Homestay 1579 SaPa

The place and the view are great, though you’ll want to choose the time of year carefully for a clearer mountain view. It’s quite hard to reach on foot.

When we got to Sa Pa at 6 am, we were told check-in couldn’t happen before 2 pm at the earliest, so we waited in a cafe for eight hours. That part was fine. What followed made me regret the wait. After we arrived at the AirBnB and messaged the host through the app, we waited over an hour without hearing from the host or the staff there. Then we were hurried into a nearby house that didn’t look like the place we’d booked and paid for. After we tried explaining the mistake to the local staff, they handed us a phone. A woman on the call, who turned out to be the host, said there was a problem with our AirBnB and that we could move once it was cleaned. She couldn’t say when. I’d also been given the lockbox code, so I went to see why we couldn’t get into the actual Airbnb. Opening the door brought an awful smell, like wet diapers. There was rubbish inside, used towels, mattresses on the floor, and a yellow lazy chair that smelled of pee. I didn’t want to stay there anyway. The alternative Airbnb had no heater or AC. It was only 6°C outside, and there were gaps about 2 cm wide between the windows, so every surface and fabric was dripping wet. Neither place seemed safe to stay in, so I booked a hotel for the rest of my time in Sa Pa. I hope nobody else makes the mistake of booking one of these. The host seemed not to care about the buildings or guests at all.

It worked well for our group, with a big dining and hangout area and a pool table. The rooms are separate from each other, and two rooms have two double beds apiece. Some beds were among the hardest I’ve slept on, so extra bedding or a mattress topper would help if you dislike firm beds. Remember to switch on the hot water in the room. The kitchen has a fridge freezer, rice cooker, pots, pans, bowls, chopsticks, kettle, and a two-ring stove, though it could use more than its two spoons. I’d also add comfier seating so you can sit with the mountain view or read a book. The staff answered our questions and let us leave our bags during a two-day trek. The mountain views are stunning and the place is peacefully away from town. There’s a short walk of about 300 m from where taxis or buses can drop you, though the e-vans from Sapa Town were handy. The route goes through a building site, which can be off-putting, but at the end there’s a really nice homestay, 1579.

A really healing, calming experience for my mental health. They welcomed me warmly and the service was nice. Highly recommend, 100/10.