Gem Valley: An Authentic Art Gallery, Cafe & Homestay in Sapa, Vietnam

So how is the actual homestay experience?

As soon as you arrive in the centre of Sapa, be prepared to receive a lot of invitations from locals to enjoy a homestay with them. Though these locals most often try to charge foreigners a lot, you would be surprised to see many visitors taking them up on their offers. Some families might speak English. Some don’t. For a homestay experience with one of these locals, you are normally charged around 20 USD to 25 USD per night, which is about 400,000 to 500,000 VND (you can pay in US dollars in many popular tourist destinations in Vietnam). Be expected to pay even more for local families who speak English. You can decide to take their whole service, including homestay, breakfast and guided trekking tour, or just to stay in their home for less money. Most genuine local home-stays only have outhouse toilets.

We took a look at a few homestay options around Sapa and decided to stay at Gem Valley in Cat Cat Village. Cat Cat Village is about 3 kilometres (1.86 mi) from Sapa, in the direction to the famous Mt. Fansipan. From the city centre of Sapa, the most convenient way to get here is to hop on a scooter taxi (xe ôm), which would take you there within 15–20 minutes. The homestay at Gem Valley offered everything we were looking for: stunning views of the rice paddies seen through an old wooden house that was well designed and decorated with an authentic art gallery. A night at Gem Valley would cost you 300,000 VND (about 15 USD) per room for 2 people, or 400,000 VND (about 20 USD) during high season.

A photo posted by Phùng Thiên (@phungthien) on Nov 10, 2016 at 9:18pm PST

It is a cafe and restaurant with a breathtaking view of Sapa

To our pleasant surprise, the accommodation was also a cafe and restaurant! So how did they make it a cafe, restaurant, art gallery and an accommodation for travelers at the same time? While the first floor of the building is used mainly for the gallery, you can also enjoy a cup of Vietnamese green tea or coffee on the balcony. We ordered some local coffee and tea, then had a warm welcoming dinner with Vietnamese food and homemade apple wine with the family.

If you do not wish to eat dinner at a western-themed restaurant in most touristy areas of Sapa, such as Cau May or Muong Hoa, come to Gem Valley for home-cooked food by the owner. We paid about 6 USD per person (120,000 VND) for a dinner with the family, including up to 6 different local dishes (fried rice, 2 meat dishes, 2 fried dishes of meat and vegetables and soup). The pork cooked with several dishes was excellent, and locally produced. Later on, we even spent the night playing guitars, drums and singing with the owner and other guests.

A photo posted by ビン。 (@biiinh00) on Nov 8, 2016 at 8:26pm PST

Don't forget to spend time checking out the artwork

The simple beauty of the accommodation and its surroundings was increased by the stunning artwork created by Gem Valley’s owner. He was inspired by the ethnic groups’ signature textile patterns and local customs. Take a close look at the details of his work. You would be amazed by how the artist has reflected the lives of the people from Sapa.

A photo posted by #tuanda ♓️ (@tommydonothing) on Oct 2, 2016 at 1:03am PDT

How are the facilities?

The facilities there are pretty basic. The room is equipped with an old-style bed, a blanket, a mosquito net and a closet. This set of bed was designed to resemble beds, blankets and nets commonly used many years ago in the countryside. Nowadays, most households in the city don’t have mosquitos net any more, so the bed at Gem Valley feels very traditional for a local. There’s a toilet with hot water upstairs for guests, so you would not need to worry about using an outdoor toilet.

A photo posted by Hải Ngọc (@jennytrannn_) on Jul 9, 2016 at 11:37pm PDT