Puluong Home

Dirty, poor, hard beds like stone. Expensive food not included. Looks nice in "Booking" but really bad. The nearest restaurants are quite far so if you want to eat there you'll pay a lot and won't enjoy the food.

After visiting Sapa, this post is dedicated to those hesitating to go further to Pu Luong and find out if the Puluong Home(stay) hotel is worth it. First of all, it's important to understand that "Pu Luong" actually covers several villages (Ban Hieu, Ban Don, etc.). Ban Don is the place to go, and that's where the Puluong Home is located. To return to the first question, the answer is a resounding yes. Even if you've already been to Sapa, you should visit Pu Luong if possible. Pu Luong's rice terraces are much more beautiful (especially those in the basin just below the Treehouse lodge, which is in the middle). They are, however, much less extensive than in Sapa, but that's what makes them so beautiful, as they are spread over only 2 or 3 tiny valleys. Furthermore, the mountains directly in the background offer an incredibly photogenic view (just as spectacular as the Tegallalang rice fields in Bali). As for Hotel Puluong Home(stay), its location at the top of these valleys offers a superb view below, and that of its infinity pool is simply splendid, surrounded by rich vegetation. For my family of 2 adults and 3 teenagers, we had the family room overlooking this pretty spectacle. The room is quite large and decent. But the mosquito nets could do with some maintenance, as they don't smell very good! The bathroom is clean and unadorned. The layout of the various little cottages that make up the hotel's rooms gives the whole place a Robinson Crusoe air. The only weak point, and not the least, is that the restaurant doesn't really live up to the reputation of the place (probably like the majority of Puluong's restaurants). The size of the menu and photos of dishes worthy of Planet Hollywood immediately sets the tone, with far too much choice to guarantee real quality cuisine. The food is average good. It's a pity, because if the hotel direction made a BIG effort on this really weak point, with simple but quality cuisine, this hotel could become a jewel. A real, huge, investment is needed (not just a new toaster or rice cooker) to transform the kitchen, hire a really good cook and put this place on the map of the region. In the evening, we decided to eat elsewhere, so disappointed were we by our lunch. The region is so devoid of restaurants (see TripAdvisor, which lists almost none) that this place could become a must. All in all, I'd give this hotel a 4 for its location and raw charm, but the restaurant is almost a disaster that detracts from the overall picture. Go there, eat elsewhere.

The views were amazing, but the standard rooms are tiny, cramped and frankly claustrophobic and overpriced. They do have other rooms which are much better and more expensive but don't seem to promote them, but definitely ask to see them, they are a big improvement . The restaurant bar on site offered a limited menu and only beer or soft drinks, considering the remoteness this isn't good enough. One day they couldn't serve us lunch as the chef was asleep?? The pool was quite dirty and I am sure would not have had adequate chemicals and aeration going in. Consequently we did not put our heads under even though it was incredibly hot. The staff/management were friendly and tried to be helpful but for the price I am sure you could find better places to stay in the area.