The Sapa Jade Hill Resort is a beautiful setting,
but too many aspects of my stay were just mediocre for me to recommend it. Find out why, coming up.
Located in the far Northwest of the county, Sapa is an idyllic town and
one of the gateways to the northern highlands of Vietnam. But before we dive deep into this
resort- a brief intro to the region. Although the development of one has been announced,
Sapa does not currently have an airport, so your journey will surely start off in Hanoi.
From there, you can take a comfortable sleeper bus or sprinter ride along the Red River in
around 5 hours. Or you can take the overnight train, which takes 10 hours to Lao Cai station,
an hour’s drive from Sapa and listen to this all night.
I’ll leave that choice up to you. Sapa Jade Hill is just
on the outskirts of town- around a 10 minute taxi ride costing $2-$4.
In the distance you can see what I’ll refer to as the “modern” cabin.
These are all located close to the main reception area, which feels like the center of the resort.
You’ll see why soon, but this resort feels a bit disjointed for two reasons. The area
where I stayed- which I choose- has a completely different cabin concept around a five minute buggy
ride from this area. It feels as if they were two separate properties operating under one brand-
besides the distance between the two and the different design though, I take no issue with it.
The reception area has the feel of a mountain ski lodge- with many highland ethnic minority
design nods throughout. Overall, it’s warm and inviting and gave a good first impression.
In the rear there is an open patio which serves as a patisserie on warmer days.
One note about my stay. This was filmed in April of 2021, at a time when COVID was
frankly of little concern in Vietnam. You will notice almost no staff wearing masks,
as was common at the time in the north of the country. Things now are surely different.
Sapa’s elevation is around 6000 feet or 2000 meters and enjoys a temperate climate all
year round with temperatures rarely going above 75 Fahrenheit 24 Celsius or below
45 Fahrenheit 7 Celsius. There are however two distinct times to visit. March & April
are your best chances for a balance of dryer and sunnier weather- whereas August & September
will show you a much lusher landscape- with near daily rain as a trade off.
To the side of the reception area is the resort's indoor swimming pool.
The view was beautiful but I’m surprised they didn’t make it larger given how popular indoor
pools are in Sapa. Next to it is what some might refer to as a fitness center.
Now we are heading to my cabin during this stay, a Panorama View Bungalow.
After around a 5 minute ride from the other side of the resort- we enter the steep and
winding hills which are a hallmark of the property. Each cabin here houses two units.
Mornings and evenings were filled with mist and fog- with the afternoons letting
us see best what is around as well as the beautifully kept resort grounds.
There is a small portico attached to the outside of the bungalow to allow you to
take off your muddy shoes and the two units can also be connected through this area.
Walking inside we can instantly see the charm and why I picked this particular category as opposed
to the more modern cabins. There are in my opinion a few design flaws though. Starting off with the
lack of light and cross ventilation in the room. As is common in Sapa, the rooms do not have Air
Conditioning- and that’s fine, but there are only openable windows- the sliding door- on one side of
the room. The other three walls won’t help get a breeze going unless you keep the front door open.
Universal outlets are conveniently located and in good supply and the room has a mini bar stocked
with just the basics. There were complimentary local snacks in the closet though. The only coffee
available was instant, but that’s to be expected here. The closet was a decent size and came with
precisely one bottle of water. I called on three separate occasions to request more water- just
one more bottle but it never came. Eventually I just went for the overpriced Dasani in the cooler.
The bathroom was cozy and spotlessly clean with
basic amenities and a wooden soaking tub in front of a beautiful picture window.
The view is phenomenal but not that easy to see, which I’ll get to in a moment.
The roof rafters hang very low- which doesn’t let a lot of natural light into the room.
Also, these rooms were definitely not designed with taller people in mind.
I am six foot 181cm and this is my direct line of view when standing on the balcony-
and again when sitting. At least though, the soaking tub and heat lamps made up for that.
The late afternoon sun was beginning to set as dinner time arrived.
The primary restaurant on property is located just above the reception area
and was a disappointment. The tables were absolutely packed into the space and they were
out of my first and second choices for both the appetizer and main course- and the main
course- which was supposed to be black pepper beef, was definitely not black pepper beef.
The next morning the haze hung low in the valley as we made our way to breakfast,
which was included. There was nothing to fault per say about the breakfast service-
but definitely nothing to impress either and the iced coffee cups were absolutely tiny.
So let’s get into The Flip Flop Score. The room design was cozy but flawed for a few
reasons- 6 out of 10. Materials were solid though and the condition was quite good,
8 out of 10. While intentions were good, basic service was lacking except for a few standouts,
7 out of 10. Overall I found the layout and design of the common areas as well as the
landscaping to be above average for this category of hotel with an 8 and 9 out of 10 respectively.
There was nothing to fault regarding cleanliness, a solid 10. The venues were a bit generic and the
main restaurant afforded very little space, give it a 7. Food quality was average at best
at a six. Amenities were basic to begin with and I couldn’t even get an additional bottle of water,
another six. Finally the view, if you were the perfect height, was fantastic
with a 9 out of 10. Overall a 76 out of 100, my lowest score for any property in Sapa- I
recommend staying elsewhere. Thanks for watching and see you in a few days with another review.