Metropole Hotel, Hanoi

Ah, one of those minimalist hotels with a super-trendy Met Bar. No. Totally the opposite. When the Metropole opened its doors in 1901, during French colonial rule in Vietnam, it was rightly declared magnifique, not only by well-heeled Gallic types but also a steady stream of similarly well-heeled international travellers. Its archetypal tropical colonial style - whitewashed facade, colonnade entrance, shuttered windows, tall ceilings with whirring fans and polished hardwood floors - has charmed many a big-name guest.

Who stays? Anyone who's anyone goes there today, as French President Jacques Chirac and his entourage proved recently. Jane Fonda, Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham, Charlie Chaplin and - perhaps most notably - Graham Greene have all checked in. While other impressive names passed through swiftly, Greene was a long-term patron. As well as a novelist and short-story writer, Greene was a journalist and assigned to Hanoi by Paris Match in 1951. Back then, when publications paid top dollar for correspondents' accommodation and expenses, he stayed at the Metropole, where he enjoyed his favourite tipple - dry vermouth - at the hotel bar, often with international journalist friends. During this assignment Greene wrote The Quiet American, set against the backdrop of growing US involvement in Vietnam. In the 2002 film adaptation, starring Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser, the hotel hosted the crew and cast. Greene's shadow remains: a suite he stayed in and a cocktail (above) available at Le Club Bar - made of dry vermouth, gin and cassis - are named in his honour.

Luxurious rather than basic, then? It's pristine as well as luxurious. A renovation of rooms, public areas and French-Vietnamese fine-dining restaurant, Le Beaulieu, was completed in October. Large arched windows allow in more light and street vignettes than ever. Rich wood panelling in the lobby, hardwood floors in guest rooms, and sepia and black-and-white photographs on whitewashed walls, set off by colourfully glazed Vietnamese ceramics and contemporary paintings, lift the mood far above colonial stuffiness. An additional wing, completed in 1992, encloses the hotel's garden courtyard, which is home to the Spices Garden Vietnamese restaurant, the Bamboo Bar and a small swimming pool. The low-rise facade blends imperceptibly with the

original structure.

Anything else we should know? The wide central staircase in the main building, with atrium views towards the teak-panelled reception and marble-floored entrance, is highly atmospheric - although it's quicker to take the lift.