I have stayed here three times over the past 5 years and each time it has slipped further from the lofty heights of my first stay which justified their claim to be “The best boutique resort hotel in Vietnam”. Sadly no more.

First the good. The location is spectacular on a river overlooking rice paddies where laborers toil (while you are living on another planet). It is on the road to the beach but the town is readily accessible. The pool is very nice and set in lovely gardens. The rooms are spacious, comfortable and well equipped.

Unfortunately the managers are not maintaining the place well which is sadly typical of many places in Vietnam. Signs of wear and tear and lack of care are showing from the cracking pathways to the leaking toilet to the pool table covered in gecko poop.

But the crowning sin is the erection of a tacky bamboo stage for nightly live music that obscures the fabulous view of the river from the restaurant. Thank god I was there over Tet and there was no “music”. I can only imagine what that must be like. Why on earth did they do this?

The buffet breakfast is rather mundane and not up to 4 star standards.

Not too far removed from Hoi An, a quick 2 min complimentary shuttle ride away. I'm a huge fan of smaller luxurious boutique hotels but this one is just taking a joke out of the word 'boutique'.
You just don't get that feeling when you go there.

I don't think they should have karaoke entertainment during the evenings - it just looks mass and cheap. The rooms are, well I've paid less for nicer accommodation and it wasn't somewhere where I was dying to go back to my room and relax. The views are excellent and their shuttle service is very helpful. TV channels were excellent (I'm not one to watch TV on holidays but trust me, when it rains and rains it's a savior!)

I didn't dare try the spa...all in all Hoi An is lacking in nice (not cheap looking) hotels with an affordable price tag...there is too huge of a gap between luxury hotels $500++ and budget hotels and I looked through every single one until I just gave up and settled for this.

Also although it helped our pockets, perhaps it would help the hotel reputation if all their staff weren't trying to sell you things from their own business or friends. Our shuttle driver kept pushing us to see his store as he took a short detour from the main route to visit his jewelry store. Besides this there were many other small incidents but it just ended up feeling like a hard-sell.

This is an OK "resort". We stayed there for four nights in the "pool view" side of the resort. Staff were great. Only issue was that they pushed the resort services without mentioning cheaper local transport and facilities. The resort is located in an excellent part of town; close to all the town sights and restaurants and shops. Our rooms were a bit noisy early in the morning - not a problem for us.
Rooms were large and clean and room staff were efficient. It was a little cool for the pools but they looked clean and good for a hot day.

Every moment during my time at the Hoi An Riverside Resort & Spa was amazing - from the moment from getting out of the taxi, we were greeted warmly by the lovely staff members. We were provided a welcoming drink and afternoon snack, where one of the staff members gave us a great map and introduction to the town of Hoi An.

We were then personally guided around the resort and to our room, which was beautifully set out with daisies and other flowers scattered around the room - the attention to detail at this resort was just lovely - every night, we would receive a 'bedtime story' on a news sheet; also with important information such as the weather and shuttle bus times.

The rooms are of a decent size with great views of either the gardens or the river. Breakfast each morning consisted of a variety of fruits, hot and cold food, as well as fresh juices, tea and coffee.

All the staff members are beyond helpful and really do try to make your time at the resort pleasant.

I cannot express how happy I was with my experience at the Hoi An Riverside Resort & Spa - absolutely amazing!