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SAY GOODBYE TO CHINA BEACH. Vietnam's best known stretch of sand has been informally rechristened "Sunrise Beach". At the Furama Resort, Danang, this comes with the usual Baywatch accessories – professional lifeguards but not, alas, women with bodies like ripening corn, seemingly inflated with bicycle pumps every morning. I slipped onto the beach unnoticed at dawn, painfully aware of my neck which looks like, well… a neck. Men with heads attached to tree-trunks fell to the ground to do fifty push-ups if any damsel so much as glanced in their general direction. I pressed my camera shutter vigorously, demonstrating I am no slouch when it comes to testosterone.
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By 7am the local population had departed en masse leaving a few solitary bathers and some frolicking salty sea dogs. "Babewatch" it is not, but Danang's idyllic stretch of sand runs uninterrupted along a long, long coast, with a gentle drop-off and some decent surf. With the morning mist hanging over the water and low hills providing a backdrop to the curve of the bay, it is an alluring postcard setting.
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| Everyone knows China Beach |
Vietnam beaches run north-south along the Pacific Ocean from Hue, Danang and the old port city of Hoi An to Nha Trang (which has gained a reputation as a prime dive centre) and Phan Thiet, the playground of Saigon's nouveau riche and frantically holidaying expatriate community.
Best Vietnam resorts in the Danang area
While the action is moving south towards Phan Thiet, the epicure epicentre of Vietnam beach getaways is along the Danang-Hoi An corridor. Vietnam Airlines sometimes uses Airbus A-321 aircraft with a single-aisle 3-3 seat configuration on the short hop from Hanoi (if you're on one of these aircraft, pick bulkhead seats 9DE and 9BC or 21DE and 21BC for more legroom).
Other options include Thailand's PB Air (national carrier Thai Airways does a code share with PB Air on the Bangkok-Danang run) while Asiana has plans for Seoul-Danang services.
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The elegant Furama Resort Danang has helped place China Beach firmly on the travel map. A modern five-star resort with most imaginable amenities (including high speed Internet) and a business centre, the Furama is a spoiling choice. It is also sited on one of the best Vietnam beaches.
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| Furama Danang lagoon pool |
This award-winning resort is set in manicured grounds with two pools, plenty of green and a broad ocean frontage leading through casuarina groves and volleyball courts to the beach chairs and umbrellas along the tide line. Trained lifeguards and shallow waters make this a good spot for a family dip. There are acres and acres of beach and you can always find a quiet spot for navel gazing. Let me know what the belly-button fluff portends. Play tennis, billiards, badminton, drive some golf balls or just go fly a kite. Really. If that's not enough, there's archery, yoga, tai-chi and a children's play room. This is a pretty child-friendly resort that works well for the family as well as for the conference crowd.
The resort made waves when it opened in 1997 and continues to set the pace. Internet is available. The room plug is three-pin square and a Foster's beer from the minibar will set you back just around US$2.50. Opt for a split-level Ocean Studio and you'll be able to see the sea from your bed. There is a PADI dive centre and the spa even offers a "Hot Body Wrap" treatment to reduce fat. The resort runs regular shuttles to the Cham Museum, Marble Mountains and Hoi An. The Furama is 12km and 15 minutes from the airport. Taxis will charge about US$5 and up. Another laid back and simpler option is the Sandy Beach Resort. There's tennis, sauna, steambath and Jacuzzi, and even a business centre with Internet access should you require it.
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| Life Resort Hoi An/ photo: hotel |
Danang is a bit of a one-horse town and there's not a whole lot to do apart from lazing on the beach. You can drive north through some picturesque coastal hill roads to Hue the ancient capital (about US$40-$50 roundtrip by taxi depending on the state and make of the car and the driver's inclination), or do a quicker 25-minute drive south to the historic - and fairly well preserved - port town of Hoi An (US$16 roundtrip; the exchange rate is roughly US$1=D18,500).
Hue Hotel Guide
In Hue, options include the traditional lowrise Pilgrimage Village, the solitary highrise Hung Vuong (Imperial), the art deco but crisply modern La Residence, and the oddly-named Abalone Resort which is on the beach but over 50km from Hue. La Residence is a deluxe boutique hotel from French chain Accor. It was a former residence of the French governor of Central Vietnam and it graces the banks of the Perfume River with commanding views of the river and the imperial citadel on the opposite shore.
