The first look at the hotel shows you the tip of the iceberg. The reception is on the third floor. Rooms are located from there down to the first floor with the restaurant on the ground floor. The weather was chilly and damp with no heat in the rooms but the heavy comforters were sufficient. There's an outdoor elevator that's a bit tempermental. There is a lovely garden outside the restaurant from which one can see gorgeous views of the valleys below when it's clear. They feature a good menu selection; a unique breakfast in that there are cups with honey already in the bottom for the special tea drinkers! This is an all world first! The staff is geared to the Trekkers and rightfully so. The trail guides are actual members of one of the ethnic tribes you are about to visit. Sean, the manager of the hotel, is a bilingual, American who is especially efficient and helpful. It was a unique and happy experience and we're look forward to doing it again.

There are set meals and nothing else is available. Worked out on the last day to order individual meals not the set and they were lovely. Large buffet breakfast will give you heaps of energy for the day.
Had our guide, Hai, get him if you can. He is great with kids too! Hired a scooter, which was overpriced, but hoped to have some recourse in case it broke down. Overall, the bathrooms were clean, not too much smell, the rooms were clean and no animals (which was a bonus), the staff were friendly (well, most of them). The view was awesome!!! Just watching the mist in the valley of a morning, it was worth it.

Set meals, nothing else is possible. Both got sick from the food. Bar closes at 9pm. Very early. Rooms with almost holes in de floors. Lights not working. Brokendown.

Trekking tours were ok, if you like walking with 50 people through a rice field.

Staff and guides were friendly and wel organised.

Because we were very happy about the Ha Long Bay Tour that we booked trough our hostel in Hanoi, we decided to book another two-day tour in Sapa. Although they are a lot of mixed reviews on this website, they assured us that everything would be fine. And to be honest, it was more than ok. We had a big, spacious and very clean room with a private bathroom. Also the staff was friendly and willing to help all the time. The food in the restaurant is not the best in the world, but more than good enough to have a nice lunch or dinner whilst enjoying the nice view on the terrace. We had a great time, but maybee that is also because during this time of the year it is not that busy. I can imagine that during peak season things could be different. But apart from that, we had no complaints and enjoyed our stay in Sapa to the maximum!

Food recommendations: the daily soup is great, the springrolls very tasty, the fried aubergine is not really our favourite, the curry is good and if you are lucky, the chickenburger will blow you away :-)