Vietnam - Ninh Van Bay

Presumably Evason changed the resort's name to avoid confusion with the Ana Mandara resort at Nha Trang on the mainland and, although I’m sure it's fine, it is most definitely not in the same league as the Evason HIDEAWAY at Ninh Van Bay.  Don’t be confused; The Hideaway is the one you want.

Getting there is a pain.

Ho Chi Minh airport is “third world” mayhem.  Asian travellers seem to carry their entire worldly possessions wherever they go.  In waiting to clear security upon arrival at Ho Chi Minh, you are jostled by whole family lineages.  Fathers wrestle with crates, trunks and huge cardboard boxes wrapped in kilometres of cling film, whilst mothers attempt to restrain a playground of young children and not to lose aging grandparents.  It’s a sweaty nightmare.

Having cleared international arrivals you have to make your way to the domestic terminal (next door) for the local flight to Cam Ranh airport.  This flight is (very much) economy class only but we decided to skip the long check-in queue and take our chances at the Vietnam Airline’s business class check-in desk.  The girl was very helpful.  She told us the plane boarded from the rear and allocated us the seats by the exit.  She also gave us Business Lounge passes.  Clearly a strong candidate for "Employee of the Year!”

Arriving at Cam Ranh, a former US air base, resort guests are met by a hotel team and squeezed into a mini bus for the 1 hour drive to the boat which completes the epic journey to the resort.  It is another 20 minutes across the bay to the very “hidden away” Evason Hideaway.

Phew! It takes around 5 hours at best to travel to Ninh Van Bay from Ho Chi Minh.  Don’t consider coming here for less than three nights. We stayed for four.

I wish we had checked out private helicopter transfer, certainly from Cam Ranh airport.  The crowded minibus and boat are not a good option in temperatures of 90 degrees+.

Having finally arrived you are greeted by your private butler, who will service you for the duration of your stay, (and look for a large tip as he waves you farewell).

There are several types of accommodation. The Water Villas are fabulous. At the far end of the resort, they are completely private and consist of two buildings.  One is the bedroom/bathroom and the other is a sitting room.  The bathroom is completely open to the elements.  A private deck provides a perfect sunbathing area with a plunge pool by the edge of the sea.  The accommodation is spectacular.

The resort is a sprawling network of roped walkways and you need to be fairly fit to have anything other than one of the beach villas.  These sit back from the beach and, once you have seen the more superior accommodation, are disappointing.  Had we opted for a beach villa and subsequently been shown a Water Villa, our backsides would have been black and blue from self flagellation.

The restaurant is located on two levels. Upstairs is a vast open canteen. Downstairs, by the water, is small and intimate.  Table reservations don’t happen so securing a downstairs spot is down to chance.  However, during our visit most guests, like sheep, followed each other upstairs.

The spa is very good and is run as a serious stand alone operation which always strikes me as a good sign. It is clearly a draw for a number of guests.

On the subject of guests, as is so often the case, they are an “interesting” mix.

The evening we arrived the resort hosted its weekly drinks party.  A German guest, who was leaving the following day, complained to us that the food was awful.  The basis of his complaint was the food was predominantly Asian.  No sauerkraut.  The restaurant manager told us of a Russian group who had partied all of the previous week in one of the spa villas.  Each morning the resort had to deliver a case of beer and 12 bottles of wine to the villa.  When wine was ordered it was always the most expensive, the choice being driven by price, not vineyard.

The Evason Hideaway at Ninh Van Bay is well worth a visit. Being on an island, it is difficult to leave the resort, but why would you want to? However, after 5 days you probably would begin to go stir crazy.  As part of a multi resort trip, it is a perfect Vietnam stop off.

The Evason Hideaway at Ninh Van Bay
Nha Trang
Vietnam

+84 58 524268

Link to website