Saturn Homestay 1: Vietnam's BEST Kept Secret (You NEED to See This!)
Saturn Homestay 1: Vietnam's BEST Kept Secret (You NEED to See This!) – A Review That's Actually Real (Brace Yourself!)
Okay, buckle up, because this isn't your average, sterile hotel review. I'm about to spill the tea (or maybe the pho, we're in Vietnam after all) on Saturn Homestay 1. And let me tell you, calling it a "best kept secret" isn't just marketing fluff. It's… well, it's a secret. And I'm here to break it, kinda.
First Impressions (and a Minor Panic Attack):
Finding the place? Easy peasy. Accessibility is actually pretty good, considering Vietnam's… let's say "varied" footpath situation. The entrance is thankfully level, a huge plus. But, and this is a HUGE but: I arrived late, jet-lagged, and suddenly I was staring at this gorgeous, minimalist structure, all clean lines and… silence. My brain just short-circuited. Where were the hordes? The vendors? The noise? It felt… unnatural. But in a good way. A very, very good way.
Rooms – Paradise Found (and a Bed I Didn't Want to Leave):
My room? Oh, the room. Forget all that generic hotel drivel. This was designed. From the blackout curtains (essential after a 16-hour flight) to the extra-long bed (a godsend for a tall person like myself). The air conditioning was a blissful, silent presence. And lemme tell you about the slippers. Such a small detail, but after trekking through humid streets all day, sliding into those babies? Heaven. Seriously, I considered stealing them. (Don't judge!) The private bathroom? Spotless. Water pressure? Awesome. Complimentary tea? Always a win. Free Wi-Fi in the room? Duh. Reliable though, unlike some hotels. Actually it was Internet access – wireless and Internet access – LAN! Not just one or the other, impressive! They even had one of those little reading lights, you know, the ones that actually work? Magic.
And room decor, this was where they really shone. It was all subtly stylish, nothing flashy, no garish colors, just calm, serene… and a bit sexy.
But I did have some trouble with a hairdryer that kept overheating (minor imperfection, but worth noting), And I was glad I didn't have problems with a lock on the door, or any sort of safety feature at all.
Cleanliness & Safety – Can't Fault It:
This is where Saturn Homestay really shines, especially in the post-pandemic world. Anti-viral cleaning products? Check. Daily disinfection in common areas? Check. I'm pretty sure they had professional-grade sanitizing services operating around the clock. They even offered a room sanitization opt-out (brave, I didn't). There's a doctor/nurse on call, a first aid kit, and just in case, a fire extinguisher and smoke alarms in the room. The staff were trained in safety protocol, and although I didn't see one, they had some sterilizing equipment somewhere. I didn't worry a bit. And the best part? It’s incredibly evident they care. They provide hand sanitizer at every turn and every staff member has perfect hygiene certification.
Dining, Sipping & Devouring – Foodie Heaven:
Okay, let's talk food. It's Vietnam. You expect good food. Saturn Homestay 1 delivers, and then some. The Asian breakfast (yes, you can get a Western breakfast if you're feeling tragic) was insane. Fresh pho, amazing spring rolls, all that good stuff. And I ate in the restaurant, which was clean and lovely with Asian cuisine on offer, but they had international cuisine too. I had a steak with the best pepper sauce I’ve had in my life! You can order room service, 24 hours, of course. Plus, they had a poolside bar where I consumed a shameful amount of cocktails. And if you’re feeling antisocial, you can have breakfast in room. You can even get a breakfast takeaway service. Also, buffet in restaurant? Absolutely! Coffee/tea in restaurant? Yes, and surprisingly good coffee. And they had desserts in restaurant too.
Things to Do & Ways to Relax – Pamper Time, Anyone?:
Now, for the really good stuff. The Sauna was perfection. The steam room? Same deal. And the massage? Oh, the massage. I’m not usually one for spa treatments, but after a week of exploring Hanoi, my muscles were screaming. The spa was absolutely exquisite. I only had time for a massage, but there were body scrubs and body wraps available too! You can also use the fitness center. After the massage and delicious food, I spent a solid hour relaxing by the swimming pool with a gorgeous pool with a view.
Services & Conveniences – They Thought of Everything:
Seriously, the staff here are saints. Air conditioning in public area? Of course. Daily housekeeping? Yes, and they're meticulous. Concierge? Always helpful. Currency exchange? Easy. Laundry service? Thank god. Luggage storage? No problem. They even have an elevator (a godsend in this heat!). They have a convenience store if you forgot anything (like sunscreen, guilty!). And they had a safety deposit box.
