I have had the unforgettable pleasure of visiting two extraordinary resorts on an island in Ninh Van Bay off the coast of Nha Trang, Vietnam. The sense of arrival at both resorts with entire staffs waiting to greet on the pier, made you feel like a guest star on an episode of the television series, Fantasy Island! Both evoked subdued elegance and exquisite traditional Vietnamese architecture while overlooking the very picturesque East Vietnam Sea.
View from our beach villa’s private pool at An Lam
My first trip to Nha Trang was to the awesome Six Senses Ninh Van Bay with my friends, Laura and Maria. After an amazing experience, I knew I had to return with Paul. We chose a two-story beach villa, although the rock, water and hill top villas looked equally inviting. Most impressive was the level of luxury while still maintaining a very green operation. Our villa had a private pool complete with butler service. Sugar, our sweet butler, delivered impeccable service with personal touches that made everything that much more special. Besides just chilling out, we visited the wine cave for a wine tasting and on the second trip for a private romantic dinner. The food was absolutely fabulous and we especially loved the expansive breakfast buffet. Later this summer, Laura and I are visiting their resort in Con Dao, Vietnam. We can’t wait for more of the Six Senses treatment!
Romantic wine cave dinner at Six Senses
Last weekend, Laura and I visited Epikurean’s An Lam Ninh Van Bay, another five star resort on the same island right around the bend from Six Senses. WOW! Just as impressive as their neighbor, yet with their own inimitable style. Our butler, Luan, went above and beyond from the get-go! Our beer was always iced and each day he scattered flowers in our pool. Luan offered to arrange dinner on the catamaran but we opted instead for private tables on the jetty and the torch-lit beach. So many available activities, but we were thrilled to just enjoy our villa. Very obvious was the hands-on management style at An Lam. We enjoyed getting to know the property’s manager, Miss Lei who shared about other Epikurean properties. Hoping one is in our future…
Watch this video and enjoy your own little fantasy:
I would be hard pressed to choose between these two superb destinations. Both delivered breathtaking yet different escapes that I had only dreamed of before. Maybe I can just fly back to both? “Mr. Roarke, ze plane, ze plane!”
. The restaurant had a nice snack bar near our lounge chairs and another restaurant we enjoyed on the beach.
