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Nam Hai Vietnam Wins Best Award

Where: HAMLET 1, DIEN DUONG VILLAGE, Vietnam

Last week in Bangkok the Asian TTG Travel Awards for hotels, airlines and travel agents were handed out, and one of our favorite Vietnamese spots, the Nam Hai near Hoi An was awarded the prize for Best New Beach Resort.

Less than one year into its life--it first opened in December 2006--the Nam Hai is really stacking up the accolades. As well as this best new beach resort award, it's been listed in the Conde Nast 2007 Hot List (in both the US and the UK), been picked as a "best of the best" of new hotels by Gourmet Traveller, and, on top of all of that, we think it's a nice place too. A place to watch as it goes from strength to strength in the future, we hope.

[Photo: frenchcoupleAlps]

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· Hotels in Vietnam [HotelChatter]
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Cubicle Dreamin' / Vietnam hotels / Vietnam Resorts / → All Tags

Cubicle Dreamin': Ultra-Luxury in Hoi An

Where: Hamlet 1, Dien Duong Village , Hoi An, Vietnam

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K visits Vietnam...in her mind. Enjoy.

Just last week another friend of mine came back from a glorious holiday in Vietnam, and I'd really like to retrace my backpacking days there but stay in a bit more luxury this time round. From what I've heard the ultimate luxury in Vietnam is at the Nam Hai in Hoi An on the central coast.

The Nam Hai is quite new, having opened in December 2006, and perhaps what you'd call a boutique luxury resort--it's relatively small for this kind of resort with just 40 pool villas and 60 regular villas, all free-standing with views to the South China Sea. My choice is a pool villa complete with my own infinity pool; some of the villas have five bedrooms, so I can take a few friends too.

On top of that, the resort has three amazing beach front pools, one of which is temperature-controlled if you get an unlucky chilly day. In between swims I can play tennis, badminton or basketball, snack in the outdoor restaurant or head into historic Hoi An for some sightseeing. Sounds like nothing can go wrong.

[Photo: frenchcouplealps]

Related Stories:
· Hotels in Vietnam [HotelChatter]
· Travel Stories in Vietnam [HotelChatter]

Vietnam Resorts / Honeymoon Resorts / Six Senses / → All Tags

Evason Hideaway: Vietnam is the New Hotness

We say the above title with tongue firmly planted in cheek. However, sometimes it is cool to follow the trendies, and this is one case where you can call us sheep. Besides, it has been awhile since we pointed you to what we thought was a hotel heaven.

All the cool kids are going to Vietnam and hanging out at Nha Trang beach parties. Of course, Aussies have been hitting up the soft Vietnamese beaches for years, but us Westerners are just getting use to the thought of paying to visit Vietnam. While the idea of traveling to Vietnam is extremely appealing the idea, of slumming it with the Nha Trang crowd might not be for everyone.

Enter Evason Hidewaway at Ana Mandara where honeymooners and those with cash in the bank enjoy a bit of pared down luxury.

But don't go expecting perfection, despite what you see in the photo above, or you will only leave disappointed--there is no such thing as perfection. Instead, we suggest you save money on the front end of your Vietnam vaca, hitting some of the dirt cheap hotels in Nha Trang then BAM! blow your wad on a couple days at Ana Mandara, away from the chaos.

An Evason vet said:

I found the Evason to be a heaven on earth. Its only fault is that it sometimes tries a little too hard. You are isolated and can only get the boat over to the mainland when people are transferring so not a place to go with somebody you don't like. Absolutely loved it.

Hmm. Or to phrase it another way--a place you want to go if you don't want to see many people.

Related Stories:
· Evason Ana Mandara Reviews [TripAdvisor]