It baffles me that at near freezing temperatures no one has bothered to install heating at the Mountain View Hotel. Take off your shoes and experience what it must be like in a North Korean consentration camp. My shower was luke warm at best, and the 'hot' water was only turned on from 9am to 9.30am. Why? My limbs are numb from a day of trekking and now I can't even wash?

At the hotel restaurant things weren't much better. Staff huddled round an indoor charcoal burner wearing thick jackets and scarfs. The ceiling eternally leeked leaving a puddle that would never evaporate. Everything was damp, dreary and depressing. Either there's a high turnover rate of workers or there're ten suicides per winter.

My advice? Never stay here unless it's between July and September - the Summer months. I imagine one can enjoy the view and outside terrace without the constant, all encompassing cold that turned my stay into an exercise of tolerating torture.

We stayed just 1 night but the staff was incredibly hospitable. Got invited to their own Christmas party. Got a mountain view room - nothing much of a view but clean, comfortable rooms. Wish the heater worked better in the room - but no complaints.

Idiot me- my wallet with all money and only credit card was solen in vile Lao Cai so managed to get a ride in minibus to Sapa to pre-booked hotel without stating this (was driven to his 'sister's hotel for an obvious booking) It was the only was to escape Lao Cai and could later pay the minibus driver! Long story short, the receptionist at Mountain View loaned me 3000000 Dong which I then had to withdraw in Hanoi (second credit card) to put in his account - an amazing act of trust that bought me out of a bad situation. So I can say that this staff member was briliant however the hotel was pretty ordinary apart from the good view (catch it before construction riuns it). It was December and the hotel is freezing with zero heating unless you are prepared to source your own firewood and light a fire in your room!. The hassling the the H'Mong women give you is pretty unbearable and saddening - one whole day of it on a 'trek'. Sady Sapa is over in my view- I could never recommend this place to a friend (perhaps an enemy!!) and the train trip to and from Hanoi is awful. p.s. I've loved the rest of Vietnam!!!

The rooms are cheap... (10, 15 or 25 $, depending on the view you get) yes...but don't expect anything. Shower is very unconvienently placed, it's dirty (mold everywhere) and the staff at the reception is friendly untill the moment you don't book a trip with them. Looks like the building has been built and after that nothing has been done to maintain the building. A pity because the location is good and the rooms and bathroom spacious. We went here because of the review in the Lonely Planet. But i think that was several years ago.