Sapa, Place to stay, restaurants, and things to do?,

[Spaniel]

Wife and I will be visiting Sapa around the end of June. We first thought we would try a "homestay", outside the city, and identified several that looked ok, but now we have decided on staying in Sapa and make day trips to see what interest us. We plan on flying to Hanoi (from Bangkok) then off to Sapa the next day by bus. I think about 3 nights in Sapa should be enough then return to Hanoi for a few more days before returning to Bangkok. We were in Hanoi about 8 years ago and we saw most of the highlights, including HaLong Bay. So, any suggestions for a inexpensive hotel ($25) in Sapa as well as restaurants etc? Trekking toure, etc? I have found a couple of hotels in Sapa, Phuong Nam Hotel and the Thai Binh Sapa Hotel, one of which we will book, unless someone has a better suggestion. Thanks for any replies.

[BangkokHank]

After looking at about a dozen hotels after arriving in Sapa, this is where I ended up staying - for nearly two weeks - when I was there last November:

http://www.fansipanview.com/

It was just the right combination of price (about $25-30 a night) and quality for me. It is in a good location, has a spectacular view, and the guy working at the front desk (named "Mr. Thai") was exceptionally friendly and helpful. I am looking forward to my next stay there.

My favorite restaurant in Sapa was Romano’s Pizza Italian Restaurant. Don't let the name mislead you. There is a wide variety of food, and it was all delicious.

There is a relatively new bus company that can get you to Sapa from Hanoi by about 1pm: Sapa Express. The bus is extremely comfortable - apparently much more so than the train.

http://sapaexpress.com/en

I also think you are doing the right thing by staying in Sapa and making excursions to the surrounding villages.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Edited June 19, 2016 by BangkokHank

[Spaniel]

After looking at about a dozen hotels after arriving in Sapa, this is where I ended up staying - for nearly two weeks - when I was there last November:

http://www.fansipanview.com/

It was just the right combination of price (about $25-30 a night) and quality for me. It is in a good location, has a spectacular view, and the guy working at the front desk (named "Mr. Thai") was exceptionally friendly and helpful. I am looking forward to my next stay there.

My favorite restaurant in Sapa was Romano’s Pizza Italian Restaurant. Don't let the name mislead you. There is a wide variety of food, and it was all delicious.

There is a relatively new bus company that can get you to Sapa from Hanoi by about 1pm: Sapa Express. The bus is extremely comfortable - apparently much more so than the train.

http://sapaexpress.com/en

I also think you are doing the right thing by staying in Sapa and making excursions to the surrounding villages.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks for the tips. We will be leaving for Hanoi on Friday 24 June and return on 3 July on Vietjet. I think I got a pretty good price, B11,276 for two tickets. Two nights in Hanoi then the bus to Sapa. Booked two nights at Fansipan View Hotel. We may just stay there for a couple more nights before returning to Hanoi.

[BangkokHank]

Sounds good. Let me know how it goes.

By the way, I forgot to mention: A lot of your experience in Sapa will depend on how the weather is when you are there. I was there for twelve days back last November. For my first ten days there, the weather was spectacularly beautiful. But for the last two days, though, it was so foggy that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. If I hadn't seen the scenery when the weather was good, I might have doubted that it was such a beautiful place. So check the weather in Sapa when you arrive in Hanoi, and if it is bad, you might consider spending the time in Hanoi until the weather (hopefull) improves.

[Spaniel]

Sounds good. Let me know how it goes.

By the way, I forgot to mention: A lot of your experience in Sapa will depend on how the weather is when you are there. I was there for twelve days back last November. For my first ten days there, the weather was spectacularly beautiful. But for the last two days, though, it was so foggy that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. If I hadn't seen the scenery when the weather was good, I might have doubted that it was such a beautiful place. So check the weather in Sapa when you arrive in Hanoi, and if it is bad, you might consider spending the time in Hanoi until the weather (hopefull) improves.

Thanks for your recommendations. We did get to Sapa via the Sapa Express bus and stayed at the Fansipan View hotel for two nights. The hotel was ok but we thought the breakfast could use some improvement. We saw enough although we didn't really do any trekking. The weather was actually pretty good, and the morning we went on the cable car it was perfect, although we did have a couple short showers and clouds too. Overall it was a nice visit.