How about a panoramic view of one of Vietnam’s top attraction, the Ha Long Bay, either from the room window or a few steps away from its lobby doors? Halong Plaza Hotel, our home in Halong, Vietnam during our Cebu Pacific Air familiarization tour, has just that. This 4-star hotel is located at Bai Chay, Ha Long City near the Bai Chay bridge and fronting it is a small promenade where guest can have an unobstructed view of Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Superior Twin Room
We arrived in the Halong Plaza Hotel after a 3–4 hour coaster ride from Hanoi. We had a welcome drink of cold ice tea. A live local music playing filled the spacious and elegant lobby of the hotel. We looked around only to find a lone female playing a traditional musical instrument. I thought that was a nice welcome. We were given our room keys (I was hoping for two) for our Superior Twin Room.
Our room was on the 22nd floor. The whole floor was carpeted as well as our room. The design is a bit old-fashioned but looking good still. Well-spaced, extra cushioned chairs and really comfy beds. I like that there’s a bedside panel that controls most of the room lights, aircondition temperature and even some good instrumental music all the way to the bathroom. Water pressure is strong and the bathroom is well-lit. It’s also a plus that most of the hotel area has WiFi access for free. From our room, to the corridors and the lobby.
Facilities
I woke up early to try to catch the sunrise but only caught a gloomy sky that morning with barely a shadow of the Ha Long Bay karst formations in the horizon. I did catch a few locals doing calisthenics by the small park in front of the hotel until the drizzle became stronger.
I opted to use the gym instead that morning. The gym is located in the 4th floor right beside the pool. I thought the equipment were in very good condition. From the weights, machines and treadmills. No one was manning the gym but I had no problems with that.
The Four Seasons Restaurant have a good selection of food for their breakfast buffet. Their breads were quite tasty too and coffee as strong as I want from a Vietnamese kind. I was also amused with their chafing dish as it was automated. First time I’ve seen something like that.
Halong Plaza Hotel
The location in terms of views is good but quite a distance from eateries outside the hotel. The hotel though is a 15-minute drive to the port jump off for the Ha Long Bay cruises. We only had a short stay in Ha Long Plaza Hotel but it was a real pleasant one.
Halong Plaza Hotel
8 Halong Road, Bai Chay, Ha Long City
Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam
Contact: +8433.3.845810
Our familiarization trip to Hanoi was sponsored by Cebu Pacific Air. Cebu Pacific Air flies from Manila to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam thrice weekly every Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturday, leaving Manila at 10:20PM and arriving in Hanoi at 12:30am. Return flights will leave Hanoi for Manila at 1am every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and arrive in Manila at 5:15am.
For bookings and inquiries, guests can go to www.cebupacificair.com, or call the reservation hotlines (02) 7020–888 or (032) 230–8888. The latest seat sales and promos can also be found on CEB’s official Twitter and Facebook pages.
Ferdz Decena is an award-winning travel photographer, writer and blogger. His works has found print in publications such as Singapore Airlines’s Silver Kris, Philippine Airlines’ Mabuhay, Cebu Pacific’s Smile and Seair InFlight. He has also lent his expertise to various organizations like the Oceana Philippines, Lopez Group Foundation, Save the Children and World Vision, contributing quality images for their marketing materials.
