Ha Long Essence Hotel

The hotel is very nice and the services are all perfect. The price was also cool and we had a nice breakfast. We had some health problems and a guy of the staff helped us going to the pharmacy. It was really appreciable from him! Francesco and Sara

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.

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!