Chau Long Sapa Hotel

+ You can do better in Sapa !

It's tough to put a finger on the one item that makes this place not a pleasant place to stay. We had a pleasnt trip with good hotels throughout out Vietnam vacation, but this one was the exception. During our stay at Chau Long, my wife and I were very uncomfortable at the hotel as it did not give us a "good feeling". I will try to put my finger on the items that made us uncomfortable. First, the rooms have a bad smell, were musty and are dated. Second, the bed did not look clean. Third, the bathroom was somewhat dirty. Fourth, I had a room under the dining area and you are woke up early by the noise coming through the floor. Fifth, the staff was not pleasant (but not mean), just not friendly. Sixth, the hotel tries to "nickle and dime" the guest for every little item. Seven, you just get the feeling that you are not a "guest" at the hotel. Again, just a strange feeling we had throughout that I have never felt before that made us feel uncomfortable.
I guess it is the combination of all the items above that I would not recommend this hotel. It is a shame they have not rectified the items I listed above because it has the potential to be a very good hotel. On the plus side, it is a good location and a great view.
We did walk around town to check out a couple of other hotels in anticipation of switching. We really liked Cha Pa, Sapa Rooms and Boutique Sapa Hotel. Unfortunately, they were all sold out as we were only in Sapa three nights. They all looked like good places with very friendly staff.


+ Great view !

We had a balcony room in the newer section and the view was great. We checked out but didn't leave for the night train at Lao Cai station until late afternoon and the hotel staff kept watch on our luggage until we retrieved them when we ready to go. The hotel location is conveniently in town walking distance to shopping and restaurants. A nice place to stay when in SaPa.

+ Average Hotel !


My wife and I spent one night at the Chau Long hotel in Sapa. While our stay was comfortable and the staff was professional, the hotel was a tad pricey and the room was average.

Many hotels in Sapa have nice views. Chau Long is no exception. The hotel has a stunning lobby and restaurant, but then again, all of Sapa is stunning. Our room was moderately cleaned, and a little small. It smelled weakly of cigarette smoke, and the bed was extremely firm. Firm is actually an understatement.

The money exchange rate at the hotel was not favorable and not so much a hotel service as a hotel profit center. The complimentary breakfast was okay, but not up to the standards of the rest of Vietnam. The egg station was backed up, and we had to steal setting from other tables, as the staff was unable to turnover tables in a prompt manner. The juices and coffee were depleted and took a while to be refilled. We did not eat any other meals at the hotel restaurant because it was too expensive. On the day we checked out the weather was poor, and once we returned from trekking we needed to shower. We were charged to use the shower facilities. Similarly, the pool and jacuzzi were not available to us on the day we checked out, unless we paid an expensive charge. It felt like a serious tourist trap -- never a good feeling to leave visitors with.

On the positive side, the hotel was not uncomfortable and there were positives. The trekking guide provided by the hotel was excellent, as was the complimentary transportation from the closest train station. We do not have experience with other Sapa hotels to compare.

That said, we visited the Victoria Hotel several times and found it considerably superior, even for the price. If we had it to do over, we would have stayed at the Victoria. We ate dinner there (excellent) and purchased Hmong textiles from its gift shop -- which we found to be one the best places to buy in the whole town. It is more expensive, but in our opinion, worth it from what we could see.

+ Nice Hotel !

Had a room in the new wing - was roomy, clean and came with a million dollar view of the Sapa valley and Mount Fanzipan. Location was perfect in the center of town. Included breakfast was great with a large selection. Staff was friendly and helpful.