InterContinental Hanoi Westlake
I keep saying, all Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts are greatly good. So, there's a 'diminishing interest' to describe their hotel rooms. Pare-pareho silang "the best" eh!
But for the sake of my insistent and demanding readers (kayo yan!), sige let's do this!
I'll be honest, I've often been tempted to look at 'petty things' that can be better; that can be improved - para lang me masabi in this blog - and still, wala na akong ma-say!
So here's my story (what I can publicly tell, at least) hehe!
Arrived in Hanoi (from Siem Reap) past 9PM. Only got this pic, takbo na sa party!
Where was I when I took this photo? At the balcony of my room 320. Where was the party already swinging? At that circular cottage - the upper right edge of that picture!
Unclear. But, as in life, I always say... there's always tomorrow for more pictures!
And yes, the next 3 tomorrows came, and I have collected these...
The Entrance
Look at the roundabout, there is a fountain, with a crowd of interesting characters.
I forgot to ask what this is called or who the artist that did them, but here they are:
Made of stone, cement or plaster? They have adorable jolly expressions, and each is carrying what seems to be a bottle or water container. I think they're in racial colors!
Those "faces" are not so obvious from the lobby nor entrance foyer, but if you inch a little bit more to the water fountain, you'll see their varied playful facial expressions.
All I could whisper smiling was "ang kukulit ng mga 'to"! Aliw eh!
There is always a line of waiting taxi cabs by the driveway as seen in a photo above. And there was a constant stream of arriving or departing people, mostly by taxi too.
It must probably have been because of the holidays. Maybe this hotel had a 'promo' attractive enough for everyone to come. Like the "every meal buffet" at Cafe Du Lac.
Hirap tuloy mag-kodak at public areas. Me nakatingin lagi. Baka isipin paparazzi ako! Sample: I took that pic as I walked to the lobby. Yung bumaba dyan, ay inirapan ako!
In my mind I said "wag mo ako kokomprontahin di kita aatrasan kahit pangit gown mo" hahaha! Ayan tuloy hehee, nangyari yan, in my effort to take a pic of that green taxi!
My Room
As said above, very much feels-like rooms at other Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts.
If you want to reminisce some of the others I went to in southeast asia, they are like this, and this - yung well appointed parang gawa ng lola mo, buti without the flowers!
For those who remember, even the feel in the rooms at Intercon Manila was like that generally - but the time I frequented that hotel was di pa uso ang click dito click doon.
Room Abubots
Anyway.., as I write this, I asked why I don't have photos of/at my "CR" in this hotel?! Well, everything was a rush on arrival as I was running very late for the party, so that when I remembered to take pics, all my personal whatevers were already scattered!
But there were things in the room (yun mga di ko ginagalaw) that I caught photos of:
As I keep saying, "they are generally the same in all Intercon facilities", in that, it has everything I need in the best available quality - at lahat sila, lagi me payong in a room!
24/7 Room Service
Another thing common to all IHG Hotels, room service is anytime you may need it.
They have a 'special' room service menu found in your room. Like I ordered those at 5 minutes after midnight! And the people who deliver them are not "sleepy grumpy"!
Room Views
This would of course depend on the kind of room you got. I was happy with mine.
Here's the same view as that night-time picture above (at the start of this article).
What I earlier called the "circular cottage" is clearer now. Yep, that with the red roof!
It is actually called the "Sunset Bar" - in the middle of the hotel's pavilion rooms.
All of them that you see were made to look like they are floating on the lake's water. But they certainly are not literally floating. Those are all modern concrete buildings!
This made Intercon Westlake an icon in Hanoi - with rooms at "over-water pavilions".
I heard years ago (this opened in 2008 or 2009 by the way), that those pavilions were designed to look like a bunch of lotus flowers (at least when viewed from the clouds)!
Remember my map screenshot in the previous story? The flowers are clearer there! Ayan yan sila, the 3 pavilions that are actually big builddings as they're made up of many rooms at 1st and 2nd levels. Ilang rooms per pavilion? Ah eh, basta 'marami'!
On foreground of that picture is already "main land" (hindi china ha?) where all hotel amenities and facilities are found, except for the sunset bar with a hip and chill vibe.
Don't worry, we'll go there later. I am just showing you the views from my Room 320 on the main building and on land (ay island pala). Views like this sa baba ng room ko!
That is the hotel's swimming pool. It has a unique tile color. We'll go there later too.
O eto na, sige naka-baba na, now na!
Swimming Pool
This is how the pool looks up close. Notice the colors that dominate, foresty green.
