The Reverie Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City

BACKGROUND

The Reverie occupies the upper floors of a 39-storey mixed-use building – Times Square – containing luxury showrooms and offices. It opened in 2015.

WHERE IS IT?

On Dong Khoi Street and Nguyen Hue Boulevard in Ho Chi Minh City’s central urban area - District 1.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?

From reception on the ground floor you are quickly whisked to the seventh floor lobby for check-in. It’s an opulent space created almost exclusively by Italian designers. Reception has pale blue carpeting, walls of white-grey marble with multicoloured mosaics, and a five-metre ‘Esmeralda’ sofa designed by Colombostile upholstered in purple ostrich leather with amethyst detailing. There’s a malachite and gold-plated clock weighing 1,000 kilograms by Florentine company, Baldi. There are crystal chandeliers, liveried staff and a baby grand piano in the corner with a live pianist. It’s a level of ostentatiousness that will either beguile or amuse, depending on your taste.

ROOMS

There are 286 rooms and suites, with 12 categories of rooms ranging in size from 43-53 sqm and 62 suites ranging from 63 sqm to 313 sqm. All are extremely luxurious with floor-to-ceiling windows, robes and bed sheets by Frette, complimentary minibar including beers, a Nespresso machine and kettle, and Chopard toiletries. The rooms are perfect for those on business – a good-sized desk and office supplies including scissors, glue, pens and paper. On the technology side there are Cisco VoIP telephones, 46- to 55-inch

Samsung LED FHD TVs (with 15-inch TVs in the bathrooms), complimentary wifi and all-in-one media hubs for optimal connectivity – including universal power outlets, USB and HDMI outlets, and audio and video inputs. There is a 542 sqm executive club on the top two floors of the hotel called The Reverie Lounge reserved for those in suites.

FOOD AND DRINK

There are four restaurants. Café Cardinal is the all-day dining restaurant serving breakfast through to contemporary French cuisine in the evening. It’s an odd space, reached by a curving staircase down from the reception area, with a double-height ceiling that

It’s a level of ostentatiousness that will either beguile or amuse you

makes it feel empty even when quite busy, but the food is excellent under chef Paul Pettini and his team. The Royal Pavilion serves Cantonese fine dining in a setting decorated with jade stones and traditional Chinese scenes painted on gold leaf that are juxtaposed with chairs and tableware designed by Provasi of Italy. Da Vittorio Saigon offers Italian fine-dining with exemplary service in the basement of the hotel. There is also The Long at Times Square, which is a casual restaurant with a 48m bar – it is actually a walkway between two streets but thankfully covered.

MEETINGS

There are 15 different sized rooms on the 4th, 5th and 8th floors. The largest is the La Scala ballroom, with onyx-framed entryways, fabric-lined walls by Rubelli, and Swarovski crystal chandeliers, while the foyer features a 19th-century Bechstein grand piano with a ‘Russian mosaic’ veneer of malachite and gilded bronze by Baldi.

LEISURE

There is a 24m outdoor pool on the sixth floor complete with an underwater sound system as well as two spa baths. On the same level the 1,200 sqm fitness centre and spa has curved corridors of slatted walnut featuring 12 treatment rooms, male and female steam and sauna facilities, a beauty salon and hair salon.

VERDICT

The decor may not be to everyone’s taste, but this is a luxury hotel with top class service and fantastic facilities, including excellent restaurants. Tom Otley

BESTFOR

The views across Ho Chi Minh City

DON’TMISS

Dining in one of the restaurants – if you only choose one – try Da Vittorio Saigon

PRICE

Internet rates for a Deluxe room in mid-February start from US$350

CONTACT

Times Square Building, 22-36 Nguyen Hue Boulevard and 57-69F Dong Khoi Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City; +84 (0) 28 3823 6688; thereveriesaigon.com