Dao Lodge

The portions were generous, and the food tasted good. It cost 180K per person, and two of us couldn’t finish it all. The room was a different story: at 800K a night, it’s a definite no for me. There was practically no sound insulation, so we could hear our neighbor doing everything from opening a beer can to snoring late into the night.

The village is lovely, and the lodge is beautiful. Staff were friendly, though they were usually on their phones. Breakfast and dinner were fine but nothing special. There were some quirks, too: our light switch was in another room, and the bathroom had a see-through screen. The bamboo divider gave a little privacy, but you could see through it when the lights were on. You do get your own bathroom, but there are limitations.

The location worked well, just a short ride from town. The homestay was friendly, the beds comfortable, and the rooms spacious and warm, with much-needed heaters and good hot water. Dinner was generous, though breakfast could have offered a couple more choices.

We paid 660k for a double room, and it felt overpriced. Nobody spoke English. Breakfast was a strange mix of powdered coffee, pancakes, and two eggs, with no baguette or bananas. Dinner was the usual family-style meal at 150k, but there weren’t many dishes, some menu items were missing, and there was no fruit. We’ve had better meals elsewhere. Nothing special.