Hi-Home Suites – Ngoai Giao Doan at West Lake Starlake

Hi-Home Suites – Ngoai Giao Doan at West Lake Starlake Overview

Look, I’ve stayed at my fair share of serviced apartments in Hanoi, and Hi-Home Suites genuinely surprised me in the best way. It’s tucked into the Ngoai Giao Doan diplomatic quarter – you know, that area that feels like someone actually planned it, unlike the beautiful chaos of the Old Quarter. The building sits right on Hoàng Minh Thảo street, and honestly, the first thing that hit me was how quiet it was. I mean, you’re still in Hanoi, so there’s the occasional motorbike symphony, but compared to staying downtown? It’s like a different city.

The suites themselves are what got me – they’re actually spacious, not just “spacious for Vietnam” spacious. Full kitchens with everything you need (I made coffee every morning and saved a fortune), separate living areas where you can spread out your stuff without living out of a suitcase, and bedrooms that don’t feel like afterthoughts. The Wi-Fi is solid too, which matters if you’re trying to get work done or video call home without pixelated faces. What I really appreciated was the washing machine in each unit – sounds boring, I know, but after a week of Hanoi’s humidity and street food adventures, being able to do laundry without hunting down a service was clutch. The building has this modern feel without being sterile, and the staff at reception actually remember your name after a day or two.

Here’s the thing about the location that the booking sites don’t really capture – you’re about fifteen minutes by taxi to the Old Quarter when you want that authentic Hanoi energy, but you can also walk to West Lake in about ten minutes when you need to breathe. There’s a decent coffee shop right downstairs (Vietnamese coffee, not some international chain), and if you walk toward the lake, you’ll hit some local restaurants that don’t have English menus but serve incredible bún chả. The area comes alive in the evenings when diplomats and expat families are out walking, but it’s never rowdy. I actually felt comfortable walking around at night, which isn’t something I’d say about every neighborhood in the city. Parking was never an issue if you’re renting a motorbike, and Grab drivers know exactly where it is – no twenty-minute phone calls trying to explain your location. The 8.6 rating makes sense to me; it’s not trying to be the Metropole, but for the price point and what you get, it delivers. I’d definitely book it again, especially for stays longer than a few days when hotel rooms start feeling cramped.

Hi-Home Suites – Ngoai Giao Doan at West Lake Starlake Accommodations

Reviews of Hi-Home Suites – Ngoai Giao Doan at West Lake Starlake

• Cường from Vietnam – 7 September 2024 (8/10)

  The p/p is good
  
  What could be improved: Wifi is weak at the master bedroom
  The room needs cleaning carefully

• Sandra from United States – 5 June 2024 (9/10)

  Directions and location
  
  What could be improved: Cleanness and safety

• Suzanne from Netherlands – 23 May 2024 (6/10)

  Big appartement with nice rooms and beds,
  good showers, nice balcony.
  
  What could be improved: There are no facilities for the kitchen. No glasses, no cutlery, no pots or pans or anything to even make an egg with in the morning.
  Furthermore it is not clean at all! No bugs or dirty sheets (otherwise we would have left) but the kitchen is very dirty as well as the balcony (sigaret buns) and hairs and stains on the floors. After talking to their comms person about this a maid was send. After she cleaned the surface and floor for 10 min she was out again, leaving the place, still dirty.
  
  The communication with the staff is a bit annoying and weird. There is no reception so everything is through WhatsApp. A lot of questions about arrival times, adding to app groups and after making appointments about payment method by card she asked me to change to cash..
  Then my change was not returned. Yes it was only 50.000 dong but it was promised back the next day (together with the maid). After asking her about it( through WhatsApp) she didn’t respond to the issue.

• Mohamed from India – 30 April 2024 (9/10)

  Overall good experience
  
  What could be improved: We have stayed for 4 days.drinking water wasn't there on 1st day

• Ali from Pakistan – 2 March 2024 (9/10)

  Everything
  
  What could be improved: nothing

• Nitthusha from United Kingdom – 26 January 2024 (9/10)

  The place was spacious and a great interior. It also had kitchen facilities so we could cook aswell including cutlery and pans. The apartment had a nice view and a balcony. The staff were very helpful and tried their best to support our stay. I wouldn’t change anything about the apartment.
  
  What could be improved: The location was 20 minutes away from the city, this wasn’t a big issue for us.

• Claire from Australia – 1 January 2024 (8/10)

  The apartment was spacious and mordern

• Huong from Singapore – 22 August 2023 (8/10)

  Very clean and spacious. View is great overlooking the open field, lake and Korea embassy. Owners are easy to deal with
  
  What could be improved: No microwave oven to heat up food

• Van from Denmark – 21 July 2023 (5/10)

  Surrounding looks good. The apartments seem to be new

• Kore from China – 28 June 2023 (3/10)

  Large space. Host was responsive.
  
  What could be improved: Bed bugs. Roaches. No hot water for 5 days. Lack of kitchen supplies. AC in one room smelled like gas and smoke

Surroundings

Facilities