The floor and edging (wall) are either 'real marble' or 'marble-colored green tiles', yet just the same, it creates a unique look, as if it were part of a natural lake environment.
Well, it departs from the usually boring sterile-white and/or blue color of a pool, such that the technical atrevida mind (like me) might think, it can easily hide dirt or debris!
I would tend to agree, but knowing this is an IHG hotel, surely ample and proper care is accorded to this pool, always. Sana, as even the kiddie pool has the same texture!
Malinis yan! Yet at 11AM, ba't walang naliligo, considering that it is the holidays and vacation time everywhere? Ah eh, 12° as in twelve degrees centigrade! Ikaw, you like?
Hehehe! Anyway...
Oist, review the photos above again. Did you notice those bright red 'flowers' around the pool? For the sake of you my plantita and plantito friends, nilapitan natin. Ito sila:
I sent that to one of you, and you said that's Salvia also common in the Philippines.
Okay fine, but the best part for me in this pool area was naturally this...
I liked that natural still-life composition (not staged)! There are three fallen leaves on that empty table.., along with an ash tray.., and the outdoor bar's menu. "Evocative"!
Umandar ang poetic-dramatic senses. Umupo. Tinignan ang menu. Yun lang hehe!
Bakit ako mag-oorder dyan, eh ang ganap sa buffet lunch ay pabundatan to the max!
Yeah, speaking of buffets... let's talk about them later.
Meanwhile, let's go to the 'famed' over-water pavilions (all accessible from the pool).
Over-water Pavilions
You will pass by the swimming pool going to any pavilion cluster or the sunset bar.
That's 'day or night', 'rain or shine', 'winter or summer', 'wind or none', 'drunk or tipsy'!
You walk or ride a buggy - they all look grand, viewed from the swimming pool area.
The aliw part is it's like those resorts in the Maldives, eto nasa lake lang hindi dagat. Para rin Kampong Ayer or maraming lugar sa Pilipinas sosyalin lang ang arrive nito!
One of the 3 pavilions (room clusters) don't pass by the Sunset Bar. Let's see it first.
This cluster is left-most if you were standing at the swimming pool and/or the main land-based building. And first you will notice is "oh, these are not little native rooms"!
They are actually 2-level concrete buildings with 60+ luxurious rooms - above water!
No 'outlets' in the pavilion, just a cluster of rooms. For anything, go to main building.
That main building also looks nice viewed from any of the pavilions. It is like a letter 'T' style building. The bottom part of the 'T' (left edge of photo) floats on the lake too.
Aside from the front desk and restaurants, the gym, meeting/function rooms, shops ATM, etc., are on that main building. It is worth noting if you're not purely on holiday.
Like in my case (I had meetings), I opted to stay at Room 320 - ayun sa gitna o!
Going to the other two pavilions, one must pass by the Sunset Bar and nice views.
Let me pull that picture above at the beginning of this section (for easy reference):
Most story-worthy views are on this walk. Such as this that would be to your right:
That's the end of the main building (also over water), which looks like this at night.
Beyond is the commercial/residential part of the "island" where I had a walk.
I haven't seen those vendors up close during my walk. Maybe it was too early then. I think there's even a fisherman delivering his catch. From this lake? Baka. Lake ito eh!
Well I had no time to 'ask around' if there's a 'fishing industry' here-arounds. Yun bang mala-Laguna or Tagaytay? Eh this is a wide lake, as I said, as wide as San Juan MM!
The curious difference though is, this is urban. Ala eh, sorry lang, di pa ako nakakita ng umaatikabong fishing industry amidst urbanity with high-rise buildings and so on!
Ano kaya ang lasa ng isda pag ganyan? Ano ba ang kinakain nila? Golf balls?
Ahw, yan naman ang view sa kaliwa while you walk on that connecting bridge to the Sunset Bar and the other pavilions of Intercon. That is a two-level golf driving range!
It's outside Intercon's 'area of responsibility' hehe! You can see the boundary rope on the water. And, subalit, mind you, it is called "Jack Nicklaus Golf Training Academy".
If you're familiar with the sport of Golf, you'd probably recognize that name. Ako eh, I have given up on that sport long before I learned it. Mahal yan, ayoko magkunwari!
Ang hindi ko mapag-tanto... bakit naman ang driving range eh nakaharap na ganyan sa lawa, eh di naman dissolvable ang golf balls? Si pulot-boy, kelangan naka-banka!
Unless di na pinupulot ang mga golf-balls na hinampas nila. If so, ang sosy naman!
