Luggage storage Sa Pa Lake

Sa Pa Lake is the small lake in the middle of town, circled by a footpath, with the stone church and the main square a few minutes' walk up the hill. The guesthouses on the streets east of the water are a short walk from where the buses and limousine vans from Hanoi and Lao Cai let passengers off, so this is an easy first stop if you reach Sa Pa long before check-in. With your bags left about seven minutes from the lake, you are free to do a slow loop of the water, climb towards the church for a look at the Fansipan ridges when the cloud lifts, or sit down with a trekking agency and plan tomorrow's walk without a suitcase in tow. On the last day it works the other way round: check out, store your bags, and enjoy the town until your evening ride down the mountain.