Sapa Guest Houses - Reviews and Rates

Throughout my whole trip I felt the Vietnamese people have been very fair with prices and have not "taken advantage" of the western traveler. Unfortunately, I cannot say that anymore. I met these two girls in Hoi An who suggested a place to stay with fair prices on tours. So I went there and they offered me very good prices on tours and on a roo...

Another overnight journey and then an hour's minibus ride from Lao Cai on the Chinese border up to Sapa. As we had reserved the hotel on the internet, there was even someone at Lao Cai with our name displayed waiting for us, and so we had a transfer straight to the hotel. Sapa was instigated as a hill station by the French in the 1930's, and res...

The train actually arrives in Lao Cai , about 45 mins from Sapa . We did not book transport ahead of time and we had to sit in a mini bus for 30 mins before we left the parking lot of the train station. Then we drove around town for an hour filling up with people before we actually made the drive to Sapa. We got dropped off right in the center o...

Its an early start - we're heading to another village market around 70 kms away. At least the rain seems to have stopped, which is good news, but its still pretty overcast. This time we are joined by a young German couple, but Thanh is still our guide for the day - our last one up here in the northern mountains. Our route today takes us east, ba...

After we got back to Hanoi from our Ha Long Bay tour, we scoped out an 'ok' looking food stall, and enjoyed a spicy fried noodle chicken soup...sitting in those teeny tiny chairs on the sidewalk. We are getting much better at feeding ourselves like the locals and our stomachs seem to be handling the food pretty well. As I may have mentioned befo...

27? March Thurs. 8:45am...I think. My watch, still ahead one day from leap year foible, and Windows XP tell me it's the 28th... mood: gradually lightening up, crampy stomach, salty buttery baguettey aftertaste from omelette slathered and giant fat baguette roll...not much because of the tummy. kinda wanting space and a moment alone after continu...

Sapa - in the clouds 16 to 19 January 2008 Our train to Sapa was a long one about 20 carriages- the last two carriages belonging to the Victoria Hotels group. The carriages were identifiable from the outside, but not special. The inside was distinctive and well presented. Our two carriages were both sleepers - there was no restaurant car for eit...

Aaaaahhh ! Sapa est bondee de touristes et de Montagnards sautant sur eux pour leur vendre leurs produits ! Et oui... c'est le WE ! Quel changement d'atmosphere, c'etait tellement mieux en semaine ! On a retrouve Thu sur le marche. Enfin... c'est plutot elle qui nous a retrouve avec son joyeux "Hello ! Remember me ?" Elle nous explique qu'elle n...

Arriving in Sa Pa bright and early we were greeted with fog. Thats about it. Thick pea-soupy fog - you couldn't see the other side of the road kind of thick! It was great! And FREEZING - after being in thirty degree weather for almost two years now jumping into the 8-15 degree temperatures were bone chilling, I dont think I felt my toes for the ...

Our second in Sapa. Our hotel was amazing, the pictures don't do the view justice as it's always kind of hazy, but our balcony overlooked a whole valley. Sapa is like the Switzerland of Vietnam, it's a beautiful mountain village. Women of the minoritiy communities wear their traditional clothes, each different from each other and sell stuff to t...