Ha Long Essence Hotel

Very welcoming place. Spotlessly clean hotel. They even gave me medicine for a dodgy tummy. They upgraded our room when we got there... Short walk into town and beside the beach. New development in a very quiet, developing area.

The staff have good English, the rooms are clean, and there is good wifi. There was more of a language barrier in text than in person, which may be why they forgot us at Hanoi airport and we waited an hour for transport that was only booked 5 mins before it picked us up. We were rather angry as we were two women travelling by ourselves and a taxi from Hanoi would’ve been cheaper and we felt unsafe with the driver who collected us. The hotel did make up for it though and discount our taxi fare, as well as give us one room free upgrade (though not sure which it was as the rooms were very similar) & a discount, and offered us free breakfast which we didn’t opt for as we were wanting western breakfasts by that time. The hotel staff were extremely friendly and helpful despite our angry beginnings, and went above and beyond. There is little to no phone reception indoors & I thought I had a problem with my sim and the hotel staff called the phone provider and discussed the issue and troubleshooted with me. They arranged taxis for us and negotiated fares as grabs weren’t working. They suggested restaurants and directed me to mini Marts, and were very knowledgeable. The fridges are rather small and I had to take out the shelves to fit my water bottle, and there was no freezer. The area surrounding the hotel was only developed two years ago (during covid) & most buildings are very empty so there’s very little around to do during the day except if you get a taxi. The bar doesn’t serve alcohol which I thought was strange but it appears as if very few (if any) of the hotels in the area did. Overall, there is nothing wrong with the hotel, but they are in an unfortunate circumstance of trying to start a business in a ghost town due to covid. I think their staff are their greatest asset and I’d still stay there again despite our issues; I just wish we’d have known the issues before we arrived and would probably arrange my own transport.

Great hotel with very friendly staff. We stayed for 3 nights with family of 5 in 2 rooms. Rooms were very clean and comfortable. Hotel is also walking distance from the beach. Staff helped us with booking trips and taxis, and generally made every effort to make our stay as pleasant as possible. Highly recommended!!

Lovely hotel. New, clean and excellent value for money. It’s close to the beach, the port (to access the bay cruises) and there are restaurants and places nearby. Staff are friendly and the room was very nice. Perfect place to stay when visiting ha long city.

My boyfriend and I were staying in Halong and the Essence hotel was a perfect spot for our stay! The rooms are nice, modern, clean, and cool. The location was great - a quick walk to the beach, and a quick scooter ride to the bars and restaurants in town. The staff was absolutely AMAZING and was helpful in every way - with booking taxis, giving recommendations, making sure we had clean towels. We would definitely recommend Essence hotel to anyone visiting the area!

Great hotel, glad we chose it! Stayed at this hotel for two days and I am blown away by the kindness of the staff at this hotel. Now I'll explain why 1. In the evening, the lights were turned off throughout the city and at the hotel too. We were offered to move to another hotel of the same chain, which was nearby and where there was electricity. A hotel employee on a bike transported us to it, while we were doing this at the hotel, they turned on the light and he brought us back 2. We arrived at the hotel ahead of time and asked if possible to check us in early. We waited a bit and at 12 o'clock we were already in the room. At the same time, the next day we were late with the checkout and they didn’t say a word to us. 3. We decided to pay for two days at once and did it. On the second day, we wanted to try to live in another place, closer to the mountains, and we were refunded the money for the second day without question. We soon changed our minds and stayed at this hotel. 4. A hotel employee helped order food to the room. At the reception they advised on all issues: where to eat, where to go. And I also want to note the pros: - the room is clean, there is everything you need: air conditioning, TV, kettle, refrigerator, hygiene products, hairdryer, etc. The bed is comfortable, slept well - Breakfast is cheap, hearty and tasty. - In the lobby of the hotel there are people who open the doors of the hotel, taxis and help with luggage. They also gave us a few bottles of water upon check out and a drink is brought upon check in and check out. - convenient location of the hotel. There is an official beach near the hotel, where you can rent a sunbed, a swimming circle, leave things in a safe, etc. There is a water park nearby and at the reception you can buy tickets for it - price. For the quality of services that we received, it's just a gift Thanks a lot!