My Dream Hotel

We could walk everywhere we needed to, and the owners and their kids were lovely and friendly. We stayed a few nights while passing through on the way to do the Ha Giang loop. The room got damp, and getting rid of the condensation meant opening the window. That wasn’t much of an option with dogs, cats, and roosters sometimes competing to be loudest at 5am. Still happy with the stay and the value, and I’d recommend it to budget travellers.

The family who run the place are so lovely and ready to help with everything, even arranging a taxi to your next homestay. It’s right beside the bus stop, handy before or after a bus to Sa Pa. We arrived at 1am on a last-minute booking, and the owner was there to welcome us at the 24/7 front desk. They’re also opening a vegan restaurant on site. We tried the food and it was delicious!

I only meant to stay two nights while checking out other places, but the welcoming family made me sad to leave. They spoke quite good English, especially the mother, and after the first night I got a discount, maybe because it was low season. The rooms were clean and fresh, though there was no view. They let me move to the fifth floor for more daylight; downstairs had more privacy. Upstairs, the window looked onto a narrow back street and the neighbours were quiet. I’m not sure whether they have guest rooms at the front or the family uses them, but the back is definitely quieter, with no cars or motorbikes. There’s some roadwork on the main street at the moment, but they seem to be doing it without noisy machinery, and I think there’ll soon be a nice new pavement.

It was raining too hard to reach our other booking, so when we arrived in Sapa at 1am the owner kindly took us in. After checkout the next day, she also let us leave our bags there.