Baloo Hostel

Danh the receptionist was very kind and helpful booking a trip. He also thought about the best way to go after the DMZ tour (Vinh Moc tunnels) to Phong Nha and because of that I had much less travel time. I stayed in the dorm and at the floor alone, so that was an advantage. Room very clean and it was a nice soft bed, sanitary also clean and modern. Good and hot shower. Lower bed had a curtain what I like usually when I’m in the room with others. Location is in city center perfect, only 2 minutes walking to the walking street and in the street also nice bars and restaurants. Danh also arranged me a bike and he invited me to a jogging event in the city together. At the last night unfortunately the airco stopped working, but that will be fixed.

The hostel was amazing. About 100 metres from the main area of bars and hostels for backpackers. We had a double room and the bed was comfy with wardrobe space and an en-suite. It’s perfect for what u need to get around Hue. Our receptionist John was so helpful with everything.

Our stay at Baloo Hotel was flawless. Among the best reasons to stay at Baloo would be access to one of the best tour guides in Hue, Thanh Danh (John). Baloo is a great stay for both local Vietnamese, as well as foreign travelers. Foreign backpackers can easily leverage John's adept knowledge of the city of Hue to find the best alternatives in which they wish to spend their time in the city. For my stay, this meant seeing the Imperial Citadel, as well as trying out the local cuisine in Hue. John was able to take us throughout the Citadel and explain in detail the intricacies in English. It was a much more interactive experience than just having an audio guide self tour. Hue, a city with a proud ancient culinary history boasts plentiful options for the local specialties. The city is full of great options that a tourist will have no problem in enjoying an excellent meal. But if food speaks to you at a different level, if you're a foodie of brave heart, or a like-minded thinker to the late Anthony Bourdain, you may wish for something more than that. You may find interest in eating as the locals do and eat at the non-touristy spots around the city. John arranged a food tour of sorts for our 3 day stay in Hue. He guided us to try Salted Coffee, Mi Hien (Noodles with mussels and soup), a very flavourful vegetarian meal with multiple dishes for Buddhists, and the absolute highlight, a local spot serving Bun Bo out of someone's own home. The broth is one with the best depth I've ever tasted, coming from someone who has Bun Bo Hue regularly in Toronto, Canada where I'm from. These locations are not revealed in this review in respect of John's food tour. We cannot recommend this experience enough! Lastly, our stay at Baloo coincided with the 2022 World Cup Quarter finals. John directed us to one of the best bars in t monkhe city, DMZ Bar. We were in for an absolute thriller of a game as Croatia upset a heavily favorited Brazil team. John would also join us for the game in the late hours of the night, which he also did the following night for the Morocco vs Portugal game. Asides from the city and food tours, I'm also aware John arranges motorbike tours through the Hai Van Pass to Da Nang and from Hue to Ha Long Bay. If weather had permitted, we would have joined those trips. While reflecting, we were quite lucky to have met John as much of our experience in the city of Hue waws due to his recommendations and one that goes beyond the surface level that tourists may only often experience without a local guide that goes beyond the minimum. Our experience was much more like visiting a friend for the first who has recently moved to a new city. John is energetic, curious, and showed great dedication to ensure we had an absolute great time in both Hue and Vietnam. We will be sure to contact him the next time we arrive back in Vietnam!

We booked a tour with Danh for the Hai Van pass and he was amazing! I was on the back of his motorbike and felt comfortable and safe the entire journey. He stopped for all the amazing views and took lots of pictures of us which was lovely. Can’t recommended him enough 😍