Imani Eco Sky Lodge Ngoc Chien

WARNING -BED BUGS. I hate to leave this review because I know the implications of it for Imani eco stay and Van, but there is a SERIOUS BED BUG INFESTATION here. This property and little hut are truly magical and special. I am forever grateful for the peace and nourishment of the time spent my first week here in countless ways. I planned to stay two weeks. I checked for bed bugs when I got in to the best of my ability but the sheets are dark and futon mattresses are colorful, very worn, damaged and patterned so it was hard to tell. I started noticing bites on my body after the first few days but assumed they were flea bites from Van’s six dogs that are non-stop scratching themselves because of the extremely heavy presence of fleas that they have. Uncomfortable but not so serious, I would just avoid being near the dogs. Around half way through the trip I started noticing more specifically which bites were new each day and the linear patterns they were more clearly forming in. This caused me to thoroughly comb through the bed with a flashlight in daytime. I calmly and immediately alerted Van when I found two bed bugs within minutes that afternoon. She didn’t react at all except to bring me new sheets. I explained to her that this would not help or fix the problem and then reiterated pretty constantly then and over and over again the next few days the seriousness of the issue, the impact to her rental business if it wasn’t fixed and the level of work and treatment that would need to be done to solve it. Unfortunately, I never felt that any of that moved her attitude or willingness to do anything about it. I ended up finding bed bugs in all different stages over the next few days, indicating a very developed presence. I spent every waking minute the next three days boiling water in an electric kettle, submerging all of my belongings multiple times in boiling water and moving them carefully to the other side of the property to dry and pack up in a very systematic

way so I could feel comfortable leaving without spreading to others in shared spaces I would inevitably need to be in. Though our interactions had been really positive before all of this, during this time Van behaved like she was frustrated and annoyed -sometimes completely ignoring me when we would be in shared spaces and I would try and initiate conversation. She never checked in on how things were, offered help, or apologized. When I moved my trip back to Hanoi to an earlier date she was reluctant to refund me for the two days I would not be staying there saying that my reservation those days prevented others from being able to book. Again, making it clear that her priorities and understanding of this situation were way off from where they need to be for me to feel comfortable that she will adequately handle this. I really hoped to move her attitude so I could feel that this would be appropriately addressed and not have to leave this review. I explained the real impact it was having on me, my trip, and how it would affect other guests in the future. I told her I didn’t think she was taking it seriously enough and that I wouldn’t be comfortable not warning other people about this in a review. Again, no movement or response. I ended up spending the entire second half of my Vietnam trip dealing with this, even after getting back into the city- from morning until night every day, keeping everything separated, re-bagging and re-sanitizing constantly, submerging EVERYTHING in boiling water (and ruining a lot of things), sending all my washable belongings out to professionals, and combing through and throwing out anything I couldn’t be 100% sure about. My time at Imani was magic and Im so grateful for it and for the week of meditation that kept me calm and centered throughout this unfolding BUT this situation has been ALOT and, based on the feelings I got from our interactions I ultimately just don’t feel comfortable not sharing it publicly.

Le calme absolu.

La lodge a beaucoup d’ouvertures ce qui laisse passer le vent et les insectes et animaux… Tres difficile d’accès, j’ai dû demander l’aide à un local pour trouver.

View đẹp

This place is a wonderful rest for the soul. It has the most breathtaking view and a lovely host.

i would say one of the best experiences in my life, owner is incredible person, nice to talk and very good English. and the view from room was just unreal. recommend, and yes i loved to road to get to it, it was challenging but that gave you feeling that you getting some where, where others dont go.

i would switch bed for 90 degres, so you can see all the time view of mountain :)

We had a really nice stay at the Imani Eco Sky Lodge, the view was absolutely incredible, the room has everything you need, hot water is available in the shower, the owner is really sweet, she helped us and cooked us a great diner with vegetable from the garden ! If you're in thee area I really recommend you to go there, it's an incredible experience !

Nothing with the property really but it should be noted that the path to get here is really hard when it's raining and going there with a motorbike under the rain is really discouraged !

I had the best stay ever here! Owner is so nice and kind. Delicious dinner and amazing views. Just loved it!!

Very peaceful place with nice view, no car horns or karaoke.

Incredible place! My favourite homestay during 3 weeks solo traveling on motorcycle in North Vietnam. The place is so beautifull, calm, authentic. Its a good destination in your journey not only great place to stay. The host speaks good english and its verry ispiring how she created this place. Local village has friendly people, I was lucky enough to join local festival and experience authentic dinners and celebration together with host. The house is soo magickal, you can watch sunset, read a book, have dinner with host, watch stars in night. Everything was neat and beautifull. Highly recommend this experience.

A true gem, you can experience the countryside, but with the luxury of hot shower and overall facilities. I loved the attention for organic products, such as soap, and the vegetables during dinner, and one of the nicest coffee I've had in vietnam. The road to the accommodation is quite steep and narrow, but doable with also a semiautomatic scooter. I did with a manual motorbike, and it's just fine. Unless you're a local, if you have an automatic scooter you might be better walking.

The bungalow is a bit small: don't bring too much luggage

spectacular views from the cabin, good company and delicious food, nice dogs, hike to big waterfall nearby

A wonderful lodge in the middle of the hills. It is like an oasis for nature lovers. The Lodge is beautiful, it is new, worked out in detail, there is hot water, electricity, a wonderful bathroom. The owner is very nice and helpful, she has three dogs who looked after us :) we had excellent food. I can only recommend to everyone if you are in the area.

If you're an adventure seeker, someone who wants to dissolve into the nature to find an inner self without being interrupted by other people — Imani Sky Lodge is the best choice. It's quite an adventure to get there, but once you're there you can really enjoy the most stunning view, no people around, sounds of nature and peace. Sun is rising behind you and lights up the valley underneath, sunset is directly in front of you, so you can see it from all the way until the sun goes down. Very mediative. Would love to stay there for a longer time. Maybe next time

It's a special type of place, so don't expect amenities like you'd expect from the hotel, it's a tiny house on the top of the mountain with no people around you at all. Just you and the nature. So no cons for the special type of place.

I love the view from the homestay. Exceptional! Plus the atmosphere and the friendliness of the host. I actually stay for one night, but I wish I could stay longer.

We came to the house at night, so it's pretty hard for us to find the way in. There was rain in the evening, so the road was quite wet. But the host will still be able to handle this; she will calmly support us to find the way in.

The view, the lodge and the host

The owner van is very welcoming and pleasant to be around. She tought me vietnamese way of living, cooking and shared stories. The bungalow is amazing with views that words cannot describe & to get to the location you will pass through a local tribal populated village. It was a perfect start to start my motorcycle journey across vietnam, i ended up staying another night.

Theres a steep 1km path up to eco lodge. If you have a motorcycle your fine, scooter you may find it a little difficult & may have to walk or arrange assistance with bags :) its exactly where it says on google maps.

Amazing cabin in a privilege spot. The 30min walk is worth it! The breakfast (fried rice) was also amazing and we enjoyed the chat with Van. Thank you very much!

When is raining, the path gets slippery, a bit complicated with the motorbike. We went up walking.

Amazing view, lovely host, local dinner, nice surroundigns.

Bed was too hard, but this is typical for Viet.

Sweet little cabin on top of a mountain. Amazing views and super friendly host.

The place, the location, the amazing view and the return to the basic way of life. Van is also a wonderful and super interesting person! It's a great chance to meet her and share her way of life.

Nothing, great experience 😊