I stayed at 3 hotels in Hoi An - 3 nights, 3 hotels. Don't ask. My first place was a guesthouse called Minh A, 2 Nguyen Thai Hoc, $9 per night, had 3 rooms in an old traditional house in the historic district. It was definitely funky as I had expected but after one night I had to go even though after living in Asia for almost a year at that point and having my standards deeply lowered. The door to my room was not properly hinged so that I had to use 2 hands to lift it when closing the heavy door which was very inconvenient when coming back with things in your hands. After arriving, I left my backpack on the floor while went out exploring. When I returned, I discovered a rat had ripped a huge hole in my bag to get to some unopened crackers. That wasn't enough to sending me packing. It was Vietnam and there are rats everywhere, including my apartment in Hanoi. The nightstand light didn't work. The TV remote batteries where dead. The armoire was filled with stuff from previous guests. The bathroom sink leaked profusely onto the floor. Even all those annoyances was not enough to drive me away. The last straw was when I crawled into bed that night and the sheets smelled like BO. That was when I knew I wouldn't be staying another night.
The place, Ha An, was $35. I was given a juice while I waited literally 10minutes for my room. I was escorted to my room which had all the well placed lights on. The bed and rugs had red flower petals on them. Additionally, there were vases of fresh flowers, a fruit basket, complimentary bottles of water, tea and coffee with a thermos of hot water, and ceramic teapot and cups. Of course the refrigerator stocked with snacks and drinks. An album of DVDs were in the room with a player. All of this was topped of with a fabulous breakfast buffet the next morning. Why on earth did I not stay another night? They were booked!
The place was An Huy Hotel, 30 Phan Boi Chou, was just down the street from Ha An. The design of the building and the furniture were on par with Ha An or maybe even surpassed. The was $25 or $30 but given the choice I would stay at Ha An any day. An Huy just missed the target, actually I am not sure they knew what the target was. My room was dusty; the floors felt chalky. The shower curtain was mildewed. The towels were a dingy grey and no hand towels or wash clothes provided. The multiple bottles of shampoo were half used. No attention to detail much less a basket of fruit or fresh flowers. The staff although pleasant, are just doing a job which apparently they would rather not. There is a dead feel to the place. No joy what so ever.