Hoi An Guide and Resorts
Some of the more charming Vietnam resorts are found in Hoi An. The drive to Hoi An passes rice fields and Marble Mountain where endless rows of giant marble temple lions await your fancy. Nice, but a bit large for carry-on. Hoi An is quaint with a hint of commerce - silk shops and restaurants - lining its pedestrian lanes. Prices are a bargain but, if you like, you can bargain some more. Have your taxi wait in the car park and walk in, or hop onto a cycle rickshaw. This preserved heritage zone is a compact area with brightly-hued two-storey shophouses with tile roofs. The streets meander from nowhere to nowhere which adds to the charm.
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| Golden Sands Resort, Hoi An/ photo: hotel |
At the western corner is the covered Japanese Bridge which was built in the 16th Century. There are tickets at modest prices for entry into some of the historic buildings and assembly halls. Try the silk shops at 92 Phan Chu Trinh Street and 41 Le Loi Street. For restaurants, sample Tam Tam Café (110 Nguyen Thai Hoc, tel: 862-212) serving Vietnamese and Italian. It has a nice upstairs area with ceramic-tile floors and a balcony. Other options include the tiny Yellow River (73 Nguyen Thai Hoc, tel: 910-430), Hai's Scout Café (tel: 863-210) with funky décor and Internet access, Thanh Binh (tel: 862-920) and Cham Pa (tel: 862-974). The local speciality is cao lau, a rice noodle.
It is on a prime stretch of Ha My Beach near historic Hoi An that The Nam Hai (from the GHM group) is sited, 30km south of Danang. The Nam Hai is no ordinary beachfront getaway. This is a benchmark setting for sybarites in search of real class. Sprawled across 35 hectares, this Vietnam luxury resort and spa opened late 2006 offering 60 elegant Villas and a further 40 Pool Villas each within landscaped gardens with unobstructed views across the South China Sea on to the misty Cham Islands. (The Nam Hai features in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)
Care has been taken to harmonise with nature and the design flows along traditional lines with useful modern touches, like Internet. Bedrooms are spacious with en suite baths, walk-in closets, and high ceilings, all adding to a sense of space. The Pool Villas additionally offer a butler's station, a maid's room and temperature-adjustable pool for a dip anytime of the year. All villas are stylish yet inviting in a warm and personal way.
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| The Nam Hai/ photo: GHM |
The Hoi An Riverside Resort is exactly as its name suggests. It is spectacularly sited on a bend in the Do River with unsullied horizons and lush green paddy fields on the other side. It has 60 rooms divided, by décor and the odd quirk, into Japanese, Vietnamese and other styles. The Nippon rooms have low seating (though the Japanese have grown a fair bit in the last century) while the Vietnamese rooms feature wooden parquet flooring and tasteful furniture. The inroom safe won't manage a laptop but it's large enough for most needs.
All rooms come with balconies, some with excellent river views. The resort offers boat trips at US$13++ per person and a daily shuttle to the beach, one kilometre away. Deluxe rooms have ghetto-blaster CD players and flat-screen TV. A Tiger Beer from the minibar will set you back just US$2.50. There's a nice riverside pool too. The owners of the Hoi An Riverside Resort run the popular Khai Silk stores and the celebrated Brother's Café in Hanoi. They have an atmospheric restaurant by the same name in Hoi An too. The Brother's Café Hoi An (tel: 914-150) is housed in a colonial style building right on the river.
Another Vietnam resort option further downriver, closer to the beach, is the Hoi An Beach Resort. It is not entirely true to say the place is on the beach but it is close enough. Cross the road and head up the dunes. This place is more "resorty" and spread out. It is neat and modern with a large and brightly-tiled infinity pool but it lacks the greenery and cosy charm of the Hoi Ann Riverside Resort. The villa rooms are spacious and comfortable.
Just across the road (there is just one, quiet street here) is the Victoria Hoi An, a small complex designed in the traditional shophouse style with lowrise rooms and bungalows. There are 105 rooms in all and the signature accommodations to plump for are the beachfront bungalows (or Victoria Deluxe Houses as they are called).
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| Hoi An Riverside is a treat |
Again, there are the obligatory Japanese, French and Vietnamese-style rooms with pastel hues and varying décor. The vegetation is sparse but well cared for. The problem lies with the soil and no amount of transplanting has really fixed this. It isn't a problem really as visitors will likely spend much of their time on the beach rather than searching for shade trees, and the bungalows – some with Jacuzzis – are quite chic. The inroom safe can handle a laptop easily.
