Vietnam – Anatara Mui Ne Resort & Spa
Vietnam
– Anatara Mui Ne Resort & Spa
The views from the entrance of Anantara are
first Vietnam resort embody its Sanskrit name, which means ‘without end’. From
the rased exception, guests can peer down at the airy L’Anmien restaurant, with
it tables and chairs that spill out onto a low deck bordering a lotus pond. A
lagoon extends through the centre of the resort until a rocky transition
transforms it into a sleek, slate- grey pool flanked by lugers, a swim- up bar
and palm trees. Beyond is the chalky sand beach and endless sea, where thing
chai (Vietnam’s famous bamboo fishing boats) bob on the waves.
At Anantara’s seaside restaurant- named in
the boats’ honour- couples relax in rattan chairs and dine on fresh seafood, sheltered
from the wind by glass screens. The 89 rooms, suites, and villas have spacious,
slate- tiled showers and baths; the 20 private- pool villas have rain showers
set in tropical gardens. All incorporate images of thing in the décor.
Anatara’s intimate spa also draws inspiration from the region: the dragon fruit
body polish is made from the locally farmed delicacy; vanilla frown in the
region is infused into the oil for the four- gab massage. Vanilla is also used
in executive chef Alain Nguyen’s signature sauce. The Alain Ducasse- trained
chef’s carefully tailored degustation menu is sensational and guests are
invited to choose their dining venue- glass- encased wine cellar, a candle- lit
thing on the beach in which to sample his French cooking, infused with his
Vietnammese heritage and passion for experimentation
Bed
room
When to go
In the dry season, November to April
Room to book
The one- bedroom beachfront pool villa for
unobstructed sea views from the bed or private pool. 00 84 62 3741 888;
www.anantara.com. Doubles from US$180
Fusion Maia Resort, Danang
Fusion
Maia Resort, Danang
Viewed from the stretch of road along China
Beach, the Fusion Maia does not look like a Hot List hotel. But tucked away
behind the tall granite walls there are 87 private- pool suites and villas, all
with access to unlimited spa treatments. Each open- plan, L- shaped bedroom has
a rain shower, sunken stone bathtub, outdoor courtyard and plunge pool hidden
behind an ochre- coloured brick wall and dense bamboo planting. The Maia Spa
has 16 treatment rooms, connected by breezy white corridors and set around a
verdant tropical garden. Everything on the treatment menu is included in the
room rate; even during peak periods, guests are guaranteed a minimum of two
treatments a day (although booking well in advance is recommended). Next to the
spa are the restaurant, five, for seafood, and the aptly named Tonic bar, which
serves an all- day tapas menu of Asian fusion dishes such as shitake mushroom
yakitori and pork dumplings in ginger sauce. There are views from the
restaurants of the 27- metre infinity pool, the white- sand beach and South
China Sea. The resort can organize hikes in the My Son Hindu ruins from the
Champa Kingdom and there is a free shuttle bus into Hoi an, the former trading
town with 19th- century colonial architecture and cobblestone
alleys.
Fusion
Maia Resort, Danang
When to go
Between February and May, when it is hot
but not sweltering and the rain season has not settled in
Broom to book
The 400- square- metre, two- bedroom deluxe
beach villas are by far the most spacious. 00 84 511 3967 999;
www.funsionmaiadanang.com. Pool suites US$ 330
