The problem with arriving in Sapa via the overnight train from Hanoi is that you end up getting to your hotel around 6.30am - and then have to wait until 11am before you check in.
Normally, hanging around would be OK, but this is like an ice hotel. I'm sitting in reception writing this, wearing leggings, ski socks, shorts, a fleece, a hat and I have the hood on my fleece pulled over my hat. I look ridiculous. It's so cold, I can barely type and I can see my breath when it comes out.
A shivering Welsh lady just asked for a blanket and was given a bar heater - which didn't do much at all and was snatched away when the owner wanted it.
We were told to go upstairs to a hotter room and have breakfast, which would warm us up. It was just as cold and dismal up there as down in reception.
Breakfast wasn't great. My order came out wrong and the 'ham' was 6 fingernail-sized pieces. Also people were standing and waiting for tables. It was only $3 though.
Be warned that if you plan to go back to Hanoi by overnight train, checkout is 10am, which will leave you a whole day in the freezing cold without a room....
Mrs Tran, the friendly receptionist, managed to get us into our room an hour early, at 10am, which was appreciated. When we got up there, it was so cold, I felt really despondent. The bed had some stray hairs in it, which made me think the sheets hadn't been changed. The sheets were damp as well, it was so cold. And the ventilation for the shower was just a hole in the wall. A sign on the bathroom wall said to wait 10 minutes after using the shower for the water to heat up again. We were so frightened of a cold shower and not being able to warm up that we haven't used it yet!
I went downstairs to ask if there was a spare heater, but apparently the owner was using the only one, and I should try using the hairdryer to warm up.
I know I sound a bit spoiled and I know that in far- flung locations, hotels can be a bit primitive but seriously, keeping people warm is a hotel's primary function.I really don't consider myself a moaner usually either. Cold aside, the hotel was very dated and basic. I've stayed in far, far, nicer places in HCMC, Hoi An and Hanoi for the same price.
As we were shivering, my husband and I got straight under the damp duvet in all our clothes and put the AC unit on full heat. It doesn't seem to have made a difference yet.
I write this feeling lucky because not everyone has the privilege of a heater and a proper bedroom - so feeling so cold and not being able to get warm was a humbling experience.