On gaining weight at Intercontinental Asiana Saigon

If you’ve read our article on the Street Food of Mauritius, then you would know about my fondness for sugarcane juice. I’m really flexible about food and I’ll eat anything while travelling but I like my juices fresh (none of that sugary canned stuff for me!). That’s why I usually walk right past the juice section at most breakfast buffets.

Imagine my surprise when I saw not one, not two, but 5 varieties of freshly-squeezed juice, including sugarcane juice (*does a little dance*) at Intercontinental Asiana Saigon. I rubbed my hands in glee – this breakfast was going to be fun. As my hungry eyes wandered, I spied a live Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) station. Next to it,  a chef was putting together intricate rolls and slices of sushi and sashimi. Further ahead, an array of Vietnamese delicacies (everything from stir-fried noodles to Bánh mì) enticed the hotel’s guests.

These exotic aromas were replaced by the fragrance of freshly-baked bread as I turned a corner. An elaborate display of cold cuts and gourmet cheeses caught my eye – I stared at Vid, completely flummoxed by the variety on offer. I didn’t know where to start.

Both Vid and I had been warned about the seductive charms of the buffet at Market 39, Intercontinental Asiana Saigon’s in-house restaurant by the knowledgeable local experts at Kuoni when we first booked the hotel. On perusing their breakfast buffet, we could see why. The thing that stood out was the quality of the food – dozens of hotels in Asia have elaborate spreads for breakfast but they fail the taste test. Intercontinental Asiana Saigon is different – the amount of attention lavished on each morsel of sushi and bowl of Pho was evident in the way these dishes tasted.

And then there’s the coffee – having tasted traditional Vietnamese coffee (Strong coffee + condensed milk + ice – Slurp!) at dozens of stalls all over Vietnam, we can safely say this is one of Vietnam’s finest!! Even our resident coffee geek (aka Vid), who is super picky about his brew, loved it!

We spent 5 days at the Intercontinental and each day, heavy breakfasts were followed by cheeky naps and lazy baths in our spacious room (sightseeing – what’s that? ). We were in the Superior Deluxe Room and loved every bit of it.

Vid’s favourites were the work desk and the lounger (as you can well see below 🙂 ) but I fell for their bespoke pillow menu. Seriously, a pillow menu!! How neat is that?

Asian hospitality is famous the world over and it’s often the first thing we notice on flying to Asia from Europe, but the welcome at Intercontinental Asiana Saigon was exceptional to say the least. Both of us gained 5 pounds on those breakfasts, we can’t begrudge them for that, can we? 🙂

FACT FILE

• Intercontinental Asiana Saigon is highly recommended for tourists. It is close to all the major landmarks of Ho Chi Minh City and you can walk to most places in the city.
• Highlights include their in house restaurant Market 39 and well-equipped rooms. Prices start at £120. More information on their website.
• We booked our stay with Kuoni. They have an excellent selection of luxury hotels – perfect if you, like us, enjoy indulgent holidays
• Even if you don’t stay at the hotel, definitely visit Market 39 for a meal or coffee – it’s glorious! Don’t send us photos because it’ll make us VERY jealous – bleurgh!

Are you wondering what to pack for Vietnam? Hop over to our posts on Travel Fashion in Vietnam for some inspiration

Planning a trip to Asia? We have itineraries, lists of street food, and everything else you could possibly need in our section dedicated to Asia

We were guests of Kuoni at Intercontinental Asiana Saigon. We are two extremely opinionated ninjas – so all views (good and bad) are entirely our own. Click on to read our full Disclosure Policy