And here's the kicker: Free Wi-Fi in all rooms! (I know I mentioned it, but it bears repeating).
A Few Quirks (Because Perfection Doesn't Exist):
- The non-smoking rooms are a godsend, but the designated smoking area felt a bit… out of the way.
- They don't have the option to visit with pets because they don't allow them.
- I wanted to use the car power charging station, but I couldn't since I didn't have an electric car.
Accessibility
I can't speak to complete wheelchair accessible because I didn't need it, but the ground floor seemed easily manageable. While not everything is perfect, I found Saturn Homestay 1 quite accessible.
The Verdict (and a Plea):
Saturn Homestay 1 isn't just a hotel. It's an experience. It's a sanctuary. It's an escape from the chaos, without being boring. It’s almost perfect.
Should YOU go? YES. Absolutely. But keep it secret. Okay?
SPECIAL OFFER for YOU (because I said so!)
Book your stay at Saturn Homestay 1 within the next 7 days and get:
- A complimentary upgrade to a room with a balcony (if available!).
- A free cocktail at the poolside bar.
- Early check-in (subject to availability) so you can dive straight into that blissful relaxation!
Just use code "SECRETESCAPE" when booking on their website (find the link – it'll be worth it!). Don't tell them I sent you… they might think I’m getting kickback.
P.S. I'm already planning my return. Don't miss out! And seriously, shhh!
Unbelievable Gaborone Getaway: Protea Hotel Masa Square Awaits!
Okay, buckle up, buttercup. We're going full-tilt boogie into a gloriously messy itinerary for a trip to Saturn Homestay 1 in Vietnam. Forget perfect, embrace the glorious chaos. This is YOUR personal travel journal, overflowing with sweat, tears (of laughter, hopefully), and questionable decisions.
SATURN HOMESTAY 1: VIETNAM – A HOT MESS OF A TRIP (IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE)
Day 1: Arrival & The Great Pho Hunt (and the inevitable language barrier dance)
- Time: 6:00 AM (GMT+7). I swear jet lag is a real thing. Woke up with my brain feeling like scrambled eggs. Dragged myself out of bed, fueled by instant coffee that probably tastes like battery acid.
- Action: Arrive at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN) in Hanoi. The airport is already a symphony of smells: incense, something vaguely floral, and a hint of…fish sauce? Embrace it, you beautiful weirdo.
- Transportation: Pre-booked a taxi. The driver, bless his heart, kept trying to tell me (in rapid-fire Vietnamese) about his family. I just smiled and nodded. Pretty sure he thought I was mentally challenged. Hey, at least the traffic wasn't insane by Hanoi standards.
- Destination: Saturn Homestay 1. Finding it was a minor victory. Google Maps was… optimistic, let's say. Ended up wandering down a narrow alleyway, convinced I was being led to my doom, and then… BAM! The brightly colored homestay. Relief washed over me like a wave of lukewarm water.
- Evening: The Pho hunt began. My mission? Eat the perfect bowl of Pho. This meant navigating the chaotic (but charming!) streets, battling the scooters (they're everywhere, and they don't care about you), and attempting to communicate with vendors via the universal languages of pointing and miming. My first attempt… well, let's just say I ended up with a dish that looked suspiciously like something the cat coughed up. The soup was… flavorful? After a bad phở, I ended up in a small cafe and ate a fried egg and banana.
- Quirk: Nearly tripped over a sleeping dog. Twice. Dog seemed unfazed. I, on the other hand, now have a lingering fear of street dogs.
- Emotional Reaction: Utterly overwhelmed but also… thrilled? This city is a sensory overload, but in the way you kinda crave. This is living, baby!
- Mess: Did I mention the tiny, sketchy local market that almost got me. I was thinking that I would get some street food. I ended up getting so overwhelmed, I fled.
Day 2: Ha Long Bay…Or Was it a Boat Full of Tourists? The Constant Struggle of Being Human
- Time: Early start, 7:00 AM. I'm so tired. But, it is Ha Long Bay! Time to get out there and "experience" the "beauty".
- Action: Day trip to Ha Long Bay. Paid for a tour. The bus ride was something. It was basically a cattle car crammed with tourists. The windows were coated in a fine film of…well, something.
- Transportation: Bus to Ha Long Bay, then a boat tour. The boat was… well, it was a boat.
