Best hotel in Hanoi! From the convenient location, the decor, cleanliness, comfort, value, and service, the Shining Central provided above and beyond the perfect stay. I was a solo traveler. Upon arrival you are personally greeted by all the staff and offer the most delicious welcome tea and dried fruits. The room was eclectically quaint like a studio, clean, decent view, and had everything I needed to exist comfortably. Food, markets, street performances, coffee shops, nail saloon, and massages all within 1-5 minutes walk in any direction. Very easy to get a Grab or taxi. The spa is connected to the building and reminds me of a favorite spa in Napa, CA, USA. Warm, peaceful and the 90 minute massage was so good I went back the next day for another! The best part about the hotel is the service. Actually, it’s Thien. She left me wanting for nothing. Everything, and I mean everything, I asked for Thien provided timely and easy options to achieve my requests. I wanted an Ao dai and she personally walked me two blocks to the best store. I wanted a private tour guide to take me to Ninh Binh and the Incense Village and she found me a driver and English speaking guide. I wanted to get my nails done and she walked me across the street to a great little shop. I wanted to buy the best coffee and tea and again, she paved the way. The asks and information was endless. Thien messaged me throughout each day to ensure all my wants and needs were met. It was like having a personal assistant. Even now that I’m back home in the United States, Thien messaged me to make sure I made it home OK. She is a gem!! Thien provided opportunities and I gained life changing experiences at a reasonable price. I am forever grateful. Highly recommend this hotel!

I have a gluten allergy so anywhere in Vietnam was somewhat challenging to find gluten free food. The hotel buffet did have fresh fruit and vegetables and the staff were always eager to please. However, Thien gave the best recommendations for pho just two doors down and spring rolls just a 10 minute walk away.

The stuff was really friendly. Rooms are smaller than expected, but very comfortable. There is not much sunlight through the windows, but as we already know, we are in Hanoi and this is normal because of the architecture of the city. The hotel is located at a perfect spot without the nightlife of old quarter but you can walk there within 5 min. Breakfast was very good. Nothing was empty at any time. Upon our request, we could expand our stay in the same room, even the hotel was totally booked. I would definitely recommend this hotel for a relaxed stay in Hanoi.

Fire alarm went on at around 4 in the morning, due to a very clever guest smoking in his room… Toilet has only a thin glas door, so you have a little privacy conflict as a couple.

Room was clean and nice Reception staff was friendly and helpful

Breakfast wasn’t so good, some food were too long on display, tables were dirty Do not recommend SPA, masseur was all the time interrupting massage to take new guests or to talk with other staff, leaving door open when I was mostly naked. Head massage wasn’t gentle so it felt like she was pulling my hair. and after massage she asked for tips and after I gave some tips I didn’t even wanted to leave, she told that is not enough. So don’t go to SPA here.

Location and staff

We booked the connecting rooms for 4 pax. The smell of sewerage every time we entered one of the rooms put us off. The hot water in the other room always ran out so we ended up using one bathroom for showers. We considered relocating to another hotel but it was the peak season and would not have been able to find another property easily.

・Breakfast is delicious and varied, and the menu changes a little each day. ・The staff is friendly, service-oriented, and very quick to reply to emails. ・Cocktails at the SkyBar were delicious! ・The spa has a nice atmosphere and friendly staff.

・The sound of people talking in the hallway echoes in the room. ・If you don't use the shower against the wall, the adjoining washroom will be flooded. ・If you use your card for payment, 2.4% will be added, but this is not stated at the time of reservation (we can't bring such a large amount of money in cash in the first place). ・Maybe it depends on the room, but wifi is weak.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Shining Central Hotel. The staff were very helpful and organised two wonderful tours for us (one to Halong Bay and one to Sapa). Although the room was small, it was clean and comfortable - the best bed of our trip! The hotel is in a great location, just minutes from Hoan Kiem Lake and surrounded by eateries and shops. A highlight of our stay was a massage in the lovely spa and drinks in the rooftop bar. Overall a great find!

