Fodor's Expert Review Hotel Continental

History buffs head for this French-colonial-style hotel, where Graham Greene's classic The Quiet American was set and the author himself stayed (in room 214); it was also the meeting place of journalists and diplomats during the Vietnam War. The unique outdoor courtyard garden and dining area dates from the late 19th century—a delightful place to relax with a drink beneath frangipani trees, some of which were planted in 1880. Sadly, the government-owned Continental is only a shadow of its former self, and its interior style and the quality of the finishing lack the finesse of its international counterparts.