If you’re looking for the perfect couples get away in Vietnam, you’ve come to the right place! And let me start by saying, this Topas Ecolodge Review is in no way sponsored. My husband and I stayed here in November of 2023 after finding it through our own research.
Upper salt water infinity pool at sunset
After our trip, I was so amazed with their community and environmental initiatives that I felt the need to write about my experience here.
The Topas Ecolodge in Sapa, Vietnam is a destination in and of itself, nestled within the mountains of Hoang Lien National Park. Every detail of this property has been thought out. From the architecture, to the decor, to the food you’re being served. You’ll find this ecolodge isn’t just a stay… it’s an experience.
Topas Ecolodge Resturant
Topas Ecolodge started as a project by the Danish travel firm “Topas Travel” to create a “hiker’s dream” or an eco-friendly lodge with basic necessities that was heavily tied to the local community surrounding it.
Vegetable garden
Construction of the ecolodge began in 2003, and in 2005 doors were opened for business!
Today, Topas Ecolodge has achieved a spot on the list of Asia’s Top 25 resorts and it’s not hard to see why. Not only is their property beautiful, but they go the extra step in employing locals, supporting the growth of the community and educating patrons on sustainable travel.
One of many view points at Topas Ecolodge
An “ecolodge” is an accommodation in remote, undisturbed natural areas in which the property must benefit the local community, and provide awareness / educational support to its patrons. Ecolodges operations focus on minimizing the negative effects lodging has on the environment and is therefore the lodging choice for people who want to experience nature and support ecotourism.
When visiting, you’ll notice that many of the staff members are still learning English. Guests are asked to be patient with the staff as many of them start uneducated and need to be taught the English language and the hospitality industry.
Lower salt water infinity pool
It was awesome to learn that Topas Ecolodge almost exclusively employs people from its surrounding local villages. Moreover, they’ve built houses for employees on property so they do not have to travel back and forth at dangerous hours of the night to get back to their remote villages.
The food menus are constantly changing at the ecolodge and that’s because they try to buy local produce whenever they can. All chickens are raised on property and many of the herbs and vegetables you eat are too!
Lunch at the restaurant on property
In addition to buying local, Topas Ecolodge also reuses their food waste by coordinating with local farms to donate restaurant leftovers as feed for their livestock.
When booking a room at Topas Ecolodge, you’ll have 4 options that will range in price depending on the season:
Topas Ecolodge – Premium Executive Bungalow
All rooms will get you access to the large infinity pools on the property, but only the pool villas come with individual balcony pools. We opted to stay in the most basic of the 4, the premium executive bungalow.
Topas Ecolodge is located in Sapa, Vietnam which is approximately 4.5 hours outside of Hanoi by car. Luckily, they have a private shuttle you can book that will pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi. The shuttle has a/c, snacks, wi-fi, and USB ports making the trip much more enjoyable.
Once you arrive on property, you’ll step out into what can only be described as a mountain oasis. The property looks beautiful in photos, but standing at the pinnacle of it’s 360 degree views is a different feeling entirely.
We were greeted by excited staff that I could tell were local to the area. This only added to the experience as they happily practiced their English while walking us to our bungalow.
Our bungalow interior was minimal yet beautiful with views of the adjacent cliffside rice terraces.
Room balcony and glass door views
Hungry after the drive, we headed to the restaurant on property to have lunch. We opted to sit outside, warmed by the afternoon sun, admiring the unbelievable views.
Lunch with a view
Vietnamese coffee is so good
With no time to waste, our next step was the infamous salt water infinity pools. There are two pools for guest use and they are layered on top of one another to mimic the look of the surrounding rice terraces.
The top one is heated using eco-friendly measures, making it perfect to use year round.
We ended up staying till sunset, relaxing and ordering some pina coladas at the pool’s bar. The cotton candy painted skies rolled in and we were mesmerized.
The next day we took one of the free shuttles into downtown Sapa to explore some of the famed attractions. You can check out my Vietnam itinerary for more detailed information.
Attractions in downtown Sapa
The Topas shuttle system also provided free rides back from downtown Sapa to the ecolodge every few hours which made getting around super convenient! We were able to get back in time for another sunset at the infinity pool.
Next, we walked back up to our bungalow and grabbed dinner at the restaurant on property. I loved that we never needed a reservation when visiting and the food was always so tasty!
Topas Ecolodge at night
On our last morning we packed up our belongings and left them with the front desk before venturing out on a short hike right outside the ecolodge through the surrounding rice terraces.
Red Dao village loop
Topas ecolodge provides guided hikes and biking tours but we had found a hike on All Trails that we wanted to explore on our own.
Note: I feel like I need to mention there is a group of natives right outside the ecolodge who wait for any tourists that venture outside the property. They will try their hardest to sell you crafts and trinkets by following you for a few minutes down the roads. This can be slightly intimidating but we just told them no, shook our heads and kept moving.
Red Dao tribe members following us out of Topas Ecolodge
The Red Dao Village loop hike took about 3 hours to complete. We were back in time to catch the Topas Ecolodge shuttle back to Hanoi.
Overall, our stay here was the perfect couples get away, especially after being in bustling Hanoi. I liked how you could do as much or as little as you wanted, because there were so many options to both explore and relax.
I definietly hope to be back here again one day!
Topas Ecolodge provides a private shuttle you can book in advance that will pick you up from your hotel in Hanoi and bring you up to Sapa. The shuttle provides snacks, Wi-Fi and USB ports so it’s definitely worth the extra $40-50!
Attraction in Downtown Sapa
Some people will see Topas Ecolodge being outside of downtown Sapa as a Con. I personally liked being outside the city as I wanted more of an “nature escape” vibe. Just know before booking that it will take approximately 45 minutes to get from Topas Ecolodge to downtown Sapa by shuttle.
Either March – May or September to November for the best temperatures and weather. All of these photos were taken during our November stay.
This ecolodge is definitely catered to adults but we did still see some children during our stay! One of the pools has a shallow end that would be good for kids.
Post photos were taken in collaboration with Matt Tonokawa.
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