If, when you’re looking for 96 Guesthouse, you walk by it a couple of times, thinking it’s actually just a shop, you won’t be the first one. It took us a few minutes of staring at this shop-front that sat where our guesthouse was supposed to be, before someone beckoned us inside and there, sure enough, was the check-in desk and staircase that leads up to the rooms.
Confusion over, we were taken to our room, a nice enough large-ish space, with two double beds, an ensuite bathroom (or rather a wet room, with sink, shower and toilet all squished into a fairly small box room), air conditioning, a TV and fridge, which we got for $24 per night (a little overpriced in my opinion). The room was on the first floor, at the front of the building, looking out over the main street of bars and restaurants, which fortunately meant that we didnt have to climb many stairs (there are six floors and no lift…there is a winch for your bags though) but it also meant that it was extremely noisy at night…almost unbearably so.
However, apart from the noise in the front rooms (I can’t comment on what it might be like in the rooms at the back of the building), 96 Guesthouse was a perfectly pleasant place to stay. It is in an excellent location, surrounded by bars and restaurants, and within walking distance to pretty much all of HCMC’s main attractions, and more importantly, the staff are absolutely lovely. They always greet you with a smile and have plenty of information on hand to make your stay a good one, as well as offering a booking service for tours, buses and trains to various places such as Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. And finally, maybe the best thing about the guesthouse is that it has the shop downstairs, perfect for those midnight chocolate cravings when you’re already in your pajamas!
Dates stayed: 2 – 4 Dec 2011
My Rating:
Overall: 89.5%
Atmosphere: 84%
Cleanliness: 89%
Location: 98%
Staff: 100%
Safety: 85%
Value for Money: 81%
Roo Around The World 