Hotel and Inn Review: Elios Hotel (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Date of Stay: July 27-29, 2014

RATING (Scale of 1 to 10)

Location: *******

Rooms: ********

Condition and Cleanliness: ********

Staff Performance: *******

Room Comfort: ********

Food and Beverage: *******

Other Amenities: *****

Value for Money: ******

The small, 81-room Elios Hotel, opened in 2007, sits across from a large, lush and lovely public park with lake (great for an early morning jog or leisurely stroll), close to the Ben Thanh market (the largest and most popular in Saigon), a supermarket, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace, the Saigon Opera House, Saigon Square and the Saigon River.

Elios Hotel

Elios Hotel is also nicely located very near (but a comfortable distance from) the vibrant Bui Vien/De Tham backpackers’ area, with its souvenir shops, restaurants, bars, money changers and spas plus the convenient tour agency offices are just a few buildings away.  Beside the hotel is the  ABC bakery which sells great bread and cakes.

Front Desk

Great interior

Its good, clean and comfortable 30 sq. m. de luxe room (1 of 9 such rooms, US$73) has electronic locks, airconditioning, wall-mounted flat screen LCD cable TV, IDD phone, free wi-fi internet service, tea/coffee making facility, in-room safety deposit box, mini-fridge, work desk and ensuite private bath with bathtub.

De Luxe Room

This 3-star hotel, with slightly higher standards than its neighbors, also has 17 superior (22 sq. m., US$50), 46 senior superior (25 sq. m., US$63.50), 7 grand de luxe (358 sq. m., US$84) and 2 suites (with jacuzzi tubs, 38 sq. m., US$94.20).

Amenities at De Luxe Room

Ensuite private bathroom

A great plus for this hotel, aside from its bright, comfortable and modestly-sized rooms and great location, is their staff. They were very super friendly, courteous and helpful and attended to our every need and request with a smile on their face. In 2013, Tripadvisor awarded it a Certificate of Excellence based on ratings by hotel guests.

View of the city from the roof deck terrace

The 12th floor airconditioned Blue Sky Restaurant, a good place to unwind, provided a good breakfast (6:30-10 AM) buffet variety that changes every day, a mix of traditional Vietnamese food and Western dishes (pancakes, omelettes, cold cuts, a variety of salads,toast, curries, pastries, etc.) plus excellent Vietnamese coffee and fresh fruit.

The breakfast buffet at the 12th floor restaurant

The restaurant also has a lovely roof terrace and bar with a stunning view of the city skyline (especially at night).  The hotel also has an elevator (not usually available in the area), a business center and the Orient Lounge at the ground floor and meeting rooms, the Elite Club (club and jacuzzi) and a non-airconditioned mini gym (with 4 machines) at the second floor. Another great value for money hotel.

The roof deck terrace

Elios Hotel: 233 Pham Ngu Lao St.,  Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.Tel: (+84 8) 38 385 584 and (+84 8) 38 385 585.  Fax:(+84 8) 38 385 583.  E-mail: reservation@elioshotel.vn.  Website: www.elioshotel.vn.