The restaurant was not serving dinner or providing room service. This was unexpected and disappointing after arriving late in the evening. Fortunately there are lots of restaurants nearby so it was an easy problem to overcome!

location is brilliant - right in the old quarter, seconds from the lake, but road remains open during the night market which makes airport transfers easy had a double room connecting with a twin roon - excellent for families, especially so as then you get a small corridor too, so more space The service is bloody amazing in this place - reception staff are exceptional we checked out saturday morning and returned sunday evening asking to store our luggage for a few hours before heading to the airport - they went above and beyond - including offering us an area to shower before heading to the airport

breakfast was ok rooftop bar - waited for 15 mins but no staff or service so left twin room has a better bathroom set up, the double is pretty tight, especially the toilet door out into the room doorman's friend took a wee directly outside the hotel doorway - not nice

We recently stayed at the shining central hotel and spa in Hanoi. April 14-17 2025. It was ideally located nearby the lake in the old Quarter of town. A short 5 min walk to the lake and very good location. The hotel was a lovely small boutique hotel. We had the family room with a balcony overlooking the street. It was not noisy at all and we had two lovely comfortable big beds and a great big room. It was clean and fresh with a huge shower and bathroom. We are 2 adults and 2 teens and it was spacious enough for us all. The breakfast was lovely with a choice of hot and cold food and Vietnamese choices. The fruit was amazing and the bread and pastries were fresh and tasty. The staff were very friendly and Mali the receptionist and Hong the travel assistant were extremely helpful. Hong helped us organise a trip to Ninh Binh and what a fantastic day that was! Her communication for the tour prior to our arrival was great and Hong made sure we knew the itinerary and what to expect and answered my questions. She also arranged our transfer back to the airport after we checked out. We chose the “luxury tour” to Ninh Binh which was US$85 per person and from start to finish the tour was amazing. We chose a small group tour and we are very glad we did. The tour was organised through a company called Aloha Vietnam and everything was very organised and professional. In the tour We went to the Kings temple first in Ninh Binh. We then climbed the big mountain in Tam Coc and climbed Up to the Dragon. A spectacular view over the Tam Coc river and paddy fields. We then did the boat ride along the Tam Coc river through the amazing caves and afterwards had lunch at the Riverside restaurant which was fantastic. A great variety of food! After lunch at the restaurant went on a relaxed bicycle tour through the villages into the paddy fields to the Pagoda. The cycle tour was about 45 mins and was one of the highlights. A great way to see the village.

King Suite was fantastic, staff were friendly and very knowledgeable and helpful. Roof Top bar has great views and drinks were cold! Breakfast Buffett has a good variety for a small hotel The fridge in our room wasn’t working and they came straight up and replaced it with another one. Excellent service Hotel location is near the water puppet theatre, lake & other attractions. Was about a 10 minute walk to the weekend markets which are highly recommended to grab a bargain of all sorts.

The restaurant for dinner was not open, which was ok but just a bit inconvenient as we didn’t really want to go back out as it was about 38 degrees that night. Looked like a great menu so was looking forward to it but there’s always next time 😉 very close to other restaurants so not an issue

The location of The Shining Hotel and Spa is perfect. It is situated a few minutes walk from the lake and The Huc Bridge and is in the heart of shops, restaurants, cafès, craft beer pubs and much much more. Our room - a junior suite - was a good size and the bed was large and comfortable. It also had a sofa and came with a complimentary bottle of wine too. Breakfast was good and offered freshly cooked eggs of your choice along with cheeses, cold meats, salads, sweet pastries and the usual Vietnamese foods. We thought the fruit juices could have been better. However, the real stars were the hotel staff who were always friendly and who took pride in their respective job roles. The reception staff - particularly Hong Tran and Anna - were outstanding and were always ready and eager to assist and advise on anything and everything. We would highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a hotel within this price range and close to the action.

If you are averse to street noise, then request a room which isn’t at the front of the hotel.