Hotel Perle d'Orient Cat Ba - MGallery 5 stelle

This magnificent hotel was a wonderful surprise. The interiors are sublimely furnished and the atmosphere is that of a high class hotel. The surroundings and sailing around the bay is a must. Just marvellous. We really recommend this place.

I stayed here for 3 days and 2 nights with my brother from 27-29 Jan 2023. Brief: Set on the picturesque southern edge of the Cat Ba Island, the island's swankiest property offers a great combination of Vietnamese hospitality, coupled with Accor's award-winning International facilities. Location (7.5/10): The resort is located at the southern tip of the island, and offers a stunning view of the bay. The pristine Cat Co 3 beach is adjacent to the property, making it very convenient for beach-goers. However, the centre of the city can be a bit of a (very picturesque) steep walk back, which is not conducive for individuals with breathing issues or knee problems. Style and Character (8.5/10): The hotel combines it's oriental charm with modern architecture. Beautiful wooden furnishings intertwine seamlessly with european-style staircases, ornate vases and uber-cool japanese toilets. The high-floor pool and jacuzzi look beautiful at night. The onion-shaped sauna and spa pods on the top floor are quite interesting and instagram-worthy as well. All in all, the hotel is a successful architectural and design experiment between old and new. Service and Facilities (8/10): The spa and sauna, architecture apart, does not offer bang for one's buck but is still a decent one-time experience. The indoor sports facility is decent, but devoid of any service at night (had to turn on the lights myself). There are two beautiful outside pools and one on the rooftop, along with a jacuzzi. I was pleasantly surprised by the hotel's expertise in handling tours and transfers, though. The chauffeur was excellent and very helpful. I took a tour of the caves and museums, and the airport transfer to Haiphong. If you're coming from the Gia Luan Harbour off a Cruise, do opt for the hotel transfer - the orange pickup truck is super cute and very fun! Rooms (8.5/10): The rooms are very spacious and bright, with comfortable beds. The Junior Suite came with a balcony that looked out towards the sea (always opt for rooms on the left). The ornate furniture was accompanied by a TV (that had limited channel options, unfortunately), safe, tea/coffee making facilities, slippers and robes, good WiFi and a nice sofa and table set. The bathroom, however, was well designed yet small for my liking. The cosmetics were not well-attended to - the body lotion bottle was empty when I tried to use it, and it took the hotel half an hour to replace it. I'm also grateful for the fact that the hotel allowed us early checkin by 3 hours at no extra cost. Food and Drink (9/10): The hotel has two decent restaurants, serving western and asian fares. The room service, while not the most prompt, is decent. I loved the hot chocolate, but was surprised to note that the hot beverage service was not 24/7. There is a beautiful rooftop bar, as well as one near the reception. Breakfast is always hearty and delicious with a delectable selection of vietnamese (pho counter, dumplings, nam cake, spring rolls, et al) and western (bacon, eggs, sausages, cold cuts, et al) fares. The pork and prawn dumplings, tet cake (available only during vietnamese new year), and cinnamon doughnuts are a must try. There is also a crepe counter, and if you've still got space - bring on the Nutella one. Top it all off with the 2nd best vietnamese coffee I've had throughout my trip. Near-perfect taste, and extremely fresh. If you're not a coffee person, they've also got a wonderful (if not local, most were Dilmah - Sri Lankan) selection of teas. Value for Money (7.5/10) - Deluxe rooms start at 130 GBP a night, and Suites at 160 GBP a night during shoulder season. Can go 20-25% up during peak season in June. Would strongly advise getting a free accor membership for the members' rate (10% off by just enrolling). Overall: 8/10

