Hotel Review: The Tirant, Hanoi - Good hotel in a great location

The Tirant Hotel (pronounced "Tai-Rang") in the Gia Ngu Street,
also came recommended thru Club7Holidays. It was in the old quarter, very close to the Water Puppet show Theatre and right in the center of shops and coffee cafes, for which Hanoi is famous.

From the outside, the hotel and its sister hotel (Rex) are cheek and jowl with other buildings and a host of cars and retailers all around. Looks very much like Mumbai or Delhi, especially Delhi with its buildings with common walls everywhere between residences. But that’s the charm of many of these cities in Asia- so alive and vibrant, so tightly integrated and inter dependent. Very familiar to most Asians (especially Indians) and very exotic for the western world.

The lobby 

The Tirant was well done up inside. Quick check-in and well-appointed  room ( though it was a bit tight for three beds), but that wasn’t a major issue. The bathroom was quite large after the one in Siem Reap, and overall, it was a slick, modern hotel -quite surprising to many if they form an opinion of the surroundings of the hotel.

Breakfast was, as we had come to expect in Indochina, not very hep- but much better in its mix ( noodles / eggs/ breads etc). Its too much to expect completely standardized food but a judicious mix of International and local would be expected and welcome.  As good, seasoned travelers, we did carry our own food when the local cuisines got a tad too much, but that’s a personal preference.

Double room with extra bed

There were some key aspects we liked our choice finally. One, it was in the heart of the old quarter, the really original Hanoi, which we tend to see in all the pictures of the city. Full of souvenir shops at every corner. Two, very close to the Ho Hoan Kiem (lake) with its Confucius temple with a leafy nice walkway around it; three, walking distance from the Tha Long Water Puppet Theatre, of the really unique highlights of Hanoi ( more on these later), and four, absolute walking distances from several coffee cafes- Highlands, Giang for its egg coffee, The Note, Trung Coffee, Kafa, a hole in the wall cafe, and Timeline Coffee. There are many others. Vietnam is famous for its variety of coffee. Fifth, all buses for Ha Long Bay pass by this hotel and pick up / drop off within 100 meters of the hotel door. Uber is easily found, and they know the hotel as well. And of course, should you need Vietnamese Dong, there’s one of the many money changers right opposite the door of the hotel.

Clearly, this area -the old quarter has started getting“touristified” but its up to the visitor to be curious and absorb the culture and sensations. 

The Hanoi skyline

If you stay there, don’t forget to visit the rooftop restaurant. Beautiful airy place, with great views of Hanoi all around (see pictures). Unfortunately, it was simply too cold and windy in December to enjoy the outdoors, but it was nice nevertheless.

View from Tirant roof top of lake 

All said and done, The Tirant was a good choice, great location and for the brief 2 days we were in Hanoi, very enjoyable.