Hotel MAJESTIC
 The Majestic is a charming colonial hotel in the centre of Ho Chi Minh. This original 1925 building has fine little historical touches throughout; handles, archways, clocks – all take visitors back in time. Traditional rooms are spacious with grand bathrooms, high ceilings and the solid European furniture though somewhat dated adds to the colonial flair. River view Deluxe are the best with extra attention given to the décor and double windows for the noise, although the balcony opens out onto the busy street the river views are still very good. The simple Standard and Superior differ in size and some have windows that have no outdoor views but face the room corridors. The restaurant facilities are not too bad, breakfast and buffet dinners have a decent spread while recreational facilities like the pool and fitness room are too small. The location is absolutely fantastic, maybe the best in the city - both central and overlooking the Saigon river. Rates are reasonable for a hotel that is truly one of the most characteristic in the city.

We stayed for three separate nights throughout our tour of South Vietnam and had different rooms each time. All were lovely in terms of size and decor but the suite we were so pleased to be upgraded to turned out to be incredibly noisy, river view rooms are smaller but much quieter and the view is fantastic. Sauna and massage facilities were very strange, not the kind of thing you would expect in a hotel of this standard.
The hotel's structure is no doubt beautiful with a very nice lobby with different artwork display (although they are from a commercial vendor selling the pieces but nice display nevertheless). The staffs are very friendly and attentive. I recall looking for a cable (wire) which can be connected from my camcorder to the room's TV and the staff attending to me was very helpful. He went to get another of his colleague in maintenance to assist. In the end, it did not work but I think it was due to the different system (PAL or NTSC) compatibility. But the efforts by the staffs were certainly commendable.

The restaurant's staffs were very attentive as well. I remembered having the buffet breakfast (which came with the room), the staffs would clear my plate every time I stood up to go for another round of food. I also witnessed another guest who dropped her utensil and one of staff immediately had a replacement even before the guest can request for it. I think services like these are no doubt GREAT. The food selections are not bad (could change between different days but not overly important).

The location of the hotel is good as well although there are other hotels in the area or other main strip with similar advantages. The only difference is the Majestic is overlooking the river and it is across some boat restaurants. As for value for money, well, I originally made the booking for Deluxe room thinking I would be put on their "club" floor but when I arrived, I found out there is no such "club" floor. The deluxe room is simply a bigger room than the standard room. So my suggestion is, if room size is not an issue, a standard room will do as the room is generally big, clean and comfortable. It has a very high ceiling commonly the case with building built in the same era. Some people might find the room facing the street a bit noisy but it did not bothered me. Overall, it was a nice experience and I would recommend the hotel.