The 212-room Golden Sand Resort & Spa Hoi An managed by Swiss-Belhotel is comfy, posh, and big. If you need a Vietnam resort that is larger and more structured, this could be it. The lowrise development is on a prime stretch of Cua Dai Beach not far from the heart of Hoi An and around a 50-minute drive from Danang Airport. Well appointed rooms offer international comforts like TV, individually controlled air-conditioning and complimentary coffee and tea-making facilities. Deluxe rooms are a generous 45sq m and Ocean View Suites go up to 90sq m. In addition to a broad range of cuisines on offer, the Golden Sand Resort has extensive sports and recreation distractions to keep the most eager fitness enthusiast occupied. Try the 150m seafront pool, outdoor whirlpools, tennis, cycling, beach volleyball or just laze on the beach. Scentual's Spa offers nine single and two double treatment rooms. Those keen on staying in touch can avail of WiFi. The resort hosts ample meetings facilities and the Grand Banquet Hall can handle up to 350 persons. Other options include Palm Garden Resort and Life Resort. Life Resort is a charming "colonial-style" getaway. The same group also has attractive resorts at Quy Nhon and Phan Thiet.
Top Vietnam resorts around Nha Trang
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| Pilgrimage Village Hue/ photo: hotel |
Nha Trang is a short flight south on a Vietnam Airlines ATR. The overhead bins can accommodate a briefcase at best so watch your carry-on. The town actually looks like a seaside resort with a long breezy marine drive. There are public beach areas with nice thatch-palm umbrellas and endless views.
It's a bit like the Pattaya of yore, minus the sleaze, the drug-laced transvestite nipples, the sanitation problems, the crime, the bars, the neon and badgering trinket vendors. Diving is big in Nha Trang and, lately, spa treatments.
Taking credit for the latter is the Evason Ana Mandara and Six Senses Spa. As would be expected, this beautiful garden property features a Six Senses Spa set in its own private enclave at one end of the property. There are treatment rooms for couples with sunken Jacuzzis. Choose a package or go a la carte. If you're not warm enough by the beach, head for the sauna and herbal steam, then ponder the spelling and pronunciation of words like kinesiology. The spa is airy and bright with nice garden features.
Evason Ana Mandara runs long rather than deep, along the promenade drive. It is minutes from the airport, yet far removed from the bustle. The cottages are roomy, the largest being the 35sq m Deluxe Seaview with tile floors and four-poster bed. There's TV, mosquito net, wooden furniture, a bathtub with a window looking onto garden and an incredibly small safe.
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| Life Resort Quy Nhon/ photo: hotel |
The complex has two swimming pools (one deep enough for diving lessons), tennis courts and a super romantic dining spot on a wooden jetty, right above the sea. Sort out your "I dos" here under a full moon. The Six Senses Hideaway Ninh Van Bay is on a neighbouring island, a 15-minute boat ride from here. This resort features just 58 pool villas. The civil airport at Cam Ranh (which can handle larger aircraft) is a half-hour drive to Nha Trang along a 30km highway. The old city airport smack in the middle of town used to be a breeze but...
One of the biggest and flashiest hotels on the Vietnam beach scene is the 485-room Vinpearl Resort & Spa megaresort. This humongous all-in-one playground boasts a 1,000-guest ballroom facility, bars, nightclub, extensive swimming pools, spa, marina, tennis and diving. The Vinpearl is a 10-minute boat or hovercraft-ride from the jetty near Evason Ana Mandara. The resort complex is on a grand scale. The place may not appeal to all tastes but as an all-inclusive, private, Club Med sort of escape, it will find its fans. If comparisons were to be made, it is a tad like the Royal Cliff at Pattaya, with a five storey structure fronting the sea on a private bay below the hills. The five-star Sunrise Beach Resort Nha Trang on the tree-lined esplanade overlooking Nha Trang Bay has 121 guestrooms and suites. Close to the beach and in the heart of the city, the resort is conveniently located for sightseeing and a 45-minute drive from Cam Ranh Airport. The hotel boasts a raft of amenities including the Qi Salon and Spa by Shiseido where everything from mud baths and wraps to stinging scrubs is on offer.
