Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi is located in the middle of Hanoi’s famed Old Quarter. It is also managed by Sofitel, under its MGallery umbrella. This was a good enough reason for me to book a stay at this hotel. Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi first opened its doors to guests in 2011 and has remained under Sofitel management since then.
I booked a night’s stay at its L’Opera Grand Suite, with the intent to then take a short walk to the nearby Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi.
TL:DR
Staying in the middle of Hanoi’s Old Quarter
Great views of Hanoi Opera House
Great service
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Service:
Service standards were decent, with check-in a breeze and handled professionally by the hotel staff. After the process was completed, I was then brought to my room by a staff member, who remarked that I was staying in the best room in the hotel. This was good to know and it made me look forward to staying at the hotel.
During check-out the next day, I was also pleasantly surprised that a hotel staff member insisted on bringing my luggage and walking with me to Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi when he realised I was heading there for a night’s stay. Despite my protest that I could walk there on my own, he insisted and made sure I was well-received by staff members of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi before heading back.
This was something that stood out as I know that hotel staff members are not under any obligation to do so. It was a nice memory and it showed a great service by staff members of Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi.
Hotel Facilities:
Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi offers hotel guests a fitness centre and swimming pool. Uniquely, this hotel boasts a semi-indoor swimming pool that is also heated. This makes the pool a very welcome sight come wintertime. The swimming pool also has a nice partial view of the Hanoi Opera House, which is always nice to have. Having said that, the swimming pool is not the largest pool available. Hence, for serious swimmers training for a competition, this might not be a suitable swimming pool for you to train in.
While I was there, it was unfortunately drizzling. As a result, I was unable to go for a dip. Likewise for the gym, I was too busy hunting down the city’s famous eateries. There was just not enough time for me to hit the gym.
Beside the swimming pool are multiple sun loungers where hotel guests can lie on them to enjoy the sunshine. Unfortunately, as the weather was rather gloomy during my stay, the sun loungers could hence only be enjoyed by the rainfall.
One thing to take note of is that Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi does not have a club lounge. This means that hotel guests will need to rely on the comfort of their room or its restaurants to do some work. Another surprising thing is that even though I was a suite guest, it does not come with a complimentary breakfast. It is possible this is because there is no club lounge to begin with. Hence, there would not be any meal service to offer club guests. (Note: A check on the hotel website shows that guests of L’Opera Grand Suite can now enjoy a complimentary breakfast as part of the benefits.)
As part of the entitlements as an Accor Gold member, I was accorded a welcome drink at the hotel lounge, La Fée Verte. I was provided with a menu to select my choice of drink, which covers the typical drinks one gets at hotel club lounges. Since I do not really enjoy drinking alcohol, I ordered a tropical smoothie and was also provided with a piece of Madeleine. All in all, an enjoyable experience at the lounge before I checked out and headed towards its cousin property, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi!
Room:
From 50 square metres up to a whopping 75 square metres, the L’Opera Grand Suite is the largest room type that Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi has to offer. Depending on your room, it either has views of the city or the Hanoi Opera House. During my stay, the room allocated to me was located on the top floor of the hotel, where I was provided with great views of the Hanoi Opera House. I have to say that it was awesome getting such great views from the comfort of my room.
When I first entered the suite, I was greeted by a warm and cosy living room, with the living area right in the middle, with the dining table on the right side of the room. The dining table is a four-seater that is just right for most families. There is also a minibar area where guests are welcome to mix their own drinks. Do be reminded though, that the drinks made easily accessible are chargeable.
The kitchen area is well hidden behind the living area. It consists of all the necessary equipment that one might need during a short holiday. It has a basin, Nespresso coffee machine and complimentary Nespresso capsules, Nescafe coffee sachets and Dilmah tea bags. There is also another minibar where non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks are kept chilled for guests’ convenience. The entire living room is large enough to feel spacious while small and cosy enough to allow a family to have a small gathering without any fuss. There is a bathroom in the living room for guests to use so that they do not need to step into the bedroom. This may be important for guests who enjoy their privacy and would like to enjoy feeling relaxed and be themselves in the privacy of their bedroom.
Beside the dining table, there is a door to enter into the bedroom proper. Located just beside the door is a workstation facing the bed. This workstation is in fact placed in a great place as there are simply no distractions for the guest. The television is not facing towards the workstation and it cannot be adjusted to face the workstation. Rather, the guest can only look at the bed and his or her partner while working. This can be a great motivation for the guest to finish his or her work quickly so as to join his or her partner on the bed as soon as possible.
Located in front of the bed is a really comfortable sofa that feels quite luxurious. Unfortunately, once again, you cannot exactly watch television while sitting on it since the television faces the bed. Nevertheless, it may be a good spot for the family to gather and chat the night away.
The King-sized bed itself is elevated and feels absolutely comfortable. I had a very good night’s sleep on the bed and woke up feeling totally refreshed. This factor is definitely a plus for me. As mentioned earlier, the television faces the bed directly. This allows guests to wake up feeling refreshed and switch on the television immediately without the need to get up from bed. I love doing this on holidays as it just makes me feel like there is no rush at all, a far cry from the usual routine during weekdays.
Another unique aspect of this suite has got to be the bathroom. While it technically has a door, there is a curtain that can be pushed to allow the guest in the bathtub to enjoy a television show in the bedroom. This is perhaps a design of the suite that is targeted at honeymooners. While I was staying alone at the hotel, I enjoyed admiring and taking pictures of the unique design of the suite. The design of the bathroom reminded me of W’s style, where they usually have unique and flamboyant room designs. I can actually see this as a work of a W-inspired designer.
There is a separate standing shower and bathtub so guests can decide when they feel romantic and when they simply want to shower and take a well-deserved rest. It is also good to know that there are his and her wash basins with a large and long mirror so couples do not need to fight over who gets to brush their teeth first. Toiletries are provided by Spa Pure and Huilerie et Savonnerie du Viet Nam, local brands from Vietnam. I had no issue using the hand soap, shampoo, and shower gel. Bath salts are also provided for guests to enjoy while soaking in the bathtub. I can definitely see myself enjoying a bath the next time I book a stay at the L’Opera Grand Suite at Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi.
As an Accor Gold member, I was also surprised to find out that a benefit of being a Gold member is a fruit plate to be provided in the room. I was happy to find out that I was provided with a slice of cake, some light snacks, and some grapes. A complimentary bottle of San Pellegrino was provided as well and I enjoyed the perfect combination of sweet and savoury snacks washed down with some sparkling water.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi. The L’Opera Grand Suite was really spacious and shouted luxury. While not having breakfast included for a suite guest was quite odd, I cannot really complain considering the relatively affordable price paid for the largest suite in the hotel!
Click here to find out more about Hotel de L’Opera Hanoi and book a stay today!
Cost of L’Opera Grand Suite: VND 5,165,143.20 (approximately S$310) a night - stayed over a weekend in April 2022
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