Chapa Farmstay - Mountain Retreat

Beautiful location down the mountain, however, we expected a peaceful, tranquil setting with good food and great hospitality. Upon arrival, we were met by a friendly, well-spoken lady. Good English skills. But unfortunately, the reception/breakfast and dining room look like a daycare. Children shouting and running around. Everything but peaceful and welcoming. We had to wait to get to the room too. It felt a bit stiff sitting around waiting. Also, don't expect wifi, There is no wifi in the room, so you have to go to reception and sit on hard furniture to do your research. We arrived late so we had to make use of their dinner services. Very dissatisfied options as there are no options besides the set option at 8$ per person which is an extortionate rate to pay per person, for basically rice and vegetables, but an amount of meat for 2 that will be in one ban mi. The rooms are beautiful but cold and basic. Don't expect a 2-minute hot shower as the water gets cold after you have soaped yourself. Basic linen and pillows are not great! Showergel is diluted. No extra blankets or face/hand towels! No cutlery or crockery, only 2 ceramic cups, and no spoons. The bin is too small and only fits one bottle. No bedside lamp. Lack of places to put stuff. The location is very far from Sapa. Each to their own. We are not too fussy, but as far as the reviews went we booked because of this, and it's not as expected. Nevertheless, it's a very romantic and picture-perfect location.

We enjoyed our stay and the staff were extremely accommodating, providing two comfortable rooms for our small family and a late check-out, both of which were appreciated. The views are awesome and the location feels nicely remote yet isn't - its no hardship at all to get around. In-room amenities - shower, beds, etc. - were great. WiFi only works in the lobby and isn't that fast anyway. Restaurant has a great view and good food but we got so badly attacked by mosquitoes that we had to retreat early. Staff don't have any mozzie coils or other means of defeating the critters, which is a miss. Value-for-money was, in our case, quite good thanks to room upgrade.