Hotel des Arts Saigon

Among Hôtel des Arts’ many attributes is its superb rooftop swimming pool and bar, the Social Club, where some of the best Ho Chi Minh City views can be enjoyed to the sound of live music, either while lounging on a sunbed or revelling in the lively evening atmosphere often found here.

Yet, as upbeat and hip as the Social Club Rooftop Bar is, the rest of Hôtel des Arts Saigon is notably sophisticated.

This is a place of countless works of art lining the walls – the owner’s own private collection, in fact – fine dining cuisine found in each of two tantalising restaurants, an award-winning spa and gracefully adorned guestrooms to retire to, all just steps from Notre Dame Cathedral.

Style and substance work in tandem at Hôtel des Arts Saigon. The interior design, for example, is a heady fusion of styles where marble meets polished wood, and contemporary furnishings sit beside antique ornaments and one-off artworks, with clear flurries of Vietnamese cultural influences also peppered throughout. Overall, no expense has been spared on the look of this luxury Ho Chi Minh hotel, attention to detail that transcends through to the standard of service and onsite facilities too.

Both of the main restaurants at Hôtel des Arts are a joy, not least thanks to their aerial views of the city but also the range of cuisine on offer and décor scheme of each; one laid out like a high-end food market, the other a classic fine dining restaurant. There's a well-equipped gym, relaxed reading lounge and a small but pretty garden to sit in too.

Meanwhile, guestrooms and suites are full of light (and city views) thanks to their floor-to-ceiling windows, and generally feel refined with white walls, dark marble bathrooms and quality soft furnishings completing the picture.