Guest User
April 3, 2024
Without the advantage of comparison, I can’t imagine a better homestay. We had a one-night stay on 20th March and had plenty of communication in the days leading up to our stay, regarding a ‘pick-up’ tour, and all the responses were so prompt and helpful. We arrived early, into Lao Cai, on the sleeper train, transferred to Sa Pa within 45 minutes and, once we’d found somewhere for breakfast, messaged Surelee to say where we were. At 08:30, a motorbike turned up to collect our day-packs and our very pleasant Hmong guide (Shosho), took us on a 4-5 hour walk through the rice terraces, up to Surelee, via a lunch stop at the village of Lao Chai. Our arrival day was a bit damp and misty but the view from Surelee was still spectacular, with rice terraces and buffalo just outside. The next day, we took a taxi to beautiful Cat Cat, then took a very cheap taxi back into Sa Pa. In the hallway, there’s a large poster, explaining the owner’s fascinating story of how they built their business. Linda runs the homestay like a professional from the hospitality industry. We opted for the family dinner and dined with other travellers, but we wrongly assumed we’d be dining with the family, which would have been really interesting. As an overall experience, we couldn’t have expected more. It was such a lovely experience. I’d definitely recommend Surelee to anyone. If doing a trek in what may be a damp part of the year, have shoes with good tread/grip.