- Destination: Ha Long Bay.
- Mid-Day: There was a kayaking session. It was a beautiful time of solitude, but I ended up being on the wrong side of a wave, and got absolutely soaked! I ended up falling, the water tasted like the ocean.
- Quirk: The hawkers on the boat. They were basically circling. They were selling, drinks and snacks. I just wanted to be alone for a moment!
- Emotional Reaction: So, so beautiful. But also, the sheer volume of tourists kinda killed the vibe. The perfect Instagram picture is a lie. The raw, unadulterated beauty of Ha Long Bay is still worth it, even if there are a million other people trying to capture the same thing. (And, yes, I took a picture. Shame on me.)
- Mess: The whole day was just so messy. Having to eat and drink on the boat. Trying to avoid the crowds. The thought of the bus ride back. It was a challenge of sorts.
Day 3: The Bizarre Art of the Water Puppet Show & the Search for True Coffee
- Time: "Early" morning. Woke up at 8. Still feeling the aftereffects of the tour.
- Action: Tried to find the best coffee. The place looked nice, but the coffee tasted disgusting.
- Transportation: Walking and, later, a taxi.
- Destination: The Water Puppet Theater.
- Afternoon: Water Puppet Show. Okay, this was something. It was a spectacle of puppets dancing on water, accompanied by traditional Vietnamese music and a narrator who screamed into a microphone. The puppets themselves were awesome. The story? A little lost on me, to be honest. But the energy was infectious. I laughed.
- Quirk: They kept asking me if I like the show. "Yes, I do!", I kept repeating.
- Emotional Reaction: Surprisingly moved! I mean, it's puppets, but it was also just a bit magical.
- Mess: My attempts to understand the Vietnamese the puppeteers were saying. I gave up.
Day 4: Saturn's Secret Garden & the End of my Vietnam Adventure
- Time: Woke up in a grumpy mood.
- Action: Wandered around the city. Went to the same small cafe.
- Transportation: A taxi.
- Destination: Saturn Homestay 1.
- Mid-Day: After a week of chaos, I was starting to get my bearings. The owners? Absolute sweethearts. They made me feel like family. I got a chance to relax, and talk to other people. Went on a tour of the area.
- Quirk: The smell of incense, the scooters going by.
- Emotional Reaction: Sad to leave! The beauty of the country, the culture, and the people. And the food of course. It was just so so magical.
- Mess: I was so sad, I dropped my phone in the garbage! I was ready to leave, but I couldn't. I had to go through the garbage to get it.
Day 5: Flying back home.
- Time: Wake up.
- Action: Head to airport.
- Transportation: A taxi.
- Destination: airport.
- Evening: On a plane back to my house.
Final Thoughts:
Vietnam is a sensory explosion. It's messy, it's loud, it's challenging, and it's also the most beautiful, awe-inspiring thing I've ever experienced. I didn't get everything right. I made mistakes. I got lost. I ate some questionable food. But I wouldn't trade a single moment of the chaos for anything. Go. Explore. Embrace the mess. And don't forget to bring a sense of humor (and maybe some hand sanitizer). You'll need it.
*P.S. Still haven't found the perfect *Pho. The search continues…
Nicecy Saigon: Vietnam's BEST Hotel? (You Won't Believe This!)
Saturn Homestay 1: Vietnam's BEST Kept Secret...or Maybe It's Not? A MESSY FAQ!
Okay, let's get this straight. Saturn Homestay 1. Vietnam. Best Kept Secret? Maybe. Or maybe not. Honestly? I’m still processing it, and that's the whole point. I’m gonna try to break it down, but be warned: I'm a messy person. So, the answers are gonna be messy too. Buckle up.
1. What *IS* Saturn Homestay 1, exactly? Like, besides being some "secret" I'm hearing about?
Alright, picture this: You're in... well, I'm not going to give the exact location, because, honestly, that's part of the "secret" vibe. (Though I have to say, I'm not sure how much longer it's a secret, given I’M writing an FAQ.) Let's just say it's… somewhere spectacularly rural. Think lush green rice paddies, water buffalo doing their thing, and a stillness you rarely find. Saturn Homestay 1 isn’t a fancy hotel. It's a family home, a genuine, lived-in space where you're welcomed like, well, like you're family, even if you're super awkward and don’t speak a word of Vietnamese (like me). They've got a small number of rooms, usually just a few, and the focus is on… connection. Actually, a *lot* of connection. Possibly too much, sometimes, but more on that later…
Seriously, don't expect air conditioning or a breakfast buffet resembling a five-star resort. Expect authenticity. Expect maybe a lizard or two in the bathroom (it's part of the charm, I *think*). Expect to be completely, utterly charmed.
