Hotel De l’Opera, Hanoi

Location 

French-owned and unashamedly eccentric in its décor and styling, the luxurious Hotel De l’Opera is located on Hanoi’s Trang Tien Street, where the Nguyen Dynasty used to mint coins in the 19th century. All the usual distractions of the capital are nearby, including the mausoleum of ‘Uncle Ho’, the father of modern Vietnam, and the humble house on stilts from which he ruled until his death in 1969.

Accommodation 

Understatement was not a word in this designer’s lexicon. While silk drapes, wooden floors and Asian textiles give a nod to local tastes, there’s nothing traditional about the bold colour schemes, deep pink furniture, rainbow mosaics and giant beds found throughout the 100 or so rooms at this landmark hotel. It’s a singularly stylish vision that offers an extraordinary alternative to eco-retreats and corporate monoliths. 

Dining 

One would expect a French-owned hotel in Vietnam to tap into the country’s colonial culinary heritage, but few do it as well as Hotel De l’Opera. Choose from Café Lautrec, named after the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec; Satine, which serves classic Vietnamese cuisine; and Le Fee Verte, or Green Fairy. This elegant bar, which takes its name from one of absinthe’s old nicknames, harks back to Belle Époque at the start of the 20th century and serves excellent cocktails.  

Facilities 

The indoor swimming pool with an open-air terrace that faces the Hanoi Opera House is an excellent place to unwind. The fitness centre has all the latest in high-tech gym gadgetry, as well as a sauna and massage treatment rooms.