Mai Chau Villas

Holiable's review of Mai Chau Villas

Getting there

Mai Chau Villas is accessible by shuttle bus from Hanoi and or by private transfer.

The shuttle bus picks up at the Hanoi Opera, the hotel sometimes offers a pick-up at your hotel if it is not too far.

Real Life story: the shuttle bus never showed up at our hotel, probably due to miscommunication between us and the staff, and we had to book a car after waiting an hour to get there.

So we strongly recommend you catch the bus at the Opera.

Acting as a social enterprise

Mai Chau Villas is a small retreat of less than 20 houses surrounded by rice fields and at the end of a small village.

The lodging is operated as a social enterprise and implicated in the local life. Here 100% of the staff comes from the village itself and the hotel also does fundraising activities for the local community.

The whole philosophy here is to make people feel as close as possible to the locals, to live and feel the village as if they were part of the community.

The paddies as your garden

Staying at Mai Chau Villas, you'll be surrounded by rice paddies.

You just literally get out of the hotel and can start a walk around the nearby villages and watch local life scenes.

Cross rivers, see beef and water buffalos walking around, watch kids ride back from school with chicken and ducks singing along.

The rooms are all decorated simply and elegantly and some have a terrasse. Beds are literally gigantic.

A bigger room overlooks the paddies.

The swimming pool is small but sufficient for a splash to refresh yourself after a hike in the surroundings.

Fresh local food

The hotel's restaurant promotes seasonal regional produce and highlights regional specialities.

Breakfast is sometimes served under the form of a buffet or ordered the day before depending on how many customers are in the facility.

Bonuses

Bikes are free at Mai Chau Villas. The hotel proposes a few paid activities, from fishing discoveries to cooking classes and bike tours with a guide.

They also give you a simple but useful map of the surrounding villages if you care to discover the region on your own.

The main town "Mai Chau" is around 10 km away. The region being mountainy, the main road has lots of curves and buses drive really fast. Stay on the small roads as much as possible if you ride a bike.

Our opinion

Mai Chau Villas is a great nature retreat and is a perfect stop for travellers willing to see Vietnam outside of the main "attractions".

The surrounding villages are great to discover rural life in the region and simply see how the locals live.

Good For: nature lovers, relaxation, walking, biking, veggie/ vegan-friendly