Sofitel Plaza Hotel*****

Our brief comments:
The Sofitel Plaza towers over Tay Ho, Hanoi's largest lake. The building is striking - twenty storeys zigzag down the facade providing good views from all rooms.

The stunning 360° panorama of the city and the Red River from the Summit Lounge on the top of the hotel more than compensates for the five-minute taxi ride to the town centre.

The reception and lounge area is wide and spacious, with a comfortable bar area regularly displaying paintings and other artworks by local artists.

The Brasserie Westlake, the hotel's international restaurant, is opposite the reception desk. An escalator to the first floor takes guests to the Ming Palace Restaurant on a stylishly arranged mezzanine floor. It serves Cantonese and Vietnamese cuisines.

Five fast lifts lead to the guest rooms and serviced apartments. Unusually, views from most rooms are not allocated by category - even numbers overlook the lake, and odd numbers look out over the Red River. Executive and Suite rooms have both.

The immediate impression upon entering a room in the Sofitel Plaza is a feeling of calmness and relaxed comfort, thanks to a cleverly coordinated colour scheme of tans and ochre tints.

All rooms have the luxurious Sofitel 'MyBeds'. At Deluxe standard and above, bathrooms have a well-designed standing shower cubicle as well as a bath.

One would expect to find a good fitness centre in five star hotel. However, the Plaza goes further with a large outdoor swimming pool with Vietnam's only retractable roof enabling all year round bathing. Adjacent is the Garden Café providing health oriented drinks and snacks.

Inspected February 2005

Room facilities:

Room Categories	Superior	Deluxe	Club room	Executive	Sofitel Suite
Number of rooms	113	156	11	16	22
Air-conditioner
Satellite television
Shower or bath
Bath with shower
Bath + separate shower
Personal safety box
Coffee and tea facilities
Laptop connection
Free broadband access
Extra bed
Child's cot
Room size (m2)	30	33	33	42	59
View	lake/river	lake/river	lake/river	lake+river	lake+river

Additional room facilities:

Executive and Suite rooms:

Hotel facilities:

Outdoor pool		Non-smoking floor(s)	3
Pool bar		Non-smoking rooms only	n/a
Fitness/health centre		Vietnamese/Asian restaurant
Sauna		International restaurant
Massage		Patisserie/coffee shop/cafe
Jacuzzi		Business centre

Additional hotel facilities: