The Sheraton Saigon Review is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.
- Tokyo, Japan
- Melbourne, Australia
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Sydney, Australia
- Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Maldives
- Saigon, Vietnam
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Hong Kong
- Cape Town, South Africa
- Knysna, South Africa
- Durban, South Africa
- Mauritius
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Doha, Qatar
- New York, New York
- Helsinki, Finland
Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.
Getting There: I took a taxi from the airport and consulted my Blackberry for a reasonable fare. Google said $10 so I like to bargain for $8 and go from there. On the way back, I took the taxi called for me by the hotel.
Following the overnight flight from Maldives to Kuala Lumpur, I paid $161 for a round trip ticket on AirAsia to Saigon, a deviation from the business class opulence of the Explorer Award ticket. Arriving at 10AM in Ho Chi Minh, I was hoping that the Sheraton Saigon would let me check in early which they did. Exhausted, I passed out, completely oblivious to the sounds of motorbikes swarming below.
The Hotel
The Sheraton Saigon is typical of Sheraton hotels worldwide (excluding the pitiful Sheraton Times Square.). It had a plush king size bed, ample space, a great shower, and a decent view of the city. But for $151/night there are much better deals to be had in the city especially if you’re packing a carry-on full of points. I stayed for one night to meet the requirement to qualify for SPG Gold for 2014. For that purpose, it suited me just fine.
The Room
The Location
Saigon is a tiny city. The Sheraton is in a great location in the heart of all it. It is walking distance to everything including the first restaurant on Pho King’s Phoking tour of Saigon Pho, the terrible Pho 2000: President Clinton’s Bad Dining Advice.
<==Back to Conrad Maldives – Onto Park Hyatt Saigon==>
. It had a plush king size bed, ample space..){kind=link}
Thankfully now, one easy way to earn SPG Gold status is with the The Platinum Card® from American Express. You’re eligible as long as you have the card. Just call the number on the back of your card, and they can register you for SPG Gold status, which should kick in immediately.
Oh we have bigger issues than getting gold now. I’m platinum with spg now but here’s the new debate: http://thepointsoflife.boardingarea.com/keep-amex-platinum-for-hilton-gold/