Despite all the travel bans around the world due to Covid-19, I'm not gonna stop writing some of my experiences I had on my last trip around Indochina. It's better to update it now when I still have a good memory about my journey. Besides, I took almost 2 months that I got plenty of things to write about.
Now that you've probably read about my last post about places to visit around An Giang Province, today I'm gonna write a review about the hotel where I stayed for a couple of nights in Chau Doc: Hai Chau Hotel.
If you're looking into the accommodation around Chau Doc, chances are you won't find as many hotels or hostels as you get in the other cities in Vietnam. I suppose it's also because there aren't so many international tourists coming to Chau Doc. If anything, most of them who come to Chau Doc are probably en route to or from Cambodia.
I booked a standard single room for the total of VND 1,060,211 (around $45 USD) for 3 nights through Agoda.
It was actually an accidental booking, as there wasn't many hotel options in Chau Doc in the platform and the hotel got a promotional rate so I just booked it straight. It took me a while until I realized that my card didn't get deducted as the only payment method they received was to pay in cash when we checked in.
Well, it was a non-refundable booking so I had no choice but having VND 1,100,000 prepared before I checked in. And since I used the rented car from Saigon to Chau Doc, it didn't take long for me to get to the hotel.
My First Impression at Hai Chau Hotel
A view of Chau Doc city from the restaurant at Hai Chau Hotel.
The location is perfect!
It's only around 5 minutes walking from Chau Doc wet market with plenty of Vietnamese food options to try on, and even though the hotel lobby wasn't really eye-catching at the first glance, the location is exactly next to Jollibee! I'm not even a Filipino, but I was so excited when I found out as I directly went there for dinner on my first night in Chau Doc. 🙂
And the check-in process was so smooth. The receptionist in charge, the guy who later introduced himself as Faishal as he tried to write it in Arabic later on (I don't know how he could tell that I could read Arabic, but well…), was so helpful.
In fact, he was the only person I could rely on in the hotel during my stay in terms of communication because other staff don't really speak English so more often than not, I only communicated with the others through smile. 😛
Review: Hai Chau Hotel, Chau Doc
You see, now that I mentioned the total amount of money that I paid for my 3-night stay in Chau Doc, you probably got why I booked it in the first place… It's super affordable!
So, is it worth the money?
Standard Single Room at Hai Chau
The bedroom at Hai Chau Hotel.
The hotel itself is an old hotel. But it has everything that I needed in an accommodation.
Breakfast is included, and there's an elevator at the hotel. It's a 5-floor hotel with the restaurant located at the highest level. I stayed on the 4th floor, so I could easily take the stairs to get to the restaurant.
There's nothing fancy about this hotel, but I really loved my stay here. The room is quite spacious with a double-sized bed. If anything, I think the difference between the single room and the double room is through the bed in the room.
I don't know, maybe the double rooms use spring bed instead of a hard mattress like the one in the single room. I mean sure, the mattress could have been in the better quality, but with their night rate… I'm not complaining.
The mirror in the other corner of the room.
Everything worked perfectly. The AC, the fan, and the wifi connection… I could easily work on my stuff with nothing to complain. It was great! 🙂
The room comes with a cupboard and a big mirror that makes it easier to put on my makeup. Mind you, there's also a TV, a fridge, and a telephone in the room. Honestly, with all the facilities that they offer, I was super satisfied with my decision to choose this as my accommodation for my 3-night stay in Chau Doc.
The Shower at Hai Chau
Now that you know the single room is kind of acceptable for most budget travelers, what about the shower that is attached to the bed room?
I tell you what, the shower is also bigger than some of the budget hotels that I stayed previously. With the toilet, the sink, and the shower… The simple amenities are provided too. I mean, I didn't personally use it for me, but it's the thought that counts! 🙂
Breakfast Menu at Hai Chau
Well, since it's a budget hotel… When I mentioned that the rate came with free breakfast, don't you dare expect to have a luxurious buffet. They serve a very simple breakfast menu from 6 to 10 AM.
The first day I was in Chau Doc, I went to the restaurant around 9 AM and no one was there so I had to go downstairs to the receptionist to ask if the breakfast was still served.
Well, the breakfast is still open, it's just the hotel and restaurant staff were all gathering downstairs at the lobby so one of them had to come with me to get back to the restaurant. Faishal, the guy who greeted me in the receptionist and helped me with the check-in, was already out of his shift and most of the hotel staff barely speak English.
But to be fair, it wasn't a big problem since everyone was friendly and they at least tried to assist me all they could. 🙂
The lady who came with me upstairs gave me the menu to pick for the breakfast. The options are quite simple with most of them egg-based kind of breakfast. However, if you're vegan, I suppose you could ask for the bread with jam and no butter instead.
There are some optional drink that we could choose as well. if anything, the breakfast menu was nothing fancy, but it was good enough! 🙂
As I stayed there for three nights, I picked the variations of egg as I tried both scramble egg and omelette. I also tried both coffee and tea for the drink, they're all great! 🙂
My Final Verdict on Hai Chau Hotel
I couldn't be more happy with my decision to stay at Hai Chau Hotel in Chau Doc, because not only is it quite convenient with some good facilities. I couldn't be more thankful with the good wifi connection there since it made all my work a whole lot easier.
Seriously though, I've stayed at a few hotels during my Indochina trip and most of them had a problem with the wifi. At Hai Chau Hotel, I even managed to publish the post of FAQs for female solo travelers in Southeast Asia. But anyway…
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It's in a really good location, since it's in the city center. Only 5 minutes walking from the wet market, and it has a lot of good options for eateries or just some bubble tea shop. Hmm. I'm Asian, you can't blame me on the latter part. It's important for us. 😛
It's a good rate with acceptable facilities that come up with the price. Plus, it comes with free breakfast. I know it's simple, but if you're a budget traveler, you could actually save one meal during your stay!
All staff are friendly, especially Faishal who was super helpful and so easy to communicate with, thanks to his English skill.
They provide some tour options as well. I'd definitely suggest you to just join the tour provided by the hotel to save you the hassle. I joined mine to get to Tra Su bird sanctuary, and I couldn't be happier!
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Most of the hotel staff don't speak English except for Faishal. So if you have some difficulties to communicate with one of them, chances are they will call Faishal to get it straight.
The hard mattress. It's not the most uncomfortable mattress in the world, but I guess it's still acceptable since I get used to live poor. LOL
So, that's the review of my stay at Hai Chau Hotel in Chau Doc city center. Are you planning to stop by Chau Doc in your next travel? I'd recommend Hai Chau Hotel for sure, I'll give them 8 out of 10 stars for my last stay. Cheerio! 😉
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