I was excited to check in to my second hotel because it appeared to be very colonial from the outside and the TripAdvisor reviews were extremely positive. This is the first time I have ever stayed in a resort and I couldn’t wait to try out all of the amenities.
Location
Located in an oasis of tropical greenery on the banks of a small river 2 kilometres outside of Hoi An heritage centre provides the hotel with the perfect balance for exploring and escaping the crowds. It is only a 30 kilometre drive from Da Nang International Airport, which is easily done by either private transfer or by using the Hoi An Express which takes 90 minutes and costs £4.75 (145000 VND or $6USD) for those on budget travel.
I loved the location because I felt as though I was in real Hoi An, not just the popular tourist location. However, I was woken up rather early each morning by the local rooster population. This gave the hotel a really nice rural feel, especially when joined with the view of the mountains from my balcony.
There are several really nice coffee shops and restaurants, including a vegan one, within short walking distance. I found Hoi An to be a lot more walking friendly than Hanoi, though the motorbikes were just as hair raising.
Room
I stayed in a triple room on the sixth floor and I had more than enough room to relax fully during my stay. I had two double beds to choose from and my photographer had a very comfortable camp bed. The entire room was decorated in black and white, with some really lovely touches.
The bedside lights were giant white lanterns, a fitting tribute to the lanterns floating around Hoi An. The dark wooden furniture gave the room a colonial feel. The wardrobe had a huge safe and bathrobes to use (though they were human sized not dinosaur sized).
The corner of the room had a seating area where I could look out of the window and relax with a coffee. I like having a bit of extra space in my room because it stops the feelings of claustrophobia building up. The room was set out in a way where I had an area to store my suitcases, a luxury I have learned to love following my time travelling through Japan.
Balcony
The balcony gets a solid 8.2/10. It’s no secret that I am a complete balcony snob and my overall opinion of a hotel usually results from the balcony. I really enjoyed it but unfortunately from 11am until 9:30pm I couldn’t enjoy it because having a south facing room turned my balcony into a furnace. The view was mainly enjoyed from the safety of the aircon behind closed veranda doors because the wicker dining set became hotter than the surface of the sun.
I was lucky enough to have a view which spanned from Hoi An all the way to the countryside and mountains near Ba Na Hills. The sunrise and sunset provided me with daily paintings across the sky. My balcony didn’t feel overlooked at all because I had (rather delicious) bougainvillea flowers separating my balcony from the neighbouring room.
Bathroom
The bathroom was huge and had all the amenities I required. Although I was scared to use any of the usual free things like the toothbrush because of the hotel’s strange policy (more on that later).
The full sized bath was a welcome site after exploring the town and surrounding mountains. But, there is a really weird feature in many of the Vietnamese hotels I have stayed in. They have a full sized window next to the bathtub and I don’t understand why. My photographer thinks it is so you can watch TV, I thought it was so you could enjoy the balcony view from afar. Either way, we were very relieved to find the blind so we could have some privacy.
Facilities
The pool was divine, like floating around in an infinity pool in the middle of a tropical forest. It’s wasn’t the biggest swimming pool but it was warm and not too deep. I enjoyed floating around in the shade of the tropical trees after a long morning of exploring.
The pool bar was partly surrounded by the swimming pool. It’s a great feeling when you can drink something tropical in the pool. I enjoyed being able to order drinks from the water. There is also a daily happy hour where the cocktails become even cheaper and you can do a party in the pool.
Bicycles are available to rent or for the less adventurous (me) there are golf buggies to take you into the centre of Hoi An.
To relax, there is a spa and massage centre but I didn’t have time to try it personally. Though the humans I spoke to who used it, gave really positive recommendations.
Dining
I arrived at the hotel late and they had prepared many small dishes of delicious central Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine. The tofu, mango and peanut salad were delicious and crunchy. I loved how the kitchen staff cleverly turned soy and mushrooms into meat substitutes which were covered in hoisin.
Breakfast was a simple affair of pastries, fresh fruit and coffee; taken underneath huge ceiling fans. There were also options of pho, noodle, rice and meat dishes. But, the fruit tasted like it had been picked especially for me each morning.
The pool bar served pizza and sandwiches, a welcome break from the delicious Vietnamese food.
However, there is also an abundance of incredible eateries and coffee shops within easy walking distance of the hotel. I never struggled to find food during my stay, its probably more appropriate to say I struggled to fit in time to try out all of the restaurants.
Weird bit
The hotel is extremely strict about their property and the furnishings within the room. To the point where there is a price list so you know the charges if anything is missing or damaged during your stay. I know this is normal practice in hotels but it put me on edge when I realised there was only one umbrella in the wardrobe, not two. Luckily I did not get charged but I overheard other guests trying to avoid paying for “removing” things from their room.
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