If free beer, free breakfast and an ideal location, all for a mere $5 USD per night sounds too good to be true, well, it probably is. Except, for me, in Hanoi, it wasn't too good to be true, it was my reality. (Read about my full experience in Hanoi HERE.)
During my trip to Hanoi, finding a hostel was really not a complicated business. While travelling through Europe, I tried to book one as early as possible, though for Vietnam I waited until the last minute and ran into no hurtles whatsoever.
The hostel I stayed at in Hanoi was called the Hanoi Central Backpackers Hostel. This hostel has two locations in the city, both located at the heart of Hanoi's bustling Old Quarter. I stayed at both, though all the action took place at their newer location (called Hanoi Old Quarter), and that's where most travellers spent their time.
This hostel was, by far, the best backpackers hostel I've ever stayed at, and it's not hard to understand why. This particular hostel lived up to its strong reviews and was so effective in providing a positive backpacking experience for several reasons, in my opinion.
First off, and most importantly, the hostel's facilities were clean. Most dorm rooms housed eight people, and in both locations the rooms were big and spacious so you never feel like you're cramped or at a loss for space. Additionally, the bathrooms were fairly big and clean, and hot water was abundant, which is always important at a hostel (especially since I've stayed at hostels that have run out of hot water really quickly).
Second, the staff at both locations were extremely friendly and helpful. They were professional at all times and made sure your stay was safe and comfortable. They seemed organized and several facets of my stay, such as payment, key transfer, etc... were effectuated with ease. Additionally, the hostel's reception offered some convenient little extras, such as free printing (handy for printing plane/train/bus tickets), free city maps and even free use of computers and internet for whoever needs. The reception also offered some other services, such as help obtaining a VISA for nearby countries (like Laos, Cambodia and China) as well as help arranging bus/train tickets to travel to various parts of Vietnam. In fact, they even offered a great free walking tour every morning!
Where the Hanoi Central Backpackers Hostel really stood out, however, was in the trips it offered. Through them, I took advantage of their incredible (and well-priced) tour and overnight at the stunning Halong Bay. For only $89 USD, I got a tour of the bay and spent a night on their private island with this spectacular view.
I even took advantage of another tour they offered, to Perfume Pagoda, on my second day in Hanoi. I paid only $25 USD to visit an ancient Vietnamese temple and take a relaxing boat ride down a picturesque river. You can read about my trip to Perfume Pagoda HERE.
I regret not staying in Hanoi longer and taking advantage of some of the other interesting trips they had to offer, but among the options were popular Sapa Valley (my biggest regret), Hoa Lu, Ha Giang and Mai Chau.
Beyond trips, however, by far the best thing that the Hanoi Central Backpackers Hostel had to offer was a welcoming environment for travellers, especially solo travellers. Both locations offered 90 minutes of free beer per night, though the newer one got things right. The hostel is 18 stories tall, and on the top floor they have a thing called "skybar" with a stunning lookout over the city.
Skybar is where everything happened. They served great food; breakfast was free and pho was on offer, and they even offered one free meal for joining their tours, so I took advantage and got some nice fried noodles!
(Read about my entire Vietnam food experience HERE.)
The hostel offered free beer from 7:00-8:00 PM and then again from 11:00-11:30, and I believe that this is the most conducive to meeting other travellers. The ambiance at Skybar was excellent at all times, with hundreds of young travellers congregating together to have a drink and get to know each other. Meeting people in the evenings is at easy as can be and consequently I met dozens of other friendly travellers. This hostel, in particular, really promoted and encouraged meeting other people, and within a mere five minutes from when free beer started I had gotten to know lots of other travellers.
Overall, I just believe that this hostel got it right, from start to finish. The nightly prices were extremely reasonable and the rooms were good. The free beer and breakfast and incredible facilities and ambiance offered an ideal opportunity for travellers to meet each other and further maximize their experiences in Hanoi, while the extra little perks offered certainly added to the experience.
As I will continue to make travel plans for Asia (and beyond) over the next few years, this is definitely a hostel I will look at as a model for what I'm searching for in the future. Thank you, Hanoi Central Backpackers Hostel, for a great few days in Hanoi!
-Daniele
P.S. - At no point was I approached by the Hanoi Central Backpackers Hostel to write this blog post. This is not meant to be an advertisement of their services; I simply had a very positive experience with them and felt compelled to share my story.
