Ok Let me explain a bit.
It is true that KK Sapa Hotel is never going to be my first choice in Sapa, but it’s
worth noting: If you don’t care about the food offered at your hotel, then honestly-
the KK is not a bad choice.
The hotel opened just two years ago in 2019.
And by the way if you notice that this video has no ambient sound, it’s because this
was the ambient sound.
Perhaps living in Vietnam for years, I’ve built up a tolerance for construction noise
as it didn’t really bother me personally and I’m not holding it against the hotel
as it’s simply not their fault.
That being said, if you are visiting in 2021, take note.
The main and first of two lobbies was bright, clean and modern- if not a bit Airport Loungey
in it’s styling.
The KK has 186 rooms spread over 18 floors.
The hotel, like many in this immediate area, is built directly into the rock face so there
is a main lobby on the ground floor and also a second entrance and lobby on the 15th floor
which links up with the main road towards the town center.
The hotel is around a kilometer from the center of town- but a mostly flat walk will get you
there in 10-15 minutes.
Keep in mind the elevation here is approximately 1500m or 5000 feet.
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The 15th floor lobby has a small seating area, sundries boutique and just behind it is their
coffee shop.
Don’t let the lack of guests at the moment fool you though- the views from here are stunning
and perhaps worth a visit even if you’re not staying in the hotel.
Attached to the coffee shop is the Executive Lounge which honestly, I don’t really understand
as first off, they don’t have Club level rooms and secondly there’s no food service
station inside the lounge.
I’m going to put this into the category of “Instagramable Afterthought.”
Without a doubt, the hotel’s best assets are these views.
A few floors below us the hotel has a Rose Garden balcony.
Wrapping up the guest facilities we have the indoor swimming pool and fitness center.
Both were nicely outfitted.
While we are taking a look here, let me just mention a bit about how to get to Sapa in
case you’re unsure.
Sapa is located in the far Northwest of Vietnam in Lao Cai province on the border with China.
The province does not have it’s own airport so your journey will undoubtedly start in
Hanoi.
From Hanoi you can take a range of different types of busses, from basic to luxury VIP
sleepers and arrive in around 5 hours.
Or, you can take an overnight 8 hour train- and then another hour drive from the train
station to the town itself.
Honestly, I took the train myself and I’d only recommend it if you want to travel to
Sapa with a motorbike.
Now, we’re going to check out my room during my stay here.
I had a Premium Room with a Valley View.
These rooms are the largest non-suite category and are all corner rooms on the higher floors
of the hotel, giving you wrap around views.
I’d recommend getting a room on the northwest side of the hotel so you can get the best
sunset views.
Note though, this is the side with the most construction noise at the time of filming.
Overall, the room was really nice- my only complaint would be about how small the bathroom
is considering the room is 45 square meters and has plenty of extra space.
At least though there is ample room for luggage and closet storage.
One odd thing I noticed though.
This was not my original room.
My first room was a completely different style to this one- the one that they advertise.
While from all of my research the hotel opened in 2019- I am wondering if it simply changed
ownership in 2019 as it doesn’t make much sense to be refurbishing rooms in a two year
old hotel.
As it is a theme it seems in all of my videos, the best part of the room is still the view.
Getting a room on the northwest side also gives you a better view of Fansipan mountain,
Vietnam’s highest peak at around 3100m or 10000 feet.
To get to the peak, you could take a 10 minute walk from the hotel to the Funicular station
in the Sun Group building- that will take you to the cable car.
From there the cable cars will take you on a long ride up to the top of Fansipan.
Note though, to get to the summit you still need to climb 600 steps.
On a beautiful day like today we can clearly see the summit and the summit monument directly
from our room.
And then there are the spectacular sunsets.
If you’re looking for your best shot at clear days like this, April is the best month
to visit- though it is still cloudy or foggy half of the time.
For the most beautiful landscape, a visit in late summer is a must, just before the
harvest- but make sure to bring your raincoat.
Now, we have to talk about the food.
You can see the restaurants are well designed, but the food that comes out of their kitchen
is on a scale from “are you sure this is what I ordered” to “I couldn’t eat that
if I tried…”
The menu prices on their very temporary feeling menu are ridiculously inflated… so that
they can then always offer 30% off of the menu prices.
But honestly, even after 30% discount, their prices are still very high.
Onto what I ordered.
A Caesar Salad and a Lemongrass Pork dish.
When the salad came, I asked the server if this was their “Caesar Salad” which she
confirmed it was- clearly it wasn’t.
Then the pork.
I don’t chew on rubber boots often, but I imagine they’d have a similar texture.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it was cooked a week earlier and reheated in the microwave
prior to serving.
I don’t exaggerate, but this was truly the worst meal I’ve had this year.
The buffet the next morning for breakfast was surprisingly comprehensive, if not a bit
boring.
If you’re staying here and could save around $20 a night for a room without breakfast-
save the money.
That brings us to the end of this quick review of the KK Hotel in Sapa.
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for a lot more to come.
Stay tuned for the details of the Flip Flop Score.