Little Tam Coc Boutique Villa — Hotel in Ninh Bình Province

We stayed here in July 2024 and had a positive experience. I first reached out to the homestay to arrange private transportation between Hanoi and Tam Coc. We negotiated a price which was higher than Grab rates but was still reasonable in my eyes. The owner himself (Xuan) picked us up from the airport and did the 2 hour drive to Tam Coc! He also personally drove us back to Hanoi after our stay was over. I don't think this is a routine service but definitely inquire about it.

The homestay is surrounded by greenery and mountains. The room we booked had a nice view of a nearby river and mountain. The homestay has a rustic vibe with many wooden and stone elements. We had a lighting issue in the bathroom which was quickly addressed by the staff (Ha) in a friendly and earnest manner. Do expect some mosquitos/bugs due to the surrounding nature. They let us use the in-house bikes for a few hours at no cost which was a nice gesture.

The homestay itself is about a 10 minute walk from the main/busy area of Tam Coc. There are several restaurants located nearby though so you don't necessarily have to make the trip into town if you're hungry. You can also tell that the surrounding area is quickly being developed with many construction projects underway.

Overall, the owner and day-to-day staff were friendly and always willing to help. I would recommend this place if you're looking for a more rustic spot surrounded by nature in a quieter...

I had booked a Double Mountain View Room through Agoda.

Despite being given the wrong room, I'm happy to give 4/5 score for Little Tam Coc because of its great service.

On the wrong room issue: I'm not sure if it was some miscommunication between Agoda and Little Tam Coc but we were given a room facing the garden and did not get the mountain view that was promised in the photos. At first I was quite upset as that was the whole reason we decided to stay here. It was difficult to convey the issue as the staff only speaks some very basic English and since it was already late in the night and we would not be able to enjoy the view anyway, we decided not to pursue it any further. Also, do note that the rooms are quite bright due to their seethrough curtains and only provide a flatsheet for a blanket. Overall though, the room is spacious and well-built and maintained.

On the great service quality: The staff had noticed that we weren't happy with the room and offered us free bicycle use for the next day. Additionally, we had put in a last minute request for a late checkout and while they were unable to provide it, the staff was patient and polite in explaining. She also offered to help us store our luggage while we went about our adventures after checking out, and when we returned, she happily provided us fresh towels to shower in the staff restroom. She also helped us find a taxi and made sure to find us a fan to stay cool...

Booked 4 nights with Mountain View (it is the only room type with private balcony)

Pros: (1) relatively unique decor compare to other Tam Coc homestay we have seen, it is quite pretty, (2) hotel felt clean and safe, (3) host is friendly and speak basic English for communicating our needs, (4) the mountain view room is relaxing to look at (5) they have two resident cats which my partner absolutely adore (6) hotel offered bicycle free of charge

Cons for you to consider, which could dramatically impact your stay experience : (1) the door design is mimicking the ancient door - which is nice, but the lock is hard to use, and so take a long time to lock the door, (2) shower water temperature and pressure is relatively weak, (3) the construction next door start at 6:30am and by 7am is in full swing mode (so it can be very disturbing); (4) you will have to open door to let air in, as there is no ventilation in bathroom (making it stuffy/ damp if door kept closed—- then you got the noise)

In Summary: I felt the room to be a bit pricy (over 1 mill Dong per night) with scene I literally couldn’t enjoy due to the noise from construction; I felt I had better hotel room in Hanoi with better setup at a lower price and included great range of free breakfast. I hope the hotel can consider improving the experience based the price charged.

Would have given 2 stars if the hotel is without the friendly staff and...