Name: Mai's House Homestay
Address: Tan Long 3 Hamlet, Tan Thanh Binh Commune, North Mo Cay District, Ben Tre, Ben Tre, Ben Tre, Vietnam
Rating: 8

Garden

General

Family room

Shower/Bathtub

Shower

Rooms

Laundry

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Common kitchen

Bottled water

Meals

Internet access

Internet

English

Languages Spoken

Free bicycle rental

Fishing

Recreation

No parking

Parking

Beach/pool towels

Pool and beach

Family/Kid Friendly

Kids

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Location

At the cottage

Room amenities

Con Dao

Mai's House Homestay

Ben Tre

My friend and I were on a tour with Intrepid and this overnight stay was included.  The rooms are basic but have everything we needed including mosquito nets.  There was plenty of room to sit and watch the world go by watching the Mekong into the evening.  The food was all home made and delicious.  We really enjoyed it.

Great experience 

We stayed one night at Mai's house with her little family. Despite the monsoon season, we had a wonderful time. The reception is charming, you'd think you'd be home. The kitchen is delicious. So yes, it's not a five-star, but at the same time you sleep in the guest house not in a hotel.

Accommodation and welcoming accommodation

If you want to live in a place where day-trippers land with small boats, something hidden between palm trees, to reach the last five minutes on unpaved roads, then you're right in May. It's easy and idyllic, the food is very good and our four-person family room with bathroom and toilet was very clean. You can borrow boats or sleds or listen to the river noise in the hangar (sometimes there's a small, creaking boat with you). We were on the way and we only had one more night in May and we'd like to have a day to explore the surroundings. Let the best one who brings you in, call in advance (many English, but that's enough during the stop is perfectly perfect, because they have to pick up a river noise in the hammock), which then you'd have to get away from the river, and I'd have to get away from all the cars, because I'd have to get away from the river quickly, and I wouldn't have to walk away from the kids, and I'd have to get away from all the blocks.

Hidden idyll by the river

Stayed as part of our tour. Found it to be very clean and comfortable. Nice and friendly people.  Rooms shared a bathroom, cold water only, but didn't need hot water. Best spring rolls that I had in Vietnam. 

Great 

We stayed here as part of a tour in August.  Our families all had their own rooms which was great.  You are able to help yourself to drinks, alcoholic and non alcoholic, and simply make a note of what you have and pay prior to leaving.

The toilets/showers are at the back of the homestay.  Don't go for a shower in the dark, as I did, or you will have plenty of unwelcome visitors.  This wasn't great during the night as no-one told us which door you would need to use and we spent time trying to find the right way.  Dogs also roam around the property so if you don't like dogs.......

One issue I had was if mosquito nets are to be supplied then surely there shouldn't be any holes in them?  There was a fan in the room which was sufficient during our one night stay.

Now, I realise this all sounds negative and it certainly wasn't the case.  I can laugh at these things now and I was out of my comfort zone.  You are in a beautiful place but you just need to be prepared.

We had lunch, dinner and breakfast at the property and every meal was delicious.  There are seating areas around the property.  The kids loved the hammocks (my daughter now wants one for her room).  Our group played cards and darts and just had a good, relaxing time.

I probably wouldn't return but would recommend it.  I've no idea of cost, as I said it was part of a tour.

Good experience

We loved it, and our hostess took little care of us, and the place was very nice, and the dinner was as rich and varied, and the beds were short but comfortable.

A lovely place to stay in this charming home

We recently stayed with our family of young children. Here is an honest in-depth review of things I wish I had known. 

Pros:
- comfy hammocks for relaxing (all of us loved them. Our little toddler was thrilled to be out in nature)
- dinner: very tasty and lots of it
- right on the river with pretty trees, very enjoyable to sit outside and relax or go for a walk. 
-plenty of paths for walking and spotting mudskippers and local houses with chickens 
- in the evening we approached her and asked about boat tours, visiting coconut candy factory, etc. and she was very polite and helpful with organizing it (about 800,000 dong not including lunch or tip. Lunch is about 150,000 dong per adult)
- rural and out of the way
- bikes for use
- beds are okay comfort wise

Cons: 
- we were picked up and shown the room, asked if we wanted lunch and dinner...then bacially no  conversation or introduction to the area, no info on wifi, felt a little awkward. But maybe she feels guests will come to her when they need something.
- none of the rooms are fully separated-it is basically one big room under a thatched roof with partial partitions, and the partitions could easily be climbed if someone wanted access or a look at someone else's room. It is more of a 'homestay hostel'
-fans generate a small breeze
- drinks are 4x the cost of a little shop down the road (15 for water, 20 for soda- we paid 5 for a soda from a little side shop)
- dinner cost not discovered until check out (360,000 dong for our family and it's not like you can really go somewhere else)
-lunch was bland (300,000 dong for fried rice, noodles, oily spring rolls, and a few slices of pineapple) 
...............one way to remedy the cost of meals, since most people mention it, would be to send an email to your guests before or let them know upon check in 'welcome to our homestay, for your information meals cost x, drinks cost y, etc.' That way people know what they're getting into. And lunch should not have cost that much. Just no.
- there's no door handle. When you close your door and try to open from the inside, you have to pry it open with your fingers on the base of the door. 
- stains all over bedding, including mold and blood (I live in a high humid climate. If you wash with soap regularly and dry in the sun, this shouldn't be a problem)
- dirt all over bed frame...needs a simple dusting
- spider webs and spiders over two of the beds (where our kids sleep), in the shower and toilet area as well; needs a simple sweeping

I just want to note...I'm not used to luxury. I literally slept in the Indonesian jungle on the floor of a tent with spare clothes for a pillow just last week. I figured it would be basic...I just wish it was clean too. Maybe we're wrong, but it seems like maybe with having 10 rooms and multiple beds per room, she doesn't have the staff or time to clean very well, especially the bedding.

Summary: Mai is helpful and kind, dinner tasty but expensive, setting is beautiful but rooms are not very clean.

Great setting, not very clean, expensive food

We had booked two nights at the inhabitant's when we arrived great disappointment it's separate rooms by a board partition no ceiling partition is 1cm thick with toilet and dirty showers common for two more rooms you have to practice a muddy path about 250m you go through two pig farms how can t we put on TripAdvisor a 5c note is scandalous we didn't stay and rented a cam on ben three

What to Avoid

It's a very simple location, but also private, comfortable and relaxing. The food was amazing! Every....single....meal! We also enjoyed some boat tours, hiking and cycling with an opportunity to just hang in the hammocks and relax. Very much worth the trip and we'll likely return with our daughter next time. Thanks again!

Amazing place to rejuvenate and explore!

Mai’s is a nice basic guesthouse on the banks of the river in a beautiful & quiet park of the Mekong just out of Ben Tre. The  rooms are basic but the dinner is big and delicious. The surrounding area is beautiful and great for walking and cycling. 

Mai's House Homestay

Main amenities of the hotel

Location

Available rooms

Location

Description of the hotel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Payment