See what’s it’s like to experience five-star luxury at the Novotel Danang Premier Han River Hotel in the heart of central Vietnam.
What a difference a couple years can make.
In two short years since our first visit to Da Nang, the central Vietnam city has morphed into a vibrant city and popular tourist destination for Korean sun-seekers along with travelers from around the world. The city also attracts digital nomads like us who eschew stereotypical backpacker grunge in exchange for modern apartments and fast internet.
The Vietnamese seafront city keeps drawing us back – our third and latest visit extended for nine weeks. During this stay, we lived in a modern high rise apartment building and drank third wave coffee every day. We also became local experts thanks to Instagram, but that’s another story.
Despite our comfortable digs, after two months we craved the kind of luxury that we can best experience at a five-star luxury hotel in Asia. That’s how we ended up taking a Da Nang city break at the Da Nang Novotel hotel.
Novotel Danang Premier Han River Hotel Review
Open since 2012, the 35-floor skyscraper boasts over 400 rooms and a swanky rooftop pool. The Novotel Danang Premier Han River Hotel skews on the luxury side for the Novotel brand with its impressive five-star rating.
Stylish and modern, this Danang hotel has a grand lobby with a cafe and shop. However, much of the action happens on the fourth floor where The Square restaurant and pool are located.
Service
During our stay, we found the service to be both courteous and efficient as we would expect at a five-star hotel. Fortunately, we did not experience any problems during our stay that would have warranted extra service from the staff.
Checking in and out of the hotel was a breeze. Our room was cleaned and serviced promptly. Overall, we had no service issues or complaints.
Superior Room
Our superior room featured contemporary design with bursts of orange that gave the design an extra flair. We appreciated the comfortable king size bed, excellent shower pressure as well as extra details like premium bath products, plush robes and free WiFi. However, the balcony was our favorite aspect of the room.
Though we had already spent a good bit of time in Da Nang, we never tired of the view from our balcony. During the day, we could see both sides of the Han River with views of the Dragon, Han and Tran Thi Ly bridges. When we looked to the left of our terrace, we could marvel at the gorgeous beachside with views of Son Tra and the Vietnam Sea.
Luckily, we woke up early and caught a fabulous sunrise. The sun rises and sets quickly and clearly in this part of the world. We lingered on the balcony to watch the sky burst into colors as the sun ascended from the ocean and created a golden glow above My Khe beach.
Our room’s balcony also provided an ideal vista to view Da Nang at night when the city lights up in a veritable rainbow of colors. We had a great view of the Han Bridge, Vietnam’s first swing bridge, as well as the famous Dragon Bridge.
The Dragon Bridge breathes fire and squirts water on weekends. Guests may be able to witness the action from a Novotel balcony on a Saturday or Sunday night.
Pool
Located on a fourth-floor rooftop, the Novotel Danang Premier Han River Hotel’s infinity pool is a showstopper thanks to epic views of both Son Tra from the East and the Hai Van Mountains to the west. If the views aren’t enough to satisfy guests, the pool also has a Splash Bar that serves cocktails and other beverages.
The Novotel pool was our happy place in the afternoon when we needed to relax after exploring the city. Though the pool was heated, the temperature was cool enough to refresh us and soothe our weary bones.
Breakfast
After eating local Vietnamese food for two months, we were happy to expand our culinary reach to food more typically eaten in China, France, Italy and the US.
We strategically studied the food options that spanned two large dining areas before filling our plates with a varied selection of tasty breakfast favorites like eggs to order, an imported wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, duck pate and a range of Asian fruits including pineapples, dragon fruit and papaya.
From the juice bar to the pho bar, this Da Nang hotel breakfast buffet features a plethora of healthy and splurge foods. Though the Vietnamese coffee bar adds a fun element to the generous food options, the French Camembert cheese was our favorite part of breakfast.
Nearby Attractions
Located just six kilometers from the Da Nang International Airport, the Da Nang Novotel is convenient to attractions in Da Nang, Hoi An and beyond. During our stay, we opted to stay near the hotel and enjoy some of the city’s best restaurants, cafes and bars.
For more adventurous visitors, this hotel provides a great base for exploring sites like super-popular Bana Hills. It’s also easy to spend a day touring nearby Hoi An. Then again, there’s nothing wrong with choosing to lounge at the pool or on the beach instead.
Arrival Logistics
We recommend taking the hotel’s free airport shuttle from the Da Nang International Airport. This is the easiest and most cost-effective transportation option.
Book a Room at the Da Nang Novotel
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About the Authors
Daryl & Mindi Hirsch
Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website and YouTube. The married Food and Travel content creators live in Lisbon, Portugal.
Original Publication Date: October 18, 2018
Karin Esterhammer
Monday 3rd of May 2021
Loved this article! I lived in Ho Chi Minh City for two years and we visited Da Nang 4 times. That was 10 years ago so I’m happy to see it even more beautiful and modern. I wrote “So Happiness to Meet You: Foolishly, Blissfully Stranded in Vietnam,” which also relays the fact that the people are so kind. Karin Esterhammer