Want some sunshine and warmth? Try this new resort in Vietnam
The luxury property in Nha Trang on the country’s southeast coast has villas with private plunge pools, a day spa and great Spanish and Vietnamese food.
It’s early morning and the beach is being raked in precision rows, gardeners are sweeping paths and whisking stray leaves off perfectly kempt lawns. The bay is clear and calm. Before breakfast, I’ll take a dip in my villa’s private pool. Or I might actually have my morning meal right in that pool, served on a floating tray by my butler. This is Nha Trang on Vietnam’s southeast coast, but not as I have previously known it.
A port city about 400km north of Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang is widely recognised as a conurbation of holiday apartments, towering hotels, nightclubs and bars. But it also has clear waters, tiny islands and vivid green countryside on its doorstep, so it should be no surprise to find that exclusive resorts are popping up well away from the high-rise strip. One such option, opened last year just to the northeast of Nha Trang proper, is a five-star beauty that manages the balancing trick of appealing to families and couples alike.
Still nestled under the international tourism radar, Gran Melia Nha Trang is one of the latest offerings from the Spanish behemoth brand, which at last look has opened close to 375 hotels in 40 countries. Melia’s top-tier Gran category is rated ultra-luxury and is the headline act for the group’s catchphrase of “a life well lived”. To date, it’s the smallest and most exclusive tier, but expansion is afoot into homeland Spain, Albania and Italy, where the freshly opened Palazzo Cordusio Gran Melia offers just 84 rooms and suites in the converted Palazzo Venezia, a heritage treasure completed in 1901.
In a push for hospitality world domination, big doesn’t always mean beautiful or unique, but this experienced operator has hit upon a successful formula that combines relative affordability with sophisticated style.
Asia has become a strong focus, with two Melia properties in Bali, a further six across Indonesia, two in Malaysia (also embracing the urban INNside brand), and a robust offering of eight in Thailand.
And now Vietnam has become an unexpected focus, thanks to an operational partnership with local hotel company Vinpearl to “internationalise” its domestic brand. Vinpearl has also teamed with Marriott International to manage a further eight hotels and resorts in Vietnam, including Sheraton and Autograph Collection brands, so let’s just say there’s a lot going on here, from Hanoi in the north to the beach areas of the south.
The accommodation spectrum at Gran Melia Nha Trang varies widely across a 44ha estate of myriad zones. There are 272 options in (an admittedly confusing) 20 styles, from deluxe rooms with garden or water aspects to lagoon-view or sea-facing suites with terraces, or oceanfront alternatives with plunge pools.
Then there’s an assortment of villas, some two-storey, and with configurations from one bedroom to a family-friendly two-storey pad that sleeps eight. One-bedroom beachfront suites or villas, both with pools, are ideal for couples and rival any I’ve seen in Bali or Thailand, although expect a minimalist, blocky style, rather than Asian design references such as carvings or thatched roofs. There’s contemporary furniture by exclusive Italian maker Minotti, an array of terrace seating, including deckchairs, and the prospect of a butler-drawn rose petal bath by candlelight.
On the wellness front, the spa has a hammam, Pilates and yoga studios, and all the regulation fitness equipment. Junior guests are well catered for across most menus and with facilities such as a dedicated pool, watersports, play area with video games and toys, supervised indoor/outdoor activities, movie nights and babysitting.
Staff ferry guests around by electric buggy, if required, but it’s lovely to ramble or cycle on hotel bikes through the tropical grounds and to the integrated Vega City Nha Trang complex, with its coral reef park, tropical beach club, light shows, theatre and art installations. But all that feels way too manufactured and at odds with Melia’s environmental and philanthropic focus on coral restoration and community activities. Time to beat a retreat.
As you’d expect, there’s chorizo and churros (the latter even at breakfast) to be had in abundance on site. Spanish cuisine is served at an offshoot of the Hispania group (London, Brussels, Nha Trang, does have a certain ring to it), where the team has been trained by Marcos Moran, a fifth-generation, Michelin-acclaimed chef of Spain’s well-known Moran culinary dynasty.
Five-course or eight-course tasting menus are available with matched wines, or go a la carte with the likes of Iberico pork from the Josper grill. Shibui, the serene and beautifully kitted-out Japanese diner, offers omakase-style chef’s selections plus a sushi bar and a la carte specialties, including from the teppanyaki and robata grill.
Natura is the third-floor, all-day venue for Mediterranean and pan-Asian food served on the sea-view terrace or indoors amid tropical plants and blooms. There’s even a bar in the soaring, glass-walled lobby that segues to a caviar and oyster venue in the evening.
The burgers and Vietnamese spring rolls at SAL, by the main pool, are excellent and appear on the 24-hour in-room dining menu. But I find myself longing for another seafood paella from chef Moran and dulche de leche at all hours and possibly a sombrero for shady sunbaking. Collisions of cultures don’t always work but Melia has hit on a formula that seems to chime effortlessly and meaningfully across Asia and destinations beyond.
In the know
The resort is 55km from Cam Ranh international airport; complimentary transfers included. Rooms from about $300 a night; beachfront category with pool from $560 (all rates include breakfast). Join the Melia Rewards loyalty scheme for discounts that average 15 per cent.
Jo Makito was a guest of Melia Gran Nha Trang.
If you love to travel, sign up to our free weekly Travel + Luxury newsletter here.
