Whenever we travel with our younger sister, she decides on the hotel as her needs are more precise whereas my criteria are just an air-conditioned room with an ensuite toilet.
So, for our Sapa trip, she made the decision to book ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa; a four-star hotel that opened in 2017 with 41 rooms in total. Granted it was about 600 meters to the Sapa Station for Muong Hoa Funicular, but the mountain view was said to be spectacular!
Sadly, the above was the view that greeted us throughout the three days we were at Sapa! That's a major letdown although we can't really fault nature for its whims and fancies.
To the left would be the in-house restaurant, and the place where we would have our daily breakfast buffet, which I shall share more shortly.
On the right would be the hotel reception. As we arrived way before the official check in at 1.00pm, only one out of three rooms was available. We were grateful though as we just need a place to throw our luggage and then proceed to Cat Cat Village.
Welcome drink!
Basic hotel information for reference. Note that guests should not be using towels to wipe off dust and dirt; guess it's common enough to specially highlight the sentence.
Mesmerized by this spiral staircase and the lights hung from the ceiling. But there's something I should warn you before you decide to book ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa.
It can feel quite creepy with all the large, framed photographs of the ethnic minority groups, even within the hotel room. It didn't help that soft, soothing lights were used for illumination and there weren't that many guests during our visit.
To be fair, nothing happened to us in the two-night stay at the hotel and my primary grouch with this hotel was more the distance to the happening and more crowded part of Sapa Town.
Deluxe Balcony Room
Three rooms we booked and it's unfortunate that the room for both my younger sister and I were separated with the others, and located on a different floor too. If memory serves me well, the room assigned to us was 404.
More photographs of the 37-square-meter room, which included an in-room safe and a stocked up mini-fridge, plus bathrobes that I didn't use since I was with my sister!
We also had a balcony that overlooked the back of a back of a mountain! Disappointing although it didn't really matter since it was misty throughout our stay. At least I can still claim to see the mountain where the other two rooms facing the valley can't see shit.
Shocked to see a piece of clothing that was left by the previous guest. It would have been acceptable if I had insisted to check in earlier but there were plenty of time given for housekeeping to do a thorough job.
The nice washroom with its copper colored bathroom fittings, and the toiletries provided. While it was a wet-dry segregation, the water from showering would still seep into the dry area, often wetting the bathroom mat.
Gymnasium
The fitness center on level one was small yet compact. Alex, my younger sister and I were daily users and I would say it was sufficient for the exercises I have in mind. I am not that fixated on gym as I could always jog outside the hotel if required. p.s. equipment was a bit old.
Swimming Pool
I always wonder about the need for an outdoor swimming pool in the highlands; who would actually use it given the cold weather, especially in winter, and in this case, unheated?! Speaking from someone who came from a hot country. Maybe those who hailed from cold countries love swimming in cold water.
Anyway, it was a small pool for aesthetic purpose.
And to push up a star for the hotel.
Breakfast
The one thing I was most satisfied with was the breakfast at ALIANA Boutique Sapa Hotel & Spa. In addition, there was this lady who spoke great English and provided excellent customer service; to the extent that should I ever want to invest in a hotel at Vietnam, she would be the person I would put in charge!
Another thing I like; the Coal Burner at the entrance that gave us much warmth in the cold! It's fascinating that even though we came from the tropics, we naturally navigated towards the burning coals when we stepped into the hotel.
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Photographs of the available food for the breakfast buffet for your reference, including mains like stewed pork, baked potatoes, fried noodle, bamboo sticky rice etc.
There was also an ala-carte menu that you can also order numerous times, except for beverages like latte, cappuccino, chocolate and espresso. That included eggs, french toast, pancake and noodle soup.
Frankly, the variety for breakfast was simple, and not as wide, but the taste was better than expected! I love the sausages, the fruits, the bacon with mushrooms and swiss rolls, and even the thin pancakes. The French toast was a bit too soggy for my liking though. My younger sister complained not enough vegetables!
Spa
There's also a spa within the hotel. As it was likely the low tourist peak, given the occupancy, there was just one masseur on duty! Therefore, we didn't manage to try it out as we didn't want to lock down a timing.
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Address
Sa Pa, Lào Cai, Vietnam
Map
As above.
Website
Pricing
Deluxe Balcony Room - S$87.30 a night
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