After staying in one of the many budget hotels in Dalat on our first night, we wanted to get away from the noise and chaos of the market area and find a quieter spot. Someone recommended the Empress. First impression is excellent. The hotel sits on a hill overlooking the lake. There was a very friendly porter at the street level garage who directed us up the stone steps to the front lobby. As we entered, we saw a gorgeous courtyard with a view of the lake. Lucky for us, there were three rooms available. We asked to see the rooms and loved them. They are cozy and quiet, with dark wood trim and tile floors. The bathrooms are gorgeous, with wooden shutters on the windows and granite shower stalls. The place feels very old world, which makes sense given that it began life as a French Colonial villa. We loved our stay at the Empress. Breakfast was included in the price and it was simple, but lovely. There were noodles, egg dishes and breads, along with various little Vietnamese tidbits. My only disappointment was that they didn't serve the fabulously intense Vietnamese coffee. But the coffee they did serve was quite delicious. I loved the room. It had comfortable beds and tasteful decor. There was a beautiful little handwoven rug between the two beds and, a rarity in Vietnam, a reading lamp! It is true that when we first checked the room out, it smelled a bit musty. The woman showing us the room said that it was mosquito spray and would dissipate by the time we were ready to come back that afternoon. She was right. Our favorite part of the hotel was the beautiful courtyard. We spent a lot of time just sitting around drinking tea (or wine!) and enjoying the view. The gardens were well kept and lovely and the staff efficient and friendly. We would definitely recommend this hotel to friends and look forward to staying there again.

We stayed at the Emrpess for just one night which I have to say was a relief. The location is good opposite the lake and only a short walk into the main restaurant area. However our room was dark and felt damp. The only lighting was fluorescent and these buzzed continually when on. Brealfast was quite limited.

We picked this hotel from the selection on the net at short notice and were very pleased we did. Small, reasonable and central, it is away from the rush of traffic and overlooks a pleasant view of the lake. Restaurants are within easy walking distance and the courtyard feel to the place (taking breakfast there if you want) is excellent. Rooms are well proportioned if a bit dark; but who wants to sit in the room here? Helpful staff. If you are an Internet person this could be a minus. You have to pay (or eat a lot of their food for free coupons!) to gain access. It's a simple place but a great base.

We stayed here for 4 nights.It is a good hotel with a couple of problems but a lovely location by the lake within easy walking distance of the centre.The first night we stayed in a regular double room - we had to move to the upper floor as the downstairs room smelled damp.The room we moved to was great $48 & very comfortable.The breakfast was below average but not bad.The next night we moved to a $70 which was similarly nice & had a lake view.It was a bit noisy from the street. In hindsight we should have stuck with the cheaper room. My main complaint about this hotel is the price of laundry/minibar/food - it's so expensive that we just handwashed everything & bought drinks from town to the hotel. The internet in the lobby is charged & useless.Use an internet cafe in town. Having said that I would stay here again it is very charming,clean & cosy & the room rate is good.If you stay ask for a room on the top floor.