Review: Namia River Retreat in Hoi An, Vietnam

I marinated myself in a wellness retreat... here are my thoughts.

A wellness stay at Hoi An's Namia River Retreat doesn't mean cocktails by the pool are outlawed.

The lowdown

Namia River Retreat is a five-star “wellness inclusive resort” that opened last December outside the ancient town of Hoi An on the central coast of Vietnam. I thought that “wellness inclusive” meant you didn’t have to spend your entire holiday being “well”. There’s a wonderful spa, a sauna with a view, a fitness centre, and a whole landscape of swimming pools, and daily Vietnamese tai chi and yoga classes.

But guests can also choose to sit around a pool drinking cocktails and dining on fresh, locally sourced produce washed down with a decent bottle of French red wine. So it isn’t necessarily “wellness exclusive”. In fact, however, “wellness inclusive” signifies that daily wellness treatments and activities are included in the price of the room.

The retreat opened last December outside the ancient town of Hoi An on the central coast of Vietnam

The location

The retreat is about a 2.5-kilometre, 25-minute cycle ride (or a 10-minute cruise on the resort shuttle boat) from Hoi An. The accommodation sits on a small river island linked to the mainland by a bridge. Hoi An itself is a lovely, lively, lantern-lit travellers’ centre with hundreds of restaurants, cafes and bars.

Namia River Retreat sits on a small river island linked to the mainland by a bridge

Set the scene

Imagine an islet village where everybody lives in an individual villa with a tropical garden, each villa has its own private pool, and life is “organised” around a luxury spa. It’s like being in heaven without having to be good – heaven inclusive, maybe.

Every villa comes with its own private pool

The spa

Every visitor has an initial consultation at the Lumina spa and a daily 90-minute treatment. I chose a traditional Vietnamese massage delivered at medium strength. First, the traditional apothecary prescribed a “herbal parcel” to suit my needs, then my massage therapist rubbed my body with a paste made from mugwort leaf, perilla leaf, powder, chutney flower, angelica and licorice, mixed with sugar and honey. I felt as if I had been marinated.

Every visitor has an initial consultation at the Lumina spa and a daily 90-minute treatment

When I was told I would be steamed in a “herbal hamam”, I imagined myself as a chicken salad. The treatment included exfoliation and in another wellness misunderstanding, I’d confused exfoliation with depilation. I’d thought that the paste would dry on me to be torn off with my body hair. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong. The whole experience was marvellous, like a Thai massage without the sudden, disturbing violence. It left me feeling younger, stronger, cleaner, healthier and somehow herbier. The next day, I went straight back for more

Namia's Lumina Spa

The rooms

I stayed in a 148-square metre river pool villa, which is apparently inspired by a traditional village fisherman’s house, with a roof that reflects the shape of a boat. My huge bed was one of the most comfortable I have slept in anywhere. It seemed a pity to ever leave it – although, when I did, it was often to lie down elsewhere, on a massage table or a sun lounge. The delightful rain shower was the closest thing I have experienced to actually showering in the rain. I’m not sure why the toilet walls are semi-transparent, however: it was a bit like sitting in a greenhouse.

The river pool villa is apparently inspired by a traditional village fisherman’s house

At the foot of my bed was a sunken bath (not to be confused with my private pool). As part of my spa treatment, I received a net of herbs to infuse my evening bath and relax my weary body in preparation for my next demanding day of enjoying a massage followed by a gentle tai chi class. My bath rack was arranged with a wooden back-scratching fork and water-scooping spoon, and the sight of the cutlery made me feel like I was a chicken salad again.

River Pool Villa

The food

There are two restaurants in Namia, the Merchant and the Fisherman. The breakfast buffet at the Merchant is sublime, with hot Vietnamese dishes, cold cuts, eggs cooked every way, and a rainbow of tropical fruit – including dragonfruits, Vietnamese rose apples, loganberries, tiny tangerines, rockmelons, mangoes and watermelons – and surprises such as single strawberries in chilli sauce. I dedicated myself to the creation of a breakfast franken-banh mi, using thick sauce from the beef ragout, a freshly baked baguette and pickles from the charcuterie table.

A rainbow of tropical fruits on offer

It was a feast for the gods, but I didn’t notice anyone copying it. The kitchen’s all-day offerings veer from the sublime (organic beef in betel leaves) to the more ordinary, but most dishes get a substantial lift from the magical red and green chilli sauces served alongside them. The Fisherman, which is also open all day, and presents a quieter alternative venue for breakfast, specialises in seafood. Most of the dishes at both restaurants lean towards a Vietnamese-European fusion style. Given the choice, I would have opted for more Vietnamese and less European.

Everything is a vibe at Namia River Retreat

What's hot

The spa, the villas, the views, the vibe.

What's not

Well, the food’s not very spicy hot – until you add the chilli sauce.

The verdict: 9/10

Relaxing, rejuvenating and renewing, Namia River Retreat is a gift to your body.

Nipa pool villas start at about $890 per night, including daily wellness treatments, classes and breakfast. 

The author was a guest of Namia River Retreat and Vietnam Airlines.

Originally published as Review: Namia River Retreat in Hoi An, Vietnam