Good location for exploring the old quarters. Comfortable rooms. Our club floor room had a great view of the lakes. The Executive lounge is nice. We also appreciated the 3 pieces of laundry per day free of charge. On our final day we actually sent more that three 3 pieces - and the hotel discounted the 3 most expensive items cleaned - nice touch.

Service and food quality was a bit hit and miss. Ok for a few days, but not quite the sort of experience you expect from a Sofitel.

Beware that the hotels concierge only seems to have a very basic A4 sized photocopied map of the city. This really is a amazing oversight on the part of the hotel. I don't think I have ever stayed in a 5 star hotel that has not been able to offer a decent free map of the area.

Maybe this is something to do with the fact that there is a tours desk next to the concierge?

We ended up doing a one day tour of the city. In reality we did not see anything we could not have easily visited on our own based on the Trip Advisor list of things to do.

Finally, just to balance this review out, I would comment that one of the concierge team members really helped by personally escorting me to a local chemist to buy some tummy tablets.

To echo another reviewer who went "Wow! Wow! Wow!", I can only say "Love! Love! Love!"

We were upgraded to an Executive Club room and stayed here before and after we went to Halong Bay. The Sofitel Plaza was an oasis, with our luxurious room and stunning bathroom. There seem to be slight variations in the quality of the rooms so we got to stay in one average and one awesome room. We also got to see the city view and also the lake view, which I preferred because there appeared to be a temple next to the lake. The air was very smoggy which our travel guide explained was just the winter fog? If so, it made the scenery seem romantic ...

The Executive Lounge team of ladies were wonderful and very helpful. One night when we were staying in, a couple in traditional dress came to light incense and turn down our bed, which was a very nice touch. At breakfast, it was no trouble to prepare a freshly squeezed fruit juice or a steaming bowl of pho, which was delicious. Be sure to try the local Vietnamese coffee drip-filtered and stirred in with condensed milk, so caramelly and chocolatey, so yummy!

The security team and concierge are also helpful with advice and directions. On our last night in Hanoi, we had a candle-lit dinner at Madam Hien, followed by the Than Long Water Puppets show. We had a dodgy taxi-driver who tried to overcharge us on the way back, he pulled up 'outside' the hotel and not into the driveway - a sure sign he was about to pull a swifty! So just pay what you believe is fair and call security, in case of any trouble.

As charming as the locals are, our limited experience says they are not very good at giving directions. So make sure you allow plenty of time to get lost and maybe discover some hidden gems along the way.

Guests should know they are in a unique country with its own customs, language and culture. It is a great achievement for anyone to learn another language, so I would ask foreign guests to find something to love in the accented English of the locals as they are trying very hard to help you.

Yes, there is a lot to love about the Sofitel Plaza, but I could love it more if management went that little bit further and presented guests with a souvenir of their stay. Upon asking, I was told we would only get the complimentary Perrier and what turns out to be a selection of nibbles from the Executive Lounge. So Sofitel Plaza management, you can try harder and you will get even more love ....

I certainly agree with other reviewers that the executive lounge is very nice. We also enjoyed the heated swimming pool. Breakfast (downstairs) was excellent. Staff is friendly and efficient.