When it comes to hotels there is perhaps no country that offers as good a value as Vietnam. And it is for that reason that I ended up in the suite at the Ibiza Riverside Hotel.
Is it the best value suite in Da Nang? Honestly with so much on offer and available here I am not sure, but I can explain what I got for my money and indeed just how whacky Vietnamese hotel pricing is.
How do Vietnamese hotels work?
While this is obviously different in different parts of the country there is a general rule in Vietnam and that is that hotels are cheap as hell. Yes there are big brands like the Hilton, but if you are prepared to go local, then you can get amazing deals.
What is perhaps the biggest idiosyncrasy to Vietnam though is with regards to upgrades. Quite simply the difference of $10-15 can be the difference from a normal room, to the VIP suite.
What the Ibiza Riverside Hotel
Also known as the Ibiza Waterfront Hotel, with the big question being why Ibiza? For this I have no idea as aside from a beach similarities with Ibiza are minimal.
Location wise it is but 15 minutes from the railway station, and thus 15 hours from Saigon. It is also within a 10 minute radius of the centre of Da Nang, the main beach and all of the street food. It is also just opposite the sea/river, which means great views.
Ibiza Riverfront Hotel Address;
205 Đ. Trần Hưng Đạo,
An Hải Bắc,
Sơn Trà,
Đà Nẵng
Socialist Republic of Vietnam
50000
Ibiza Riverfront Hotel Amenities
So, this hotel overall is not the Hilton and you should not come here with unreality expectations. They do though greet you with a drink, have friendly staff and a welcoming environment. When your room is ready the bellboy will get your stuff to your room.
Theres a bar on the ground floor, a passable breakfast on the 1st floor and a decent swimming pool on the 12th floor.
There’s also cool stuff nearby, such as the beautiful riverfront, as well as bars and convenience stores. I personally got to try some fairly serious hooch to rival that of even Papua New Guinea.
And the suite at the Ibiza Riverfront Hotel?
What led me to stay here was in fact the suite, as the Vietnamese hotel hack goes as such. Basically you go to a hotel with cheap rooms and find the price of the suite. I did this with many hotels at $19-22 all of which had suites of some degree. Of these the Ibiza Riverfront Hotel had not only the biggest, but the best price.
Officially it was priced at $35, but ended up at $32.86 after I used my Trip points. Thats right $14 extra dollars for the VIP suite. Don’t believe me? My room number was 11VIP
The room itself had a huge living room open plan bedroom, shower, toilet, office, bathtub and the froth at the top of a bottle of piss – an outdoor balcony/smoking area.
And were this not enough in itself there was also a mini bar rather different to others. Of course it had beers and soft drinks, as well as fine whisky and brandy, For context they Johnny Walker Red, while not a fine vintage cost but $39.
And it is for all these reasons that I can not only highly recommend the Ibiza Riverside Hotel, but also decree it the best value suite within Da Nang. If though I am wrong about this, then please get in touch and let me know where I should check next…..