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Those wishing to enjoy Saigon in the lap of luxury and class, already know by reputation this authentic palace hotel: where mouth to ear, combined with the prestigious image of the Park Hyatt brand, attracts the most prestigious guests. Enquire with anybody in Saigon about the best five-star hotel in town; the reply is always the same: “-Go to Park Hyatt!”.

We dropped our luggage in this caravanserai of luxury a couple of days, during the weekend. When leading businessmen give way to sophisticated leisure travelers, and when the restaurants and bars fill up with festive Saigonese and expatriate patrons: making this imposing five-star hotel turning into a classy entertaining center for the local elite.

The first reaction when our taxi reached this imposing, immaculate neo-colonial building, was: “-What a location!”. Right in the center of District 1, with all the business, museum, cultural attractions and best restaurants at an immediate reach. We understood that our next ride would be on our way back to the airport only. It took us less than five minutes to walk to the Nguyen Hué Square, City Hall, Opera House, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and amazing Central Post Office built by Gustave Eiffel.  Restaurants and trendy bars are flanked along the colonial Dong Khoi Street (former Avenue Catinat): a place where Saigon never sleeps. Union Square, Levis Parkson, Vincom and further high-end shopping malls are concentrated around the hotel.

This feels like magic; the monumental lobby looks both impressive and reassuring. Quiet, yet animated by the presence of the elegant Park Lounge, famous for its Afternoon Tea. The equilibrium of its architecture makes it astonishingly homey.

Check-in procedure went as smooth as silk. It took less than five minutes to get to our Garden View Room, overlooking the swimming-pool. Spacious and ritzy, with a sublime floral carpet and nostalgic photos of the old Saigon, it featured tall colonial windows, framed with white wooden shutters, a well-sized hardwood writing desk, large-screen LED TV, Bose Bluetooth speaker, and a mini iPad displaying weather forecast, wake-up alarm, etc. We liked the Nespresso coffee maker, with a generous selection of blends which the housekeeper refilled everyday: just like the high-speed Internet connection, it was provided with compliments. Another bonus was the round-the-clock private butler service available to all 245 rooms and suites. Our gorgeous bathroom was equipped with the most complete toiletry kit ever, and with hyacinth and lime blossom fragrance amenities by luxury Vietnamese brand Cochine exclusively to Park Hyatt. Last but not least, the bed, with plush feather pillows, the finest linens, and  a first class mattress, was one of the most comfortable which we experienced during our June/July 2016 Southeast Asian tour.

Like all palace hotels, the Park Hyatt Saigon sells its suites like hot cakes.  The “Park Suites” are subdivided into different categories. The cream of the crop, the Presidential Suite located on the highest floor of the hotel covers not less than 190 sq. m.  It doesn’t show the flashy and stifling “Chinese influence” which we had experienced so many times staying in premium suites in South East Asia and China; no shining gold, no heavy marble, no shabby “Louis Style” furniture, but elegant interiors with a cozy atmosphere. Oil paintings, antiques, lacquerware and handcrafted embroidery by established Vietnamese made us warmly feel at residence. We liked the grand living room and the dining-room seating up to ten persons for a private dinner or a business meeting. And also the white marble bathroom: with a walk-in rain shower and TV-embedded mirrors. The rate was quite reasonable, though we visited the hotel during the peak season (it remains quite variable; thus we would say that it costs more or less the price of an executive suite in a palace hotel in Paris and London, while Deluxe rooms are 50 till 70% cheaper compared with Europe).  

The beautiful 20-metre / 583 sq. m pool is settled in lush, beautifully landscaped tropical gardens. It offers a serene relaxation in the heart of the animated District 1. With its private king-size sun bed tents, -a favorite to honeymooners- ,  this Garden of Eden reminded us of the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, where service is at a top level, and ambiance supremely classy and romantic. It has a One Thousand and One  Nights scenery by night, when the gardens are magically illuminated. A five-star place for leisure, the park Hyatt Saigon has one of the largest (170 Sq. m) fitness centers in Saigon.  Last generation Life Fitness cardio equipment features personal LCD television screens and headphones. For body-building, guests can enjoy the most advanced weight machines from Life Fitness. To complete our sports experience at Park Hyatt Saigon, we used the steambath and the hot Jacuzzi.

Make sure to book in advance your treatment at the awards winning Xuan Spa.  A pride of the Park Hyatt Saigon, it brings a note of luxury and exclusivity to the Mekong Delta world famous reputation in term of unmatched rejuvenation therapies and exquisite massages. A new concept embracing the Mekong Delta’s essences, such as fresh herbs, local grains, and fruits, is used in the 4 private single treatment rooms equipped with brand new high-class equipment. 

