Never too late...(to change your mind)

Preamble - the writing of this blog was in response to an unsual number last-minute bookings over the past 2 weeks. Valued guests who booked elsewhere initially and were prompted to make a quick change to stay with us, instead. While a lot of issues brought us these welcome but unexpected guests - the repeated mention was those highly rated homestays - did not live up to expectations. We will discuss "review scores" in an upcoming blog, later this month.

At Mango Home Riverside, we appreciate guests that come to us from all over the world and those who stay for 2-3 nights and others that wish to call us home for a longer period of time. However, sometimes decisions are difficult – not merely regarding prices, but location, recent reviews, your specific needs & wants and ultimately, it may come down to photos.

In the case it does come to photos, let us be the first to apologize that while we do dedicate time and energy to quality photos of our property and update regularly – we routinely hear that “they do not do our property justice”. Many times, our guests will go further to equate to us that normally in Vietnam, they find properties on the opposite spectrum where the photos are nice, but upon reaching the property – they are disappointed.

Mango Home Riverside is into its 14^th year of operation and despite a high heat, high humidity yet beautiful tropical environment – a large portion of our annual budget is dedicated to our lush garden surround and overall building maintenance. What is hard to convey on Online Booking sites and even our own website, our property is over 1.5 hectares. But then again, what does that number even mean and why is it relevant? Well, with over 150 meters of riverfront we are one of the larger Eco Resorts in the region, but more importantly is the ratio of our rooms and amenities to the overall land. Most homestays, Eco Resorts, some with good ratings are on land ½ to 1/3^rd the size and this means that rooms are not only crowded together but are also sitting on top of the restaurant and the swimming pool. I remember one hotelier intimating to me a few years ago that there should never be more than a 3-meter gap anywhere as all space needs to be either rooms or the amenities - and gardens do not bring revenue! While correct that technically, you do not earn revenue or ribbons for your garden – many of our guests find our lush extensive garden a reason to extend their time with us and certainly it plays a role in the appeal of our property.

Another key factor in the decision process as mentioned above is location or as you will see on OTA sites “distance from”. This, as we have seen first-hand, can make the decision more difficult for potential bookers. We are 5 kilometers away from Ben Tre city and while it is great for an evening exploration it is (unlike Vietnam’s bigger cities) not geared towards foreign tourism – which can make it interesting for those wanting a more “local” experience. However, unequivocally, none of the hotels, homestays etc. that are within the city can offer more than a close proximity in navigating the town. No hotels offer riverfront views, riverfront restaurants, or lounges and all of the options are on small lots, including the 5* hotel. Furthermore, you miss out on renting a bicycle to explore the local countryside Mekong Delta Tour options etc. as now you are more “stuck” in a city vs. the natural countryside. Ben Tre and its charm are because of the rivers, the natural beauty, the countryside and these are certainly the most important reasons to visit our area. 

One thing to remember about Ben Tre City is that it is purely local – there isn’t a single business in the city (outside of hotels) that function based on tourism. This is excellent because it is indeed more local and authentic, but the flip side is that for “things to do” within the city are limited. So, the best option is as always to stay here at Mango Home Riverside Eco Resort and then take a short taxi ride into town, rent a bicycle for a brisk ride or rent one of our motorcycles to explore Ben Tre, to explore the Mekong Delta!

But to the heading of this BLOG, posted on a Sunday here in Ben Tre, where from time to time the local Government will cut an overworked power grid, giving it the day off and our generator hums quietly supplying power (and Wi-Fi) to the entire Eco Resort. If, you made the wrong decision at the time of booking – you are not alone. We have a lot of guests that leave another nearby stay early (many right after checking in!) because it is simply too rustic, the weather is too hot for the structure (many of the rustic homestays don’t have full closure, so A/C or not – it does not stay in or cool the room adequately, or they find it boring and the tours they offer are not theirs but of the commercial budget variety. Last week, we had a family book us at the last minute because a city hotel (with decent ratings) decided to rent their conference halls for Karaoke! Knowingly, allowing this despite many guests already booked and staying at their hotel! Sadly, some of the many Farmstays / Homestays also endure endless loud Karaoke from nearby neighbors but will not call authorities as they themselves are not operating properly…

So, relax, do not be stressed and no need to over think! Mango Home was one of the first to grace the Lonely Planet and still today receives their highest recommendation. Our cruises, tour programs and experiences are not only authentic but truly cultural experiences – the other tours are purely commercial, fabricated, disorganized and when you have nothing to offer, the only offer is then ridiculous pricing, which leads to more fabrication, more cutbacks, more selling, and more disorganization.

We ask each and every guest that stays with us to kindly send us a review – as we know that the 3% or less that are unhappy will certainly send one. But, unlike other operations we will not pay for reviews by way of freebies, discounts, nor will we work with networks that you sign a subscription with to provide keyword heavy reviews on a scheduled basis, to ensure you can achieve more bookings by that means. Mango Home is our home too and we sleep well knowing that we do things the “right way”.

Here at Mango Home Riverside, we will continue to focus on our guests, the training of our local team, our immense lush garden surrounding, adding and improving to our amenities (we just recently opened our Local Wellness offerings) and our Ben Tre Day Tour and Mekong Delta overnight cruise operations. But remember, It is, as they say, never too late  - so call us, email us, take advantage of direct pricing discounts and enjoy not only our lush garden surround on a quiet branch of the Mekong River, but all of our amenities, our bicycle / motorcycle rentals and certainly enjoy one of our Mekong Delta Boat tours or unique guided experiences – you will not be disappointed!

So, do not worry - contact us - it is never too late!

See you tonight? (Happy Hour is about to begin)