The Oriental Jade Hotel

We recommend The Oriental Jade to thirty- and forty-something couples looking for a design pied-à-terre in old Hanoï without paying the price of a Sofitel Legend Metropole. The hotel also suits solo travellers seeking wellness after visits (the spa and pool make up for the street bustle). Families with children will find the rooms a little tight, but family rooms exist and the pedestrian quarter lends itself to strolls.

Contemporary 2018 building, narrow façade typical of old Hanoï shophouses (4 metres wide, seven storeys). Clean Asian design interior: grey marble flooring, dark lacquered woodwork, indirect LED lighting. Compact entrance hall with stone counter and openwork screen inspired by jade motifs. Lift to all rooms, 45 keys in total spread over five floors.

Ground-floor restaurant serving Vietnamese cuisine and a few Western dishes, open for breakfast (continental buffet and pho plates to order) and dinner. The rooftop bar offers classic cocktails and local beers until 10pm, short but well-executed list. Room service available 24/7, limited menu after midnight. Nothing gastronomic, but sufficient to avoid going out every evening.

The Oriental Jade stands in Hang Trong, a street parallel to Hoàn Kiếm lake, right in the 36 guilds quarter. Ngoc Son temple and the red The Huc bridge are a three-minute walk away, the weekend night market starts at the end of the street. Lively neighbourhood, noisy by day (scooters, street vendors), calmer after 10pm. Saint-Joseph Cathedral ten minutes away, Hanoi Opera House fifteen. No metro nearby, but everything is within walking distance or a taxi ride within a 2 km radius.