Haiszt! Walang basagan ng trip! Let them be! Okay, back to Intercon Westlake.
Sunset Bar
At the confluence of the over-water pavilions' bridges, it looks like this at 11AM.
Closed! You probably won't see many pictures like this. I came on purpose, at 11AM, when the city's bigshots aren't yet around, so I can go about as I please! Why's that?
Oh, at the party when I arrived, I learned that this is, by far, the most popular cocktail bar in Hanoi, that the whole area you see above, is "tantalizingly set" with opulence!
That's why during that party, I told my self "talaga lang ha, weh dito ako naka-check-in, sige let me see this place when not yet open"! Kumbaga, hindi pa gising ang bar hehe!
Ayan, nice pa rin, even if the glass-tops of all tables, the sosyalin seat cushions, and the kung anu-anong ka-artehang decorasyones are kept inside the bar naman pala!
Heavier bar furniture remain al fresco, where they'll get to be used in the afternoon.
Note from that picture, that the 'it' of Sunset Bar is technically along these alleyways over water that gets strewn with tables and chairs for you to enjoy sunset cocktails.
Did you notice that part I magnified in the picture? Yep, hotel guests being conveyed by the staff via buggy, aka golf cart, aka truckster whatever. It's a long walk after all!
Let me just tell you, some parts of the Sunset Bar surroundings don't have a fence.
I even wished there would be none of those flowery fences all around those bridges. But I realized, oo nga naman ano, baka delikado pag gabi na, or for the young ones!
Natawa na lang ako dun sa babala! Because kung ako masusunod I will write: if you for any reason fall and try to climb up, our trained staff will kick you back into the water.
Ganun! Nang mag-tanda ang dapat umayos!
Oh by the way, I waited to come back on a "no event" evening, just to see the place.
Yes inside. Even if I wanted to, I could not stay outside. Why? Because it was windy, and raining cats-and-dogs, at 9°! Yes yes, as in Nine Degrees Celcius, panginoon ko!
But call me weird, I somehow liked it that there were only like 4 of us guests.
In the "silence", I sarcastically thought "siguro naman kaming aapat na andito eh lahat dito naka-check-in. Dahil kung me taga labas pa sa klase ng panahon na yan, adik yon!"
This Sunset Bar, the insides I mean, is a nice cozy place - maybe even romantic!
Seldom will anyone be able to meticulously look around as it's usually full of people.
And I smiled saying "not now, since it is virtually empty, eh sa bumabagyo yata eh"!
We "only four guests" each had our own corner even far from each others' glances!
Aside from the 'usual' Christmas Music that kept playing, one guest, far from me, on the other side (I glanced, she looked Jap to me) kept requesting a lively kind of genre.
I liked the beat of her choices, to the extent that at one time I asked the bar staff, as to who was singing what song. The reply was "Lagi, by Aziza Brahim". Hmn, nice ah!
I did not understnad anything, but music transcends all languages, right? It sounded Arabic or African to me. That kind of 'rolling beat' reminded me of cafes in Tenerife.
Cool 'chillax' music, jibing with the kind of weather and the subdued ambience, a bit (or beat?) different from what this place was 2 nights ago! Sabagay.., it was a party!
Eto na.., cool music, I was making tunganga (literally), looking at that ceiling. Banig!
The supervisor (probably wondering ano tinititigan ko!) drifted towards me, to say "hi".
[At 5-star hotels btw, that seemingly casual way of a manager/supervisor coming to say hi or hello means something]. Kung s'atin pa they want to say "me problema ba?"
So I asked him while still looking at the ceiling (patay-mali, kunwari di ko alam kung ano yan) "I like that material, what is that"? Ang sagot: "those are woven palm leaves"!
I was even still planning to ask my next question e, sinagot nya na saying: "those are imported from the pacific islands, Philippines, but not Manila"! Okay na, syadap na ako!
Looking around I noted, banig also covers the bottom half of their glass door panels and the wall. Ah the base of the round bar is artfully designed with abaca rope (pisi).
Actually, I suspect, even those native-looking seats, galing din yata sa atin.
'Feels good to see products of our inang bayan being used in other countries.
Di ba? Okay, bow na!
The main building, by the way, also looks grand from Sunset Bar, day or night!
Okay okay, let's stop it here muna. We have to go - on to Laos and Thailand!
But for the sake of my insistent and demanding readers (kayo yan!), sige let's do this!
I'll be honest, I've often been tempted to look at 'petty things' that can be better; that can be improved - para lang me masabi in this blog - and still, wala na akong ma-say!