There were a few negative reviews recently that caused us to rethink our stay but we are so glad we went with it and stayed at the Perle d'Orient. It was probably the most beautiful hotel and setting I've stayed at in years and a wonderful secret in Vietnam. Complaints about communication problems with staff? Just take the time to understand. You can't expect hotels in different parts of the world that aren't english speaking to all have perfect english speakers. Our experience here was wonderful. Yes, we had to spend a few more MOMENTS on occasion communicating things. No biggie. Our room was gorgeous and had the most amazing views. I don't think there is a room here that doesn't have a stunning view. The food was great. complaints about the lack of variety at the breakfast buffet are nuts. There were so many options, including egg station, pancake/waffle station, huge bread station, fresh juices, smoothies, coffees/teas, not to mention a huge section of Asian dishes. All in a gorgeous dining room that looked like it was built in 1920. The hotel is actually just a few years old, though. The design is awesome. We've stayed at M'Gallery hotels elsewhere for their architecture and locations...not for the service. However, the service here was great. True, not Metropole in NYC or Paris great, but everyone was super friendly and tried their best. It still amazes me how foreigners come to countries like Vietnam and are surprised when the staff at hotels or eating establishments aren't as fluent in English as they are. I'm sure there was some condescension and it probably came across .to the staff. My wife and I would give this place 5 stars easily for the location and structure alone. The extras were awesome as well, including pools, roof top spa/pool and beach access.

Our stay in Hotel Cat Ba Perle d'Orient (member of the MGallery Hotel collection and Accor group) has been a huge disappointment. Whilst the views and resort design is gorgeous, the services are absolutely not up to a 5-star hotel. Never have we experienced such lack of service and substandard breakfast buffet. Due to not feeling too well the first days of our planned stay we extended with another 2 days to make sure we could fit in the planned day cruise and sightseeing, but boy do we regret it. Housekeeping is certainly not what it should be in a 5-star resort: § They don't check supplies: one day my partner was in the middle of a shower and the shower gel was completely empty. I called reception but it was very hard to communicate with the front desk staff in English. After trying to explain what we needed in very basic English, housekeeping knocked on the door with two towels instead of the shower gel. I showed her the empty shower gel bottle and only then did she understand what we needed. § Used glasses were just rinsed in the sink in the room instead of being replaced and felt still sticky and had streaks. The second day we decided to call and have them replaced. The next day however we had one of the wine glasses with dirty streaks over it once again! And this after I complained once again just that morning about the lack of housekeeping and room service issues! § On the last day, we ran out of tissues. So, there is obviously an issue with staff checking supplies on a daily basis, feels like they rather wait until guests ask for it. Room service: I called just before 10 but then was told the last order is at 9:30! Nowhere is that mentioned on the menu info, the menu specifies room service is available until 10PM. Breakfast: § The breakfast buffet has been almost exactly the same over 5 days! Just a change in Pho from chicken to beef broth. § When we arrived after 9:30, some items on the buffet were not replenished: dumplings, cheese platter, … . § The bread is being pre sliced and so it is dried out by the time guests eat it. § Guests are asked to wear an orange wrist band for identification. This is a practice in cheaper 'all inclusive' hotels but I never experienced this in a 5-star hotel. Communication: § Staff hardly speaks English and this in an international 5-star hotel. It took us several times to be able to order a second Vietnamese coffee with milk and foam whilst we managed to get one to start with. § Only two staff members were able to communicate in English during our stay. Mini bar: § The minibar does only slightly cool drinks and lacks power. We noticed other guests had commented on this on TripAdvisor but the issue remains apparently. Cocktails: § I noticed one of the cocktails I ordered missed the core peach ingredient. Instead, they just added Orange. When I addressed this to the bartender, he told me it was an 'old' menu. His supervisor approached and asked what was happening and the conversation that followed clearly indicated they just forgot to order the peach juice. No real apology or replacement of the cocktail was offered, and we simply were presented the bill for signature. Management: When I asked to see the manager, I was made to wait for 15 minutes before reception staff told me the manager was not on site as it was a Saturday! Then they asked me to write everything down instead of the manager calling me. I never experienced a 5-star hotel that wouldn't have a manager onsite. When we returned in the evening, they told us the manager offered a free lunch the next day whilst they knew we were checking out that day! The next move was to wave two bar bills for a total value of around $50. We refused at we felt it was insulting to think we would change our mind about the service for $50. It is very obvious that the hotel lacks proper management worth a 5-star hotel. The only person who was really helpful was Ms Ha Uyen and she made the above experience a bit less painful in the end. We stayed at Amiana in Nah Trang and it was night and day compared to this place. Management of Hotel Perle d'Orient should visit Amiana and learn from them how a real 5-star resort hotel should operate.

We've traveled in Vietnam for 30 days. This excellent hotel was by far the best one we have seen. And we mean it! Perfect service and very beautiful hotel. Especially "Uyen" at the front office was very friendly and helped us to get a credit card we lost the day before.