On our first night at the Majestic Salute hotel in Hanoi’s old quarter we treated our poor weary jet lagged bodies to a delicious sounding body massage. We didn’t even have to travel far, 2 floors down in our slippers courtesy of our hotel. We walked in and I was a bit taken aback by a gaggle of tiny young Vietnamese women giggling and gossiping wearing very little. “umm darling do you think that this is a ‘massage parlour’ like the ones in NZ?” I whispered to my hubby, his answer was cut off by a very abrupt woman of about 50. “yes we do massage, follow me”. Ok I am just being honest, I felt like time stopped so I could assess the situation do or don’t I go, do I or don’t i. I was snapped out of my thoughts by my ‘massuse’ guiding me into a little room, hubby was already instilled in his room, hang on there were bars on the ceiling, thoughts of B&D flashed into my head, especially when she told me to strip. My prudish streak cried NOOOO whilst frantically searching the room for anything to cover myself with. There was no towel, robe or screen. To make it worse my massuse was prying my feet out of my slippers and undoing my jeans. I reassured myself by glancing at the massage table, thankfully it did have a face hole like a proper massage table. Ok , I finally built up enough courage to remove all items of clothing down to my, thankfully respectable underwear. “no all off” she giggled handing me a face cloth for my dignity, AAHHHH. Then she told me to go and have a shower and lead me to a COMMUNAL SHOWER ROOM. Thankfully my hubby was the only other person in there, I almost wept with relief. “ITS COMMUNAL” my demented voice shouted I was comforted by hubby pulling out a shower curtain, showing me I did have privacy. “AM I IN A BROTHEL OR WHAT, I AM NAKED WITH A FLANNEL TO COVER MY BUTT AND A PAIR OF BLUE JANDALS ON MY FEET, IM IN A COMMUNAL SHOWER ROOM?” I don’t know where this demented voice kept coming from but by the look on hubbys face it obviously belonged to me. We were interrupted by the manager swinging open the door and staring at us. Demented hysterical fit now over and one of the worlds fastest showers have taken place. I waddled in my plastic slippery jandals back to my ‘room’ with as much dignity as my flannel would allow. I waved sorrowfully over my shoulder to hubby who gave me a reassuring thumbs up as he disappeared into his room Once I was comfortable instilled on the table this tiny brute of a woman jumped up and straddled me and began grinding her knees into my spine. As terrible as it sounds it actually felt delightful. I was really enjoying this unusual massage when it suddenly went pitch black. At the sounds of Vietnamese sounding down the hallways I realised I hadn’t fainted, so just what was going on? My massuse was shouting down the hall way with the door wide open, I know it was dark but I was naked here. The faint glow of a candle followed by creepy looking shadows came bounding down the hall, my massuse was given a candle which she put on a dresser and jumped back on my back and continued my massage. An hour later I emerged completely retivalised, refreshed and any other R words I could think of. I would just like to add that because I felt so darn great I had forgotten my earlier hysteria and found myself telling fellow hotel guests about the most magical massage I had just received and about how I felt absolutely rejuvenated darh-ling.

Our stay itself was fine, though not spectacular. The room was OK and area is evidently close/good. However, the service was the worst ever. We booked a trip to Ha Long bay with them. First, they managed to book us on the wrong trip, second the trip we were on was a disaster (they forgot us at the harbor and were very rude). Upon return, the hotel manager completely ducked his responsibility saying this was none of his concern. When I said I wanted some form of compensation, he became physically aggressive. I would advise to stay away from this hotel at all costs. After traveling through South East Asia for some months and having travelled through the area quite some before, this hotel manager ranks top in most aggressive ever.. Bram

Fantastic location right in the centre of Old Quarter, walking distance to the lake to watch the early morning locals exercising. Room average with a big pillar in middle of room (left toilet light on to ensure we didn't knock ourselves out). Staff very friendly and totally honest.

If you want to be really in the thick of the old quarter of Hanoi, this hotel will suit you perfectly. You need only step out the front door (or back door) to be surrounded by motorbikes, pedlars, people cooking their meals on the street, shoe shiners, basket carriers ... The hotel is fairly old and the rooms show their age, but they are clean and well presented. A complimentary bowl of fruit with a knife is provided, along with a couple of complimentary small bottles of water. After that it's the minibar. Windows open into small dark caverns between the buildings, with other rooms' windows directly opposite, so there wasn't much privacy if the window was open. The main light in the bathroom was very low wattage; the fluorescent over the mirror slightly better. There is a gap between the bath and the walls, so showering inevitably causes water to flood the floor. The airconditioning worked well, though in one room (I stayed in three altogether) it was very dusty. The exchange rate for Australian dollars at the reception desk was poor, so it was out into the streets of Hanoi to find better. I decided to use the ATM instead, as it was right at the front door. I was quite happy with this hotel. I can't comment on the value for money, as I stayed as part of a pcakage tour and don't know what it cost.

We were so disappointed with the Majestic Salute. Location can't be faulted - it's worth staying here to be in the heart of the old quarter, however we were disappointed with all other aspects of the hotel. Our room was very small, with a window that faced into a tiny courtyard and let in hardly any light. We could hear word for word what the people in the next room were saying, which included hearing one of them vomiting throughout the night. The carpet in our room was soaking wet upon arrival and we were told that housekeeping had just cleaned it. We were denied the option of changing rooms due to lack of availability and although the carpet eventually dried, the room (and therefore our clothes) smelt damp for the duration of our stay. Our safe did not work (items got locked in and due to a loose connection, we were unable to retrieve these for several hours - the hotel reception said they would send someone up to fix it, but it took them over an hour to come to the room). Despite being promised a replacement, this never materialised. You have to pay to use the "spa" - definitely not worth it. We managed to get in for free after complaining about the wet carpet and safe, but it is neither clean nor relaxing and the main staff member was rude and unpleasant - smoking a cigarette while taking to us while in the jacuzzi!! The reception staff were unfriendly and unhelpful.