InterContinental Hanoi Westlake

"Sublime settings among city hotels are rare, and none outdoes this site: Overlooking the 800-year-old Golden Lotus Pagoda on Hanoi’s largest lake, it is ten minutes by car from the city’s hip historic center (an excellent city map is presented along with your room key). The 359 stylish guest rooms have headboards crafted from intricate hill tribe textiles, funky birdcage-inspired bedside lamps, and bathrooms equipped with powerful showers and double sinks. Most standard rooms have lake views; on the downside, they suffer from thin walls that fail to block out occasional hallway noise. The three on-site restaurants and bars will more than satisfy anyone too rushed to explore Hanoi’s rich and diverse dining scene. Café du Lac stands out here for authentic French brasserie fare, as does the Sunset Bar, poised on its own island in the lake and accessible by a romantic torch-lit bridge."