So here's my story (what I can publicly tell, at least) hehe!
Arrived in Hanoi (from Siem Reap) past 9PM. Only got this pic, takbo na sa party!
Unclear. But, as in life, I always say... there's always tomorrow for more pictures!
And yes, the next 3 tomorrows came, and I have collected these...
The Entrance
I forgot to ask what this is called or who the artist that did them, but here they are:
Those "faces" are not so obvious from the lobby nor entrance foyer, but if you inch a little bit more to the water fountain, you'll see their varied playful facial expressions.
All I could whisper smiling was "ang kukulit ng mga 'to"! Aliw eh!
There is always a line of waiting taxi cabs by the driveway as seen in a photo above. And there was a constant stream of arriving or departing people, mostly by taxi too.
Hirap tuloy mag-kodak at public areas. Me nakatingin lagi. Baka isipin paparazzi ako! Sample: I took that pic as I walked to the lobby. Yung bumaba dyan, ay inirapan ako!
In my mind I said "wag mo ako kokomprontahin di kita aatrasan kahit pangit gown mo" hahaha! Ayan tuloy hehee, nangyari yan, in my effort to take a pic of that green taxi!
My Room
As said above, very much feels-like rooms at other Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts.
For those who remember, even the feel in the rooms at Intercon Manila was like that generally - but the time I frequented that hotel was di pa uso ang click dito click doon.
Room Abubots
Anyway.., as I write this, I asked why I don't have photos of/at my "CR" in this hotel?! Well, everything was a rush on arrival as I was running very late for the party, so that when I remembered to take pics, all my personal whatevers were already scattered!
But there were things in the room (yun mga di ko ginagalaw) that I caught photos of:
24/7 Room Service
Another thing common to all IHG Hotels, room service is anytime you may need it.
Room Views
This would of course depend on the kind of room you got. I was happy with mine.
Here's the same view as that night-time picture above (at the start of this article).
It is actually called the "Sunset Bar" - in the middle of the hotel's pavilion rooms.
This made Intercon Westlake an icon in Hanoi - with rooms at "over-water pavilions".
Remember my map screenshot in the previous story? The flowers are clearer there! Ayan yan sila, the 3 pavilions that are actually big builddings as they're made up of many rooms at 1st and 2nd levels. Ilang rooms per pavilion? Ah eh, basta 'marami'!
On foreground of that picture is already "main land" (hindi china ha?) where all hotel amenities and facilities are found, except for the sunset bar with a hip and chill vibe.
Don't worry, we'll go there later. I am just showing you the views from my Room 320 on the main building and on land (ay island pala). Views like this sa baba ng room ko!
O eto na, sige naka-baba na, now na!
Swimming Pool
This is how the pool looks up close. Notice the colors that dominate, foresty green.
The floor and edging (wall) are either 'real marble' or 'marble-colored green tiles', yet just the same, it creates a unique look, as if it were part of a natural lake environment.
Well, it departs from the usually boring sterile-white and/or blue color of a pool, such that the technical atrevida mind (like me) might think, it can easily hide dirt or debris!
I would tend to agree, but knowing this is an IHG hotel, surely ample and proper care is accorded to this pool, always. Sana, as even the kiddie pool has the same texture!
Malinis yan! Yet at 11AM, ba't walang naliligo, considering that it is the holidays and vacation time everywhere? Ah eh, 12° as in twelve degrees centigrade! Ikaw, you like?
Hehehe! Anyway...
Oist, review the photos above again. Did you notice those bright red 'flowers' around the pool? For the sake of you my plantita and plantito friends, nilapitan natin. Ito sila:
Okay fine, but the best part for me in this pool area was naturally this...
Umandar ang poetic-dramatic senses. Umupo. Tinignan ang menu. Yun lang hehe!
Yeah, speaking of buffets... let's talk about them later.
Meanwhile, let's go to the 'famed' over-water pavilions (all accessible from the pool).
Over-water Pavilions
You will pass by the swimming pool going to any pavilion cluster or the sunset bar.
The aliw part is it's like those resorts in the Maldives, eto nasa lake lang hindi dagat. Para rin Kampong Ayer or maraming lugar sa Pilipinas sosyalin lang ang arrive nito!
One of the 3 pavilions (room clusters) don't pass by the Sunset Bar. Let's see it first.
They are actually 2-level concrete buildings with 60+ luxurious rooms - above water!
No 'outlets' in the pavilion, just a cluster of rooms. For anything, go to main building.
Aside from the front desk and restaurants, the gym, meeting/function rooms, shops ATM, etc., are on that main building. It is worth noting if you're not purely on holiday.