2. So, is it REALLY the "Best Kept Secret"? How secret are we talking? And is it OVERRATED?
Okay, the “Best Kept Secret” thing? That's a bit... hyperbolic, maybe. I mean, I found out about it. You’re reading about it. So, the secret's out, right? But I get the *vibe* they are going for. It feels more like a well-guarded *treasure* than a secret, you know? Like, a place the hosts want to protect. And honestly? I get it. It’s fragile, that experience. The hosts really open up, and they don’t want floods of tourists ruining the vibe.
Overrated? HELL NO. Is it going to be for everyone? Absolutely not. If you're a "luxury travel only" kinda person, you're gonna hate it. If you need 24/7 wifi and a Starbucks on every corner, forget about it. But If you crave something real, something different, and are willing to be uncomfortable IN A GOOD WAY… then it’s probably worth your time. It's definitely worth the effort to get there, which can be… an adventure in itself (more on that later, too). I wouldn't call it overrated. I would call it... potentially life-changing.
3. What's the food like? I’m a big eater. And a picky one, too. Am I doomed?
The food. Oh, the food. This is where things get… interesting. Let me just say this: forget your usual Western fare. They make a TON of local food. The family cooks everything themselves. I’m talking garden-to-table freshness. The meals are HUGE, family-style, and you're expected to participate. Meaning: learn to eat with chopsticks, get over your texture hang-ups, and try everything. *Everything*.
I’m a pretty adventurous eater but I had to draw the line a few times. Like the time they served that… well I’m not going to describe it, because I'm sure I traumatized my roommates. My point is, prepare to be challenged. And, honestly? The food is usually incredible. The flavors are complex, the ingredients are fresh, and you'll probably eat way more than you think you can. You might experience some…digestive adjustments. Pack some Pepto.
They *do* try to accommodate dietary restrictions… to a point. Don’t expect a gluten-free, vegan, raw-food extravaganza. Be open-minded. Be polite. And be prepared to discover some of the best food of your life.
4. What activities are there? What EXACTLY do you DO all day?
Activities? Ha! It depends. The whole vibe is laid-back… almost at the point of being… leisurely. They offer organized things, but the *best* moments are the ones that evolve naturally.
Here’s the more official list: Cooking classes (HIGHLY recommend, even if your skills are… lacking), rice paddy walks, cycling, visiting local markets (fascinating, even if you get lost, as I did), and, of course, lounging in a hammock and reading. But honestly, it's the *unscripted* moments that stick with you. Maybe helping the family with their chores (I tried to help with the chickens... let's just say I'm not built for poultry wrangling). Maybe just sitting around, sipping tea, and trying to communicate with the family in broken Vietnamese (or attempting to teach them English, which is more fun than it sounds). Or maybe, just maybe, finding yourself deeply moved, feeling a connection as you sit around a table with the hosts. That's the main activity.
5. The "Connection". What do you mean by that? Were they *too* friendly? Get too close for comfort?
Okay, brace yourself, because this is where things get… intense. The connection. It’s the heart and soul of Saturn Homestay 1. And yes, it can be a LOT. They are VERY, very friendly. Like, genuinely, deeply, *caringly* friendly. Bordering on… intrusive, at times, if I'm being brutally honest.
I’m going to tell you a story, and it's embarrassing, but true. My first night there, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by all the new sights, smells, and sounds, the trip to get there involved a bus ride in the dark and I was just feeling homesick. I excused myself from dinner, went to bed early… and started crying. Silently. Because, you know, I'm incredibly mature. Ten minutes later, there's a knock on my door, and there’s one of the host's daughters, a girl of maybe fifteen, with a cup of warm tea and a plate of cookies. No words. Only a hug. I didn’t speak a word of Vietnamese. She didn’t speak much English. We just… sat there. And I cried a little more. And the next morning? She brought me flowers.
Point is: they care. A LOT. And yes, that can feel a little… suffocating at times. But it's also incredibly beautiful and human. Be prepared to open yourself up. Be prepared to be vulnerable. Be prepared to let your guard down. And maybe, just maybe, you'll experience something truly profound. And if you're really lucky, you’ll be on the receiving end of sincere kindness during a moment of crippling insecurity.