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| Sunrise Beach Resort: Modern amenities |
For those on a budget, the Yasaka Saigon Nha Trang Hotel is a stone's throw away, also on the marine drive. Here hotel-style rooms start at US$98 a night. Off season you might get a 50 percent discount or more. If it's raining, bargain, bargain, bargain. And even cheaper, is the Nha Trang Lodge Hotel.
The four-hour drive from Nha Trang to Phan Thiet is on an excellent two-lane highway with little traffic, hard shoulders and smooth black-top all the way. The countryside erupts in unbelievable shades of green during the rains. The road passes paddy fields, quaint farm houses, cows, dogs, chickens, geese and the ubiquitous policemen who seem to specialise in setting sudden speed traps for unwary motorists. While this is a state highway, you might suddenly spot an improvised 30km speed limit sign with a patrol car round the bend. This makes progress unpredictable, if adventurous. At other places there is not a road sign to be seen for miles yet "tea money" is being earned by the bushel by hard-working men in uniform.
About a half hour south of Cam Ranh, the hills recede, yielding views of vast golden fields and patchwork green. This really is a lovely drive. You won't be driving as foreigners aren't really allowed to wander the roads so sit back and take it all in. Make sure the driving is during daylight hours as nightfall significantly increases your chances of meeting chickens (and a procession of beasts, humans and vehicles) that suddenly decide to cross the road. The Nha Trang area has some of the better beaches of Vietnam though the sand is sometimes a touch more coarse than at Phan Thiet.
Phan Thiet Guide and Resorts
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| Gleaming wood at Coco Beach |
For some of the best Vietnam resorts head to Phan Thiet. The Phan Thiet (pronounded "fun-theet") resort strip is a short drive out of town along some fine stretches of white-sand beach that compare favourably with the best in Phuket and the Philippines. The air is laid-back and unhurried to the extreme. And the food, as everywhere in Vietnam, is cheap and teeth-grindingly good. This is where the fabled round wicker-basket boats originate. How fishermen manage to get to sea - and back - in these contraptions with a single paddle, God alone knows.
At one end you'll spy the striking stilted wooden bungalows of the Coco Beach Resort. The resort starts rather abruptly with just an Alamo-style wall facing the main road and not much signage, but once past the defences, the ambience is appealing and friendly. There are bush-lined walkways, a modest pool, gardens with crab grass, plenty of flowers and gleaming freshly-varnished cottages next to a terrific stretch of soft white sand lined by the resort's hallmark yellow-cone umbrellas. The sand beats China Beach and Nha Trang hands down but the gradient is steeper. This is a lovely Vietnam beach. There's a nice restaurant on the sea. This is one of the older resorts here and is run by the welcoming and hands-on owners - Jutta and Daniel Arnaud - who set the ball rolling in 1995. The small wooden rooms have mosquito net drapes, a verandah, and small shower cubicles. Lighting at night can be a bit dark so get your bearings during the day. There is no distraction of a TV and, to protect your small kids, the owners will arrange safety nets around the raised verandah. Internet is available at the resort office. Inroom plugs are square two-pin. Coco Beach is a quaint resort, and very distinctive.
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| Blue Ocean: huge pool |
Adjoining it is the Saigon Muine Resort which has much to recommend it. The extensive lawns are manicured, signage is crisp, there's a nice infinity pool and accommodation ranges from rooms to bungalows. This is officially a three-star resort (like most of the others in Phan Thiet) but the product is good. Rooms have orange-rust tile floors, stylish toilets with mirrors at wacky angles, a hair-drier, balcony, ample wardrobe space, a desk and two-pin square plug sockets. This stretch of beach is fine and soft underfoot.
Look out for the stylish bungalows and landscaped gardens of the Sailing Club Mui Ne (which is also in Nha Trang). Interiors are cosy and well thought out. Expect satellite TV, aircon (though some rooms offer fans), phones that work, a free-form pool, a beach bar, and fusion food. Those in search of some Vietnam spa pampering can make for the Lotus Day Spa that offers a range of wellness treatments and massages using locally produced oils. Watersports options are varied and catching on with the hip set is kite-surfing. A business centre is available.
The Blue Ocean Resort features rooms and bungalows and perhaps the nicest - and largest - infinity pool in the area. The grounds are pleasant and grassy. After extensive renovation Blue Ocean relaunched in August 2007 as a Life