Like in my case (I had meetings), I opted to stay at Room 320 - ayun sa gitna o!
Going to the other two pavilions, one must pass by the Sunset Bar and nice views.
Let me pull that picture above at the beginning of this section (for easy reference):
Most story-worthy views are on this walk. Such as this that would be to your right:
That's the end of the main building (also over water), which looks like this at night.
Beyond is the commercial/residential part of the "island" where I had a walk.
Well I had no time to 'ask around' if there's a 'fishing industry' here-arounds. Yun bang mala-Laguna or Tagaytay? Eh this is a wide lake, as I said, as wide as San Juan MM!
The curious difference though is, this is urban. Ala eh, sorry lang, di pa ako nakakita ng umaatikabong fishing industry amidst urbanity with high-rise buildings and so on!
Ano kaya ang lasa ng isda pag ganyan? Ano ba ang kinakain nila? Golf balls?
It's outside Intercon's 'area of responsibility' hehe! You can see the boundary rope on the water. And, subalit, mind you, it is called "Jack Nicklaus Golf Training Academy".
If you're familiar with the sport of Golf, you'd probably recognize that name. Ako eh, I have given up on that sport long before I learned it. Mahal yan, ayoko magkunwari!
Ang hindi ko mapag-tanto... bakit naman ang driving range eh nakaharap na ganyan sa lawa, eh di naman dissolvable ang golf balls? Si pulot-boy, kelangan naka-banka!
Unless di na pinupulot ang mga golf-balls na hinampas nila. If so, ang sosy naman!
Haiszt! Walang basagan ng trip! Let them be! Okay, back to Intercon Westlake.
Sunset Bar
At the confluence of the over-water pavilions' bridges, it looks like this at 11AM.
Oh, at the party when I arrived, I learned that this is, by far, the most popular cocktail bar in Hanoi, that the whole area you see above, is "tantalizingly set" with opulence!
That's why during that party, I told my self "talaga lang ha, weh dito ako naka-check-in, sige let me see this place when not yet open"! Kumbaga, hindi pa gising ang bar hehe!
Heavier bar furniture remain al fresco, where they'll get to be used in the afternoon.
Did you notice that part I magnified in the picture? Yep, hotel guests being conveyed by the staff via buggy, aka golf cart, aka truckster whatever. It's a long walk after all!
Let me just tell you, some parts of the Sunset Bar surroundings don't have a fence.
Natawa na lang ako dun sa babala! Because kung ako masusunod I will write: if you for any reason fall and try to climb up, our trained staff will kick you back into the water.
Ganun! Nang mag-tanda ang dapat umayos!
Oh by the way, I waited to come back on a "no event" evening, just to see the place.
But call me weird, I somehow liked it that there were only like 4 of us guests.
This Sunset Bar, the insides I mean, is a nice cozy place - maybe even romantic!
And I smiled saying "not now, since it is virtually empty, eh sa bumabagyo yata eh"!
Aside from the 'usual' Christmas Music that kept playing, one guest, far from me, on the other side (I glanced, she looked Jap to me) kept requesting a lively kind of genre.
I liked the beat of her choices, to the extent that at one time I asked the bar staff, as to who was singing what song. The reply was "Lagi, by Aziza Brahim". Hmn, nice ah!
I did not understnad anything, but music transcends all languages, right? It sounded Arabic or African to me. That kind of 'rolling beat' reminded me of cafes in Tenerife.
Cool 'chillax' music, jibing with the kind of weather and the subdued ambience, a bit (or beat?) different from what this place was 2 nights ago! Sabagay.., it was a party!
Eto na.., cool music, I was making tunganga (literally), looking at that ceiling. Banig!
[At 5-star hotels btw, that seemingly casual way of a manager/supervisor coming to say hi or hello means something]. Kung s'atin pa they want to say "me problema ba?"
So I asked him while still looking at the ceiling (patay-mali, kunwari di ko alam kung ano yan) "I like that material, what is that"? Ang sagot: "those are woven palm leaves"!
I was even still planning to ask my next question e, sinagot nya na saying: "those are imported from the pacific islands, Philippines, but not Manila"! Okay na, syadap na ako!
Actually, I suspect, even those native-looking seats, galing din yata sa atin.
'Feels good to see products of our inang bayan being used in other countries.
Di ba? Okay, bow na!
The main building, by the way, also looks grand from Sunset Bar, day or night!
Okay okay, let's stop it here muna. We have to go - on to Laos and Thailand!
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