Topas Ecolodge at Sapa

Visiting Sapa was the highlight of our Northern Vietnam trip, and I highly recommend making the trek out here. This was also the hardest part of the trip to plan logistically, so I’m going to try to break it down for you here.

How to get there

You have a few options. You can take the overnight train, the bus, or a private shuttle that leaves from Hanoi and takes you directly to Topas Ecolodge (where I recommend staying). Out of all of these options, I HIGHLY recommend taking the private shuttle if you want to stay at Topas. Not only is it cheaper (only ~$50 per person each way compared to $90 overnight train) and shorter, but it is so convenient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made the mistake of taking the overnight train on Sapaly Express from Hanoi to Lao Ca. If you are a light sleeper, you are probably not going to sleep on the 10 hour journey. The train is pretty rickety and loud, and you are constantly being jolted around due to rough parts of the track. The actual sleeper cabin was fine; we booked a “VIP berth” which meant we had a cabin to ourselves vs. sharing with 2 other strangers sleeping on top of us. The bed was okay. I kind of tossed and turned but I managed to sleep for a few hours. The kicker was that in the morning when I was rummaging in the snack basket next to my pillow, I found a whole nest of bugs under the basket(they may have been cockroaches, now that I think about it)! They scattered in our cabin and I SCREAMED. Then parts of the track flooded so we had to wait over an hour for the road to be cleared. And after we got to Lao Cai station, we still had to travel further before getting to the shuttle pick up point to get to Topas Ecolodge. Because of that whole experience, I’d rather take the private shuttle. Like I said, much more convenient.

Getting to Topas Ecolodge from the Lao Cai station takes another hour or so depending on the driving conditions. When we arrived it was pouring rain, and there were mudslides and rockslides going up the mountain to Topas. Because of that, it took around 1.5-2 hours to get to Topas. There were definitely some touch and go moments when our SUV had to essentially ford a small river (more like a large puddle but you catch my drift) to continue up the mountain! I was pretty frightened, and our driver even pulled out his camera to record our trek upwards.

Where to Stay

There are numerous authentic home stays and then there is Topas Ecolodge. I originally wanted to try a home stay. However, because I was going during the hot humid summer, and I get huge allergic reactions to mosquitos, my husband talked me into staying at Topas, where there is air conditioning and less bugs. Best decision! This ecolodge has spectacular 360 degree views of Sapa, and every single place in the resort is so beautiful and thoughtfully designed. The photos don’t even do it justice. The place just takes your breath away! (This is not a sponsored post – I just loved my time there so much!) Each room has its own balcony where you can enjoy looking at the rice paddies that stretch out as far as the eye can see.

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We enjoyed daily massages in the spa (more affordable than in the States), and breakfast and dinner buffets in the restaurant on site. The food was the best Vietnamese food I had on my trip. Every morning we had all you can eat piping hot bowls of pho, fruit, spring rolls, fresh fruit smoothies, and traditional American breakfast. At night we had delicious bun cha or cha ca fish, pork, fried spring rolls, and banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake). We ate like kings on this portion of the trip and I am desperately missing the food as I’m writing this.

The service was great; everyone was very kind and attentive and accommodating. M celebrated his birthday when we were there, and I asked the front desk to do something special for him. That night at dinner, all of a sudden, the lights in the restaurant turned off and they brought out a special cake decorated just for him! The whole restaurant sang happy birthday with us and it was a really great birthday surprise.

What to do

We were pretty tired by the time we reached the Sapa portion of the trip, so we wanted to enjoy some R&R. We spent a lot of our time hanging out at the resort, enjoying the spa, swimming in the gorgeous infinity pool, enjoying Vietnamese coffee on the terrace, and eating everything we could. We ventured out one day to do a self guided trek in the rice paddies. It had just rained heavily the day before, so unfortunately a lot of the roads were flooded, and we got quite muddy trekking around. We should have borrowed the galoshes the resort provides but we didn’t think ahead! Topas gives you several well marked out footpaths and treks that you can easily do on your own.

Once you’re outside the front doors of Topas, you immediately see the Red Dao women. They are one of the indigenous populations of Sapa, and they work with Topas to set up a camp outside to sell their crafts. They are sweet, but very VERY persistent. A group of about 8 of them swarmed me and M when we wanted to go for a walk, and they kept asking us to buy things from them. They followed us on our walk for about 15 minutes! Finally we clarified firmly that we wanted to walk on our own and that we’d see them later.

I can’t wait to take my parents and brother back to Northern Vietnam, in large part so that I can share with them the Topas Ecolodge experience!