Woody casa lungo il fiume in Sapa VN

Sapa is very beautiful there's no doubt about that. However this area is quite expensive for a backpacker or any tourist actually. Water was very expensive everywhere including this guesthouse. The guesthouse is more of a hostel and staff working there aren't family but actually people employed from different areas of Vietnam which isn't a problem but we assumed we were to stay with a family.

I think the most worrying part has to be the 'volunteer guesthouse' they advertise themselves to be. Firstly: we went on a guided trek which involved at least the first 20 min picking up rubbish because the guesthouse 'cares about the environment'. Its not tourists that need to be taught to look after their land it's the locals. There was no speech about what they might do to educate locals and children about this and in fact I had to quiz the guesthouse to really understand what this was all about. Secondly: the horrendous local women that tag along on the trek which isn't a problem if they hadn't cornered all of us at one point to sell some random tat in the middle of nowhere. I was told that because I was spoken to and treated nice I should buy something. When has the world started to exchange conversation with money? Very very sad. The guesthouse has a responsibility to not put tourists in that vulnerable position as it's not fair and should ban these women from coming along.
Thirdly, not only do these women hang around this guesthouse in particular but children also sell this tat which is bloody awful. The hostel is associated with a school where you can volunteer and teach English etc. When I quizzed the girl in charge of the guesthouse about whether her children do weekly rubbish pick ups, her answer was vague. When I asked her where the children selling tat live she said the mountain and that her kids do not do that. A few hours later she was speaking to a local child that she mentioned was her pupil and I noticed she had those tat bags that other kids had to sell to tourists. Basically we weren't completly convinced about their view of the guesthouse and feel there is something not quite right in my eyes.
Also we decided to have a bbq with 7 people which was one of their deals. There was not enough food for everyone and I brought it up but they completely ignored me. We went to see a few friends at another guesthouse the night before and they had the same thing but there was plenty of food and the host was ever so welcoming and included us.
Lastly when we needed her (girl in charge of guesthouse) help to find a legitimate taxi with a meter to take us to sapa she seemed to fear them and had no confidence to persuade them to go on the meter. She was sweet but somewhat useless, I'm sad to say.

I would not recommend this place. If you're going to stay here please do not feel pressured by the local women to buy things as they do not give up.

This is the best place I've styted in Vietnam. We had great local food bought fresh at the market and cooked daily. Hiked through the region, and we're able to experience daily life living comfortably right in one of sapas villages. I left having become friends with the families, solo travelers, etc that make there way here, as well as becoming great friends with the Vietnamese (mostly travelers themselves) that work there. By the end of the trip we were all trekking and jumping in the river by day, and having fires and dinners together at night. They make a damn good coffee, and play good music as well

I give this place my highest recommendation, and hope to make it back

We would like to thank Mr. Kong and Jami for the great experience we've had at this homestay. We were looking for a real indigenous experience in the Sapa mountains, and we got what we were looking for. The location of the homestay is prime, and Mr. Kong is a great chef! Jami can show you the best places in the valley, for example where to swim and where to hike.

Thank you again Mr. Kong for going the extra mile for us! You are the best! And give Ant a hug for us :)