Hidden gem homestay 2 — Hotel in Hà Nội

I wish I have read the reviews here on Google before booking on Agoda, dont understand how they have that good rating?

The accommodation shown in the photos is definitely not what you’ll find at Hidden Gem Homestay 2. The pictures on Booking and Agoda seem to be from Hidden Gem Homestay 1 (which I’m not even sure how to book), so we were expecting something entirely different.

When we arrived, we walked straight into the owners’ kitchen, where a lady pointed us to a room without a window or TV — just a bed and a wardrobe. That evening, we asked if we could move to a different room, because we expected at least a window, as advertised. The lady moved us to the next room, which had a small balcony. However, she made a phone call with the owner, who told me in broken English that this room would require an extra fee and that we’d have to move again the next day due to other guests. We agreed.

Later, I messaged the owner via Agoda to ask what time we’d need to switch rooms and how much the extra fee would be, since we planned to go out early in the morning. I only got a reply the next day — and it just said what time the check-in was (even though we were already staying there). I asked again about the fee and the room change. Eventually, I was told we wouldn’t have to move after all, and the extra charge would be 150,000 VND.

We also agreed to shorten our stay by one night, and she confirmed the final price for 3 nights + the additional fee. The night before we left, I messaged again asking who and when I should pay, since we were leaving at 10 AM. At 5 AM, I got a message saying someone would come in the evening to collect the money (!). I replied immediately that we were leaving in the morning. Five minutes later, someone knocked on the door — it was a man living in the house, holding a screenshot of our conversation and asking for payment. We paid the agreed amount.

But an hour later, I got another message asking me to pay again — this time 200,000 VND more for some unknown reason. I just replied that we had already paid and left.

Communication was a complete mess and very frustrating. We had no idea what was going on most of the time, and the actual owner never showed up.

Shared bathroom was also disappointing — no one else was staying there, so we had it to ourselves, but the water pressure was basically nonexistent and the water was only lukewarm. Not ideal if you want to properly wash off the city grime from your hair or body.

The only positive thing I can say is the location — very central, close to local markets, the railway street, many restaurants and shops.

Just don’t expect what you see in the photos. At least the price is decent for being in the...

Horrible experience! They kicked us out in mid night! When we came back, our luggage were moved from our room to the lobby. They packed our bags and touched our personal stuff without notifying us. It was unbelievable! They overbooked and the owner lied that she had massaged me but there were massages found anywhere in Agoda app or in my WhatsApp, email…nothing! And they tried to offer me another room which is like a dungeon no windows and dirty and smelly and asked me to pay for that room. I refused and she just cancelled my booking. She was rude. I just can’t believe she can just packed our stuff and...

Very bad homestay. The cleaning is pretty bad, and it is clearly impossible to sleep. We hear noises all night, and we are woken up in the morning by the owner who spits every 2 minutes, disgusting. There is also a woman who cuts meat downstairs from 6am, impossible to sleep!!! Not to mention that the mattress looks more like a wooden board. I do not recommend...