PARK HYATT SAIGON
2 Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
PHONE: +84 8 3824 1234    FACSIMILE: +84 8 3823 7569
E-MAIL: saigon.park@hyatt.com

Gastronomy at Park Hyatt starts with the breakfast served at Opera Restaurant. Comparable in term of elaborated cuisine, pleasant setting and impeccable service, with the best buffet breakfasts (with “a la carte” offers) ever experienced in referents high-end hotels groups worldwide, like Ritz-Carlton, Marriott, InterContinental, Four Seasons, … We liked the impressive selection of elaborated dishes, enhanced with regional delicacies (we tried the warm fragrant “Pho”- the Vietnamese well-loved noodle soup),  the myriads of fresh tropical fruits and the excellent bakery (particularly the ultra fresh pretzel rolls and the chocolate croissants), and shall try their legendary Sunday Brunch during our next visit to Ho Chi Minh City: featuring seafood dishes, pasta, roasted meats and delightful desserts plus free flow of iced cold Bollinger Champagne. Breakfast is a good prediction of the quality of a hotel F&B. Though our gourmand agenda was actually quite full, its top-quality encouraged us to manage our time and enjoy at least one lunch at the Park Hyatt Saigon, in the same Opera Restaurant, which, at lunch time, serves an authentic Italian cuisine.

A top ten best restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, this contemporary trattoria with a touch of elegance opens to the street with a pleasant terrace where reservation is imperative: who wouldn’t dream of a relaxing lunch or dinner al fresco with a view of the colonial Opera House?

The new Chef de Cuisine Matteo Fracalossi, with 20 years of experience, improved his passion for cooking at Villa Crespi, trained by two-Michelin-star chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo. He then worked in the best restaurants around the world before he joined the ark Hyatt Saigon. Though his cuisine, prepared in the large open-kitchen, tends to be influenced by a cool Northern Italian influence, he is also an expert on pasta from Central Italy and authentic Neapolitan pizza, made fresh from a wood-fired oven.

We ordered the “Business Lunch Set Menu”, available from Monday to Friday, 11:30am till 2:30pm. For approximately USD 20, which is great value for a five-star hotel, we had three courses, with a selection of 4 -  5 dishes per course. We started with Fried Eggplant Roll, Chilled Tomato Sauce and Basil Pesto. Light and perfumed, ideally accompanied with lukewarm, mouth-watering focaccia bread sipped in artisanal ultra-virgin olive oil. As a main, we were so happy to see that the chef included one of our favorite pizzas, with Prosciutto Ham, Funghi (mushrooms) and Mozzarella on a dispendious toping. The tomato sauce was 100% home-made, and the paste was crispy and slightly burned as we like. The portion would have been enough to feed two gourmets. This pizza costed about USD10 on the extensive a la carte.  A small, good pizzeria in Saigon would charge more or less the same price.

We would warmly recommend the “Dessert of the Day” which was one of the best signature cakes available in the “Pastry Boutique Menu”: Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. Silky white, milk and dark chocolate mousse made from premium cacaos from Vietnam. 

We paired our lunch with a bottle of Chianti Riserva Piccini Collezione Oro 2011 (USD 60 / bottle).  One serving of freshly brewed coffee was included in the set price.

One of the best restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City; and certainly one of the best value for money at lunch time. For dinner, expect an average bill of USD 70 per person, excluding wine.

Open for lunch 11:30 am to 2:30 pm Monday to Saturday; 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Sunday. Dinner daily, 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm

OPERA RESTAURANT
PHONE: +84 8 3520 2357
E-MAIL: opera.saiph@hyatt.com

 
A Top 20 Best Hotel Restaurants Around the World by Daily Meal, and One of 82 Hot Tables by Condé Nast Traveler, the atmospheric Square One restaurant also has an attractive Business Lunch Set Menu (about USD 18), served in five different dining areas displaying integrated open-kitchens.

The cuisine is "international": as we usually don’t like this definition, we would rather describe it as distinguishingly and distinctly specializing in three kinds of cuisines.

Square One is, first of all, a steak house. It competes with well-established restaurants like El Gaucho, located next door, on serving the best imported meat in Vietnam.  The most popular cuts of richly marbled and tender Australian Wagyu, delightfully flavored bites of US Grain Fed Angus, and all-natural grass fed Australian beef with a natural taste and texture are available from the charcoal grill.

A seafood restaurant, it proposes Alaskan Black Cod, King Fish, Norwegian Salomon Steaks and superlative Live Lobsters.

This is, last but not least, a reputed and authentic Vietnamese restaurant. With an abundant and affordable Vietnamese Tasting Platter for two (featuring chef’s selection of the day, at USD 19), Green Papaya And Beef Salad (USD 10), or vegetarian Assorted Spring Rolls (USD 8). Some specialties from the Clay Pot are well worth the visit: like the Saigon Style US Scallops, Bok Choy, Onion, Tamarind Sauce, Coriander, and Sticky Rice (USD 27). Average bill for dinner is about USD 60, excluding wine.

This exquisite restaurant features an outdoor terrace, plus four private dining rooms to cater to guests’ needs for special events. The bar at Square One showcases an extravagant selection of fine wines, fancy Champagne, and refreshing cocktails mixed with tropical fruits. It has one of the largest wine-cellar in Ho Chi Minh City.

Open daily for lunch 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, and dinner 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm.

SQUARE ONE
PHONE: +84 8 3520 2359
E-MAIL: squareone.saiph@hyatt.com