Surelee homestay — Attraction in Muong Hoa Commune

Although I feel this was a decent stay overall, I think it’s only fair to be honest about certain points.

First of all, this is not really a homestay – it’s a hostel. It may be run and owned by a family who also live on the property, but it operates exactly like a hostel. There are 12+ rooms and many guests coming and going every day. When you book a homestay, you expect a more intimate setting, not having to queue for the bathroom. Things are also a bit overpriced, and it feels more like a money-making setup, especially with food pricing and having to pay for every single coffee or bottle of water.

That’s completely fine – but then it should be marketed as a hostel so guests have the right expectations. Honestly, I would have given this place 5 stars if it had been branded as a hostel instead of a homestay.

The price per night is very good, and breakfast is included. I don’t understand why some people complain about drinks not being included when you’re paying just 120,000 VND for two people in a private room with breakfast – that’s unbelievably cheap.

When you arrive, there’s a steep hill to walk up. I also can’t understand complaints about this. You’re coming to Sapa for one of the cheapest stays around – who brings a big suitcase here? And as for people saying it’s far from town, surely you’d check the map before booking to see where it is.

The hostel is perfectly located right in the rice fields.

Pros: • Located close to the rice fields, ideal for trekking. • Very affordable stay. • Decent beds with mosquito nets. • Wide selection of dishes available to order. • The family is very kind and speaks good English. • 2–3 small shops nearby and a larger supermarket about 10 minutes away.

Cons: • Rooms are VERY noisy – you can hear everything from other rooms. If you’re on the ground floor, the noise from above is extremely loud since only thin wooden panels separate the rooms. • Our room had no window, so it quickly became stuffy. It looked like it used to be part of the room next door (which does have a window) but was split to create an extra room for profit. Our room didn’t even have a room number, while the one next door is double the size. • There’s a dog on the property that smells very strong. If you’re allergic to animals, this is not the place for you (and the dog could really use a bath). • Breakfast and morning coffee often take up to 30 minutes to arrive, as so many guests are eating at the same time before heading out on tours. • Their “family style dinner” isn’t truly family style. The first night, we were the only two eating. The next night, the food was exactly the same, but this time with 9 people. It was nice to meet others, but it felt more like a hostel group dinner than eating with the family. • Their tours are overpriced. For example, if you’re one person, a guided tour is from $25. If you’re two, it’s $23 per person. If you’re three or four, it’s $21 per person. This means they make huge profits when filling groups, instead of offering a fair rate. If the guide costs $25, I’d much rather have a private guide for that price than be in a group of 9 paying a total of $475 for a trekking trip. That’s extreme.

Overall: If you come here knowing it’s more of a hostel than a homestay, you can still have a pleasant and affordable stay in a beautiful location surrounded by rice fields. The setting is stunning, the family is welcoming, and it’s a good base for trekking – just manage your expectations, and you’ll enjoy...

We spent 3 days at Surelee’s house last summer (August 2019). We wanted to get out of the crowd from Sapa which is way too touristic now. The road from Sapa to Surelee’s homestay is under construction - horrific let’s say ! - but I’m afraid this will bring more and more people and spoil even more the authenticity of the village. Surelee and her family are very friendly, warm and you can feel so much love ! She is a hard working girl and is trying to suit her house to welcome you properly. You have the opportunity to share diner with them if you take the full H’mongs diner - it’s a good opportunity to share your experience with her family, your thoughts and learn about the H’mongs minorities culture. Room is authentic, you will share the bathroom with the family and living space.

One thing we regret so is to have taken the tour that the homestay offers. To our mind, it is too expansive compare to what you can get with other “agencies”. Her mother makes the tour - she is the nicest mother I ever met ! - she is ready to teach you during the tour about the H’mong culture, how they make and dye their clothes ... but she doesn’t speak English very well and it was a bit hard to communicate and get answers to all of our questions. The tour we made was nice (particularly the end when you go though H’mongs houses), but they choose to take you to tourist places at the beginning and especially for lunch during which they (not her mother, but there are H’mongs people following you during your tour) kind of force you to buy them something. And the price they ask for is like 4 times higher than in other places. We had the feeling that they tried to rip us off a bit. But we enjoyed the tour- also it was too short (3h30 whereas we thought it will last longer - It was not clear. Maybe we understood wrong.).

We definitely recommand to go to Surelee homestay, but we would recommand to do your own tour to visit the neighbor. The day after the tour we walked around by ourselves and found so much amazing places that you won’t discovdr if you take a tour guide. It is more authentic to our mind - less tourists and you have plenty of time to enjoy the area and get lost in the rice fields. Surelee made a map, which is at the entrance, that you can use to give you some ideas where to go. Don’t follow the main path, get lost in the fields - it’s how you will find those amazing places ;)

Surelee, thank you again for your kindness and so warm welcoming. We are truly grateful from what you teached us during our stay! We wish you...

The homestay is run by Ms. Surelee and her family. But the host is the only one who can converse fluently in English so she’s always occupied by guests. Even so, she’s been very helpful from arranging transport to her place to going back to Sapa town and everything in between the 6 nights we stayed there.

There is a steep climb between the main road where the taxi could stop and her place. Those who have big luggage that can’t be converted into a backpack might face problems. Of course nothing a motorbike can’t carry up or down that slope.

Our double room, I believe, is the only one that has a relatively private but very small balcony. Other rooms with balcony are family rooms. Their balconies are bigger but less private. The facing of our room start to get noisy by motorbikes and whining and barking dogs from around 5:30am. Due to the design of the house, we could even hear the guests in the adjacent room whisper, let alone talk. The family rooms don’t seem to have such problem. Apart from that, the nights were quiet and we slept well enough until the noises started their round.

The location is a walking distance to Ta Van where you could find more options of food. There are a variety of treks that you can sign up. We joined one and the guide was very good. We also rented a motorbike for a couple of days. All booked through the host.

Breakfast is included in the affordable price but it’s rather light and drinks aren’t included. Bottled water and water refill are available for purchase. For dinner, their family meal is a must-try. It’s also a good opportunity to dine and talk to other guests.

The biggest challenge of staying there was using the only 2 toilets which are also the shower rooms. They are not only for guests but also for the host and her family members. So they are constantly occupied during peak hours. If you are prone to go to the toilet in the middle of the night, you might consider to stay in a room on ground floor. The floorboards on the 2nd floor squeak and they sound like thunder in the middle...