Central Hotel & Residences Saigon

Rooms and decor

Getting here means a 10-minute Grab from Pham Ngu Lao for about $2. Central sits in District 4, near the Saigon River and Lotte Mart District 7 — a residential pocket rather than the backpacker strip. The 18-storey brown-and-white building reads like an actual 4-star hotel, and the mid-sized lobby has sofas, contemporary art and 100 Mbps Wi-Fi. Check-in took about 5 minutes with a welcome glass of Vietnamese iced tea. The Deluxe Pool View runs 32 sqm at around $34 a night, done in cream and brown with a King bed (180x200 cm), a sofa, a desk, a 50-inch TV, minibar, fridge and a Nespresso machine. The marble bathroom has a jacuzzi tub, a rain shower and L'Occitane toiletries, and the balcony looks over the big pool and the river.

Food and amenities

Dinner at the Saigon Restaurant is Vietnamese fine dining — a five-course set menu at about $22 a head, running through pho, Hanoi-style bun cha, fresh spring rolls, banh xeo and che, with coffee to finish. Breakfast is a big buffet at the Atrium for roughly $11, mixing Vietnamese, Asian, Western and Indian — good quality, generous portions. A 60-minute Vietnamese herbal massage at the spa is about $26, and the sauna and steam are free for guests, open 06:00 to 22:00. The fitness center is open 24 hours and well kitted out.

Location and getting there

The heart of Central is its pool — the largest in the Pham Ngu Lao group at 25x10 m and 1.5 m deep, about seven times the boutique rooftop pools nearby. There's a kids' pool (5x5 m, 0.5 m deep), 30 sun loungers, umbrellas, and a pool bar open 09:00 to 22:00 with cocktails around $4.50, beer about $2 and smoothies near $3. The view takes in the Saigon River and the Bitexco Financial Tower. Reviews describe spending four hours poolside on day one — a morning swim before the crowds, an afternoon in the sun, a cocktail at dusk — which makes it an easy pick for families with kids who want to swim. It's 25 km from Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN).

Things to know before booking

The catch is the location: you're a 10-minute drive from Pham Ngu Lao, so Bui Vien isn't a walk away — figure on a $2 Grab each direction, or use the free shuttle at 09:00 and 18:00. It's also the priciest option in the group, opening at $34 a night against the dorms elsewhere. And the building dates to 2014, so it's a bit older than the newest hotels here, though it still holds its 4-star standard. For four people, the 55 sqm Family Suite — King plus two singles, two bathrooms and a living room — runs about $84 and beats booking two separate rooms.

Our take

Central Hotel & Residences Saigon is the only 4-star in the Pham Ngu Lao group, pairing the biggest pool around with three restaurants, a spa and a 24-hour gym. It scores 8.5/10 across more than 1,400 reviews, with rates from $34. It's the most comfortable, most grown-up pick on this list — best for couples and families who want a proper pool and full 4-star service, and don't need to be right in the middle of the backpacker district.