Check your sheets before sleeping in them -- they probably haven't been changed. Afraid to shower with fungus? You should be: the tiles are filthy. After a quite spectacular gondola cable lift -- the world's longest -- we were excited to view the world above the clouds, with breathtaking views of Danang and the South China Sea. But for a hotel claiming 4-stars, even a no-star is more hygienic. My sheets had dried blood stains; while a friend's bed remained unchanged, still with the body impression of the previous night’s occupant. Another guest complained she would only take a sponge bath, because her shower was too gritty. I passed my fingers over the tile floor, finding it covered with gray dust.

Location here adjoins a casino-in-waiting, with final plans for an incongruous French medieval fortress. So enjoy the ride up – it’s extraordinarily breathtaking, and well worth the detour. But atop, let them draw up the gate, man the barricades, and lock you out before entry.