhat limited with a single Murphy rack (no freestanding power racks), some dumb bells and barbells and one curl bar.
The dining options include two lounge areas, catering mainly to coffee, alcoholic drinks and small dessert selection, a breakfast+lunch+dinner buffet (Cafe du Lac) and two restaurants – Italian (Milan) and Vietnamese (Saigon). Free breakfast was one of the IHG Diamond perks, so I got to experience Cafe du Lac spread on a daily basis, and it was pretty impressive – from made-to-order egg and (of course!) pho station to cold salads and hot items everything seemed top-notch and impressive.
If not the best hotel breakfast I’ve ever had, this would definitely rank among the best (other contenders for the top spot being InterContinental Tokyo Bay, InterContinental Akasaka and a sister property in Hanoi, InterContinental Landmark72).
Cafe du Lac itself is pretty spacious, with windows overlooking the lake (the view of the lake is not hard to get at this property). If you arrive there early enough, you get to experience sunrise over the lake.
The options for hot and cold items rotated daily, and generally seemed to include a few Western things, like potato salads and sausage wrapped in bacon, as well as general pan-Asian fare, like roasted meats and Korean bulgogi meats. The cold cuts selection featured salamis, some Spanish jamon and chorizo, as well as smoked bass.
Not sure if this was a temporary measure or property of breakfast at this hotel at general, but the main coffee machine was malfunctioning, so all the coffee and tea had to be requested. The service was prompt, with waiters refilling the water and juice glasses as necessary.
I went to Saigon for dinner one of the nights, and it was a pleasant experience as well, with prompt service and extensive menu. While the typical Vietnamese food could be had literally a few steps outside the hotel, the restaurant felt on the luxurious side, with open view kitchen and bright red decor. They do have a tasting menu and a rotating selection of specials. The specials for that week featured Australian wagyu.
