A three-star hotel a short walk from central Sa Pa, with a fireplace in every room, mountain-view balconies and Vietnamese cooking at the on-site restaurant.
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Sapa Yen Hotel is a three-star hotel at 27 Hoàng Liên, a short walk from Sa Pa's town centre and Sun Plaza, where the mountain train towards the Fansipan cable car sets off. From the balconies on the mountain side, the view opens over the valley, with the train gliding past on its way up.
Six room types, from 22 to 28 m², are designed for couples and for groups of up to three. Every room has air conditioning, a fireplace and a private bathroom with walk-in shower, bidet and hairdryer, along with an electric kettle, a desk and free toiletries. Five of the six add a balcony, looking either over the town or towards the garden and the mountains.
The restaurant serves Vietnamese cuisine for brunch, lunch and dinner, as well as high tea, and an Asian breakfast starts the day. The 24-hour front desk, the concierge and the tour desk can arrange bike hire, walking tours and local excursions, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the property.
Sapa Yen Hotel has six room types, and all of them share the essentials: a private bathroom with walk-in shower, bidet and hairdryer, air conditioning, a fireplace, an electric kettle, a desk and a wardrobe.
What changes is space, outlook and how many of you are travelling. The Standard Queen Room is the compact option, without a balcony. The doubles with balcony look over the town, while the Mountain View rooms have balconies facing the garden and the mountains. For three guests, the two triple rooms offer 28 m² with a king-size bed plus a single.
Much of life at Sapa Yen Hotel revolves around the restaurant, which serves Vietnamese cuisine for brunch, lunch and dinner, plus high tea, with a child-friendly buffet and outdoor seating. There is also a coffee shop and a snack bar, themed dinner nights and BBQ facilities, and outside a sun terrace, a garden and a picnic area.
The 24-hour front desk offers private and express check-in, luggage storage and a concierge, while the tour desk arranges local excursions, bike tours and walking tours. The building has a lift, the whole property is non-smoking, and Wi-Fi is free throughout.
Sapa Yen Hotel stands at 27 Hoàng Liên, close to the centre of Sa Pa. Sun Plaza, where the Muong Hoa mountain train departs, is about 400 to 500 metres away, a five- to seven-minute walk, and the lake, the Stone Church and the foot of Ham Rong Mountain all lie within about a kilometre.
Sa Pa has no airport: the nearest is Hanoi's Noi Bai, where sleeper buses and limousine vans leave from both terminals for a journey of five to seven hours. From central Hanoi, buses and limousines take about 5.5 to 6 hours and usually stop near the lake or the town centre; Sa Pa Bus Station is around 800 metres from the hotel. The overnight train reaches Lao Cai in about eight hours, and the last 35 km up to Sa Pa take roughly an hour by minivan or shuttle, so booking that transfer ahead saves haggling at the station. The hotel's shuttle service and tour desk can also help. Check-in starts at 14:00, and luggage storage is available if you arrive early.
The easiest outing starts at Sun Plaza: the mountain train runs for about ten minutes to Muong Hoa Station, where the cable car climbs to Fansipan, Vietnam's highest peak at 3,143 m. Ham Rong Mountain, a short stroll from the Stone Church, has flower gardens and the San May viewpoint over the town. Cat Cat Village, home to a H'Mong community, is about 1.8 km away: the walk down takes around 30 minutes, and a taxi back spares you the steep climb. Silver Waterfall, over 200 metres high, lies about 7 km out on the road towards O Quy Ho Pass. September and October bring golden rice terraces and clear skies, March to May is pleasant for trekking, summer is wet and green, and winter nights can drop below freezing, often with fog.
