Describe luxury in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam and the Grand Hotel Saigon may be it. This hotel in Ho Chi Minh City district 1 is within easy distance to the cities major attractions.
Many visitors to Vietnam visit the tourist hotspots of Ha Long Bay and Hoi An and most will also pay a visit to the capital of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City. When looking for hotels in Ho Chi Minh City many will seek out large modern Hotels with all the latest amenities. The Grand Hotel Saigon is one such hotel and it has everything to make your stay in this city memorable.
- Location: Grand Hotel Saigon
- Why choose Grand Hotel Saigon?
- What is there to do at the Grand Hotel Saigon?
- A relaxing Spa in Ho Chi Minh City
- What to do at the Grand Hotel Saigon
- Book your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City District 1
- Getting to the Grand Hotel Siagon
- Ho Chi Minh Attractions
- Would we stay at the Grand Hotel Saigon again?
Location: Grand Hotel Saigon
Grand Hotel is one of the oldest Hotels in Ho Chi Minh city and was completely refurbished in 1997 and transformed into one of the best Hotels in Ho Chi Minh city. This hotel in Ho Chi Minh City District 1 is ideally located in the riverside area and within easy walking distance to the many entertainment districts of the city.
As well as many on-site dining options, the hotel is surrounded by restaurants and bars to suit all budgets. District 1 is our preferred location when staying Ho Chi Minh City, and we decided this time to try the Grand Hotel Saigon as we had heard from friends that recently visited how nice the hotel was and value for money.
Why choose Grand Hotel Saigon?
As soon as you enter the foyer of the Grand Hotel Saigon, you know a lot of thought has been put into the design of the hotel with it’s grand foyer and tastefully decorated old world charm. The original 1930’s architecture has been tastefully maintained and incorporated into it’s modern design. Plenty of large seating areas with dining options and coffee areas are spread around the large expansive foyer and you will immediately feel relaxed.
The Grand Hotel Saigon has two towers and our room was located in the original wing with its own separate lift. The rooms in this section of the hotel have large external verandahs that overlook the internal open-air swimming pool. The verandahs have an abundance of seating area’s and tables to sit and relax while enjoying the view of the pool and Bar Des Amis pool bar below.
Stepping into the rooms we immediately felt we had made the right choice. With a large entryway with seating including a bowl of fresh fruit, coffee and tea making area, and wall mounted TV.
The entryway then leads into the oversized bedroom with king size bed. The bedroom is well equipped with a second wall mounted TV, well stocked minibar and desk, with a second table and chairs and full length French doors leading onto your own private balcony.
The bathroom is large and well equipped with shower and bath and with plenty of top quality amenities.
With plenty of cupboard space, bathrobes, slippers, 24 Hour room service and a selection of wines, beers, and snacks, we found the room to be one of the largest we have stayed in during our time in Vietnam and very comfortable.
What is there to do at the Grand Hotel Saigon?
Our room rate included access to the sky lounge located on the 20th floor of the main building. Access to the sky lounge is available for use throughout the day from early morning with tea, coffee and light snacks and from 6:00PM to 8:00PM nightly, with complementary beer, wine, cocktails and freshly made to order light meals prepared by the chef.
We found the sky lounge excellent value and the staff very welcoming and eager to keep drinks and food coming. We found the food so good that we didn’t need an additional meal that we had originally planned in the restaurant.
Adjacent to the Sky Lounge is the Grand Lounge, a rooftop restaurant and bar, with superb views overlooking the bright lights of the Ho Chi Minh Skyline. The Grand Lounge is perfect for dancing and has a selection of fine dining options.
Feeling refreshed after a peaceful night’s sleep we were looking forward to starting the day visiting attractions of Ho Chi Minh city with a leisurely breakfast. We weren’t disappointed. The breakfast area is comfortable, well appointed, and has a large selection of western and Asian cuisines.
It has an egg station for freshly made to order egg dishes, fresh fruit, made to order coffee and tea options, and our favourite, fresh bread of various styles. Ho Chi Minh city with it’s French history has some of the best bread in south east Asia and the chef’s at the Grand Hotel Saigon have certainly lived up to the reputation of baking delicious home style breads.
A relaxing Spa in Ho Chi Minh City
Within the Grand Hotel Saigon is a first class La Grand Spa which has well priced beauty and spa packages available for guests and visitors. Tastefully decorated with soothing music and aromatic aromas wafting through the air it’s a great place to unwind and destress as the staff take great care to ensure your relaxed and well pampered.
We reside part of the year in Thailand so are no strangers to first class Spa treatments such as the Spa we recently enjoyed during our stay at the Ping Nakara Boutique Hotel and Spa so Ros was keen to also try a treatment at the La Grand Spa. She chose the manicure treatment and was very happy with the attention and can highly recommend it to anyone staying in Ho Chi Minh City.
What to do at the Grand Hotel Saigon
With an array of dining options, no visit would be complete without trying some of the Asian cuisines Vietnam has to offer and the Grand Hotel Saigon certainly has plenty of choices. Western tastes are also well catered for including steak and seafood. During our visit, the hotel had a promotion on seafood buffet so check when you book for any upcoming specials.
With a large swimming pool and the poolside bar, lazing by the pool enjoying a cocktail may be your ideal way to relax before visiting the Health Club complete with the latest Gym equipment. The hotel also has a Casino located on level 2.
Book your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City District 1
If your looking for where to stay in Ho Chi Minh City the Grand Hotel Saigon ticks all the boxes.
Getting to the Grand Hotel Siagon
We arrived by air into Ho Chi Minh City and found the trip to the hotel into District 1 took approximately 30 minutes by Taxi. The fare was 220000 Dong (about 10 USD) and we booked our taxi from the main taxi counter just inside the airport exit. Taxis in Vietnam can sometimes take advantage of tourists with some companies refusing to use the meter and quote set amounts which will always be far in excess of the metered prices that the journey should cost.
The main taxi companies are Vinasun and Mai Linh Taxi and both of these companies can be trusted to use the meter. If you stick to these two companies you should not have problems. Always be wary of the independent taxis or anyone who approaches you when leaving the airport or major attractions around the city.
Ho Chi Minh Attractions
There are many things to see in Ho Chi Minh City. From the hustle and bustle of the city streets to the cultural icons such as the Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum and the Cu Chi Tunnels to name just a few.
For the shopping enthusiasts a visit to the Ben Thanh Market which Ho Chi Minh City’s central market is a must see. It’s vast array of clothing, coffee traders, and fresh produce is a favourite for local and tourists. It’s open from early in the morning when many locals arrive for the fresh produce till late and night, and in the evenings hosts pop up food stalls selling some of Vietnam’s finest cuisine at very reasonable prices.
Like many large modern cities Ho Chi Minh City also boast high end shopping options such as the largest shopping mall in Ho Chi Minh City the luxurious Vincom centre in the heart of district 1 and only a short walk from the Grand Hotel Saigon. It has over 250 shops spread over 2 buildings and is full of designer shops such as Ralph Lauren, Hermes and Hugo Boss to name a few.
Dinning options are vast and you can sample the very best Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Thai foods or if your looking for something closer to home one of the many western restaurants.
With many things to do in Ho Chi Minh City it’s worth planning your visit by booking some tours in advance. We have listed here some of the most popular day tours available. If your time is limited and your looking to see as much as possible it’s well worth booking a tour of Ho Chi Minh City in advance as the attractions in Ho Chi Minh City attract very large crowds.
Would we stay at the Grand Hotel Saigon again?
Most certainly! We enjoyed our stay and the location was perfect. So if your looking for a world class hotel in Ho Chi Minh City District 1 you can’t go past the Grand Hotel Saigon. It has everything the traveller needs and centrally located to some of the best attractions in Ho Chi Minh City.
As usual this is a fair and unbiased review of this top hotel in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City District 1.
Travelling to other nearby Asian countries? You may also be interested in our review of a Resort Style Hotel in Siem Reap Cambodia and our review of a Boutique Hotel and Spa in Chiang Mai Thailand.
