PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

This hotel is a big shame. It's not that it's so bad really, but it could be a world-class heritage hotel and instead it's in shambles -- thanks to the shortsightedness of the folks at Saigontourist. Built in 1890, it's the preeminent historic hotel in Saigon, of Graham Greene's The Quiet American fame. But its last renovation was in 1980. The very heart of Saigon's downtown, its colonial facade attracts shutter-clicking tourists and admirers -- yet that's where the love affair ends. The lobby is gaudy, with oversize chandeliers, Chinese vases, and that fake, semigloss shine of a low-end business hotel. Rooms are enormous, with high ceilings, but it's the red velveteen curtains, tatty red carpets, and general run-down feel that spoil the fantasy. It looks more like an aging cathouse, really, and the furniture can't seem to fill the big, empty space. Bathrooms are done plain, like a guesthouse, but are big and clean and have bathtubs. "First-class rooms" are big and comfy, with roll-top desks, ornate columns, and a wood archway separating a small sitting area -- a good bet. The hotel staff is friendly but a tad dazed and confused. If you want to stay here, you are most likely paying homage to the historical significance of the hotel. Thus, request to stay in room 210, the corner suite where Greene resided for almost 2 years.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Vietnam, 2nd Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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