I couldn’t stand the idea of lounging around the departure lounge for 11 hours in the wee of the night so I decided to try Noi Bai Airport's new Sleeping Pods. Prior to booking the pods, I considered the possibility of getting a normal hotel room outside of the airport since they were much more affordable, bigger and had all the proper facilities. But the reviews made me a little scared and I didn’t want to risk missing my flight, so I went with a sleeping Pod instead.
I arrived at Terminal 2 but rented a pod at Terminal 1 because Terminal 2 only had Twin beds and I didn’t want to waste my money renting an extra bed hehee.
Shuttle Bus between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2
I got out of the immigration, waited way too long to collect my baggage and then took a shuttle bus to Terminal 1. The Shuttle Bus stop is on the extreme right when you exit the arrival Hall. It is between Pick Up point/Column 17 and 18. Look out for the yellow numbers on black signboards that are on the side of the white columns.Shuttle Bus between terminal 1 and 2: NoiBaiAirport.vn
Service period: 6:00am (Lobby A of Terminal T1) to 00:50am (Pick up Point No.18, 1st Floor of Terminal 2)
Frequency: Every 10-15minutes
Journey time: Approx 5 minutes
The white signboard in the middle is the Shuttle Bus signboard. It is between Pickup point 17 and 18. It is also facing a big fountain. Note that these photos are of Terminal 2.
The bus came very quickly and was not too crowded. There was plenty of space for those with bulky luggages.
Photo from http://noibaiairport.vn/
Terminal 2 Sleeping Pods
There are sleeping Pods in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. However they are both in the landside of the airport, meaning, you would have to go through the immigration counters to access them. That means you need a visa or a visa waiver. Thank God I’m a Singaporean! I had an 11 hour layover so I rented the whole day package. I booked my stay via my favourite booking.com because the other 2 websites didn’t seemed to agree with me. It cost me USD 28/ SGD$33 and I paid via my Mastercard as an advanced booking.Official Website: http://hanoiairporthotels.vn/
Booking website: http://hanoiairporthotels.vn/ or http://vatc.vn/ or Booking.com
There are 6 bed sleeping pods in Terminal 2 and 14 sleeping pods in Terminal. Only Terminal 1 have single sleeping pods.
Table & Notes information from : http://hanoiairporthotels.vn/room-and-rates
Notes:
This pricelist is only applied for Online Booking making through: http://hanoiairporthotels.vn/
1. Room rate is not included 10% VAT; 5% service charges
2. Free snack, drink and wet tissue in the room 3. Single room has 1 single, sleeps 1. Twin Room has 2 singles, sleeps 2
4. Extra resident fee for child(ren):
- Child(ren) up to 6 years old accompanied by adults: FREE
- Child(ren) up to 12 years old: VND75,000/hour-Child(ren) more than 12 years old charged as adult(s) ( not allowed to share room, which is over the permitted number people in each kind of room)
4. Round-up Rules:
- From 1’ to 15’ time will be rounded up as 0’
- From 16’ to 45’ time will be rounded up as 30’
- From 46’ to 60’ time will be rounded up as 60’
Reservation Guarantee:
In order to guarantee your reservation, valued guest will need to deposit 100% of total expected room price for your stay according to our rate policy.
There are 3 types of payment methods: Bank transfer; Paypal; Visa/ Mastercard. Please follow the booking instructions and choose the most convenient method for you here.
Cancellation Policy:
100% deposit won’t be refunded in case of cancellation or “no show”.
Useful Information:
1. Sleep Pods are located outside of the security area. Valued guests would have to exit the security area to access us.
2. Bathroom is not available in our property; Shared toilet is available.
“Each SleepPod was carefully designed and manufactured to ensure all the needs were met for relaxation, sleep or entertainment. The Pod has dimensions of 4sqm width a 3m height and is equipped with basic mini hotel style items and entertainment appliances, as well as a comfortable bed with blankets, sheets, pillows being provided each Pod also has aircon, clothes hangers, a phone, wifi and an alarm clock. In addition, customers will be offered a free drink and snack whilst enjoying the service.”
The Reception counter of the Sleeping Pods were right in the middle of the airport. I alighted from my shuttle bus, stepped into the departure lounge, asked the only staff at Vietname AIrline and she directed me to the reception counter. It was right behind!
Map from : http://hanoiairporthotels.vn/location
If this map confuses you as much as it did to me, then don’t worry about it. Just go to Level 2, and search for Vietnam Airline’s Check-in counter 30. It is just around it. Check out my video below to see where everything is.
The staff was on toilet break so I waited a while and took some photographs and videos. She came shortly after and greeted me with a warm smile. After verifying my name and reservation, she made a call to her colleagues upstairs and then she led me to the sleeping pods. We went to the lift that was in the center of the airport and then went up to the 3rd floor. She was even kind enough to help me with my luggage!
The sleeping pods are right in front of the lift. There is a staff on 24 hour duty near the white and orange banner. Time to meet the Sleeping Pods itself!
The space is tiny at approximately 4 meter x 2 meter. It really only has space for a narrow bed and a bedside table. It is just right for a single adult but would be a torture if you try squeezing 2 person in . Below are a list of items available in the Pods.
- 1 Bed
- 1 Pillow
- 1 quilt
- Free Wifi
- Cable TV + Remote controls
- Air Conditioner + Remote Control
- A small 350ml mineral water
- A chocolate cake snack
- A cup
- 1 Powerplug
- 1 phone
- 1 Tablelamp
- 1 Alarm clock
- 1 small book with information the Sleeping Pod and Hanoi attractions.
- A pair of rubber slippers
- A small dustbin
As mentioned above, there is no bathing or toilet facility in the Pod. You have to use the public toilet 20 meter further down.
The staff who manned the reception counter was super cute and friendly. She asked if I needed a wake up call and since my flight was at 7:45am, I requested for a wake up call at 5:30am. She met me outside my sleeping Pod at 6:00am, had me sign off some receipt and then led me to the shuttle Bus stop. I have nothing but good things to say about the service rendered!
Overall, I had a very good experience at the Sleeping Pod and would recommend it to anyone with an extended layover in Noi Bai Airport. Of course, if your layover is during daytime, then it makes more sense to venture out into the city. But if you are like me, arrived late in the night then it’s better to be on the conservative side and stay near the airport.
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