Hotel Review: Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay

The Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay is a luxury hotel located on an island very close to the actual attraction. While the style and design of the hotel might be questionable, it’s an enjoyable hotel to stay at while visiting Ha Long Bay as I’ll explain in this extensive review!

Ha Long Bay is mainly visited with day trips from Hanoi, but it’s a three hour car or bus trip in both directions, so staying next to the natural attraction itself can be a more enjoyable way to enjoy Ha Long Bay without stressful driving.

• Classification: Five Stars
• Room Category: Deluxe Room
• Month of Stay: January

When it comes to hotels at the bay, there are only very few international brands present. The most prominent hotel aside the relatively new Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay is the Novotel, but the Vinpearl Resort is just a more special place.

That’s something you’ll already realize when getting to the hotel as you are arriving at a reception on the mainland, before taking a boat to the actual hotel on an island – a really special setting that somewhat reminded me of my stay at the Hilton Seychelles Labriz Resort.

Deluxe Ocean View Room at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay

The Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay mainly aims at tour groups, which is also why there are not all that many different room categories. I went with the slightly more expensive Deluxe Ocean View Room, which offers nicer views of the bay, but other than that is similiar to other rooms.

I’d say that the rooms feel comfortable and spacious at 38 square meters, but come with a somewhat unique design.

The hotel sort-of aims to make the hotel feel historic despite it being totally modern. As the whole property is built as a castle, the rooms come with a similiar design.

The centerpiece of the room is a comfortable King Bed with two nightstands, which I thought wasn’t perfectly comfortable as the bedlinen didn’t seem to be of the highest quality.

Opposite of the bed, there’s the usual set-up of a flat-screen television and a working desk.

Sadly, the later comes with a really uncomfortable chair, which isn’t really fitted for working.

Furthermore, the room has a comfortable armchair in the corner.

That’s also where you can access the balcony with two chairs and a small table.

The views of the bay are really gorgeous, though I was rather unlucky with the weather.

It’s worth noting that all rooms at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay offer a complimentary minibar with rather basic options.

The bathroom is totally fine, while not being overly spacious.

There’s a nice bathtub, a sink, a toilet and a decent walk-in shower with two shower heads.

All in all, the rooms at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay are somewhat uniquely designed, but feel spacious and comfortable. Sadly, the walls aren’t really good, which means that you hear a lot of noises from other rooms and the hallway.

Breakfast at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay

All rates at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay come with included breakfast, which is served in the hotel’s main restaurant.

My favorite spot to sit here was the large wintergarden, which is really nice and bright.

The buffet comes with a large choice as well, but from the cold to the hot options, everything has a strong focus on the Asian cuisine, more so than at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi or the Hilon Hanoi Opera for example.

I also thought that the quality of the cold Western dishes like cheese or bread rolls was average at best.

The hot options, particularly the live cooking ones like noodle soups and omelettes are good though and what I stuck to both mornings.

While I don’t want to be overly critical here, I didn’t feel like the quality was really good for breakfast at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay, but I’m sure everybody will find something here.

Dining at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay

Generally speaking, I wasn’t fully happy about the food quality at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay. One day, I had lunch in the lobby bar, where I had good spring rolls and a rather disappointing pizza.

The burger the other day by the pool was alright, but nothing to write home about.

Even the room service orders for some local dishes didn’t fully convince me.

Once again, there’s no need to be overly critical here, but I thought that the food wasn’t really on the an international five-star level.

Pool, Beach & Gym at the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay

The Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay has a lot more resort character than you might expect at a destination hotel, where most people are actually visiting for seeing the famous Ha Long Bay. For example, there’s a massive outdoor pool.

It’s surrounded by various comfortable loungers and absolutely feels massive. It somewhat reminded me of the big lagoon pool at the Conrad Bali.

You can also enjoy a pool bar with a swim-up area here, so you surely won’t stay thirsty or hungry, while enjoying the pool.

While that wasn’t really possible for me as I visited in January, it sure is a highlight in other seasons. In winter though, you may enjoy the indoor pool, which is good for swimming laps, too.

In summer, you may also enjoy one of the resort’s beaches, which are spread around the little island and thus allow the crowd to spread out.

The gym is rather small compared to the other resort facilities, but there’s also all you need for a typical workout.

Last but not least it’s worth noting that the resort also offers a tennis court, which is complimentary. You just need to rent equipment if you don’t bring your own.

Summed up, the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay offers a really nice combination of recreation options and tours to the Ha Long Bay and other places around.

Overall impressions of the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay

The unique design of the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay somewhat reminded me of the incredible The Reverie Saigon, but in detail the latter is a much better property. Nevertheless, the Vinpearl Resort Ha Long Bay is a great option for a stay near the famous Ha Long Bay. The value for the money is good, the rooms are modern, the food options plentiful and the recreation facilities are on a particularly high level. Plus, the location and views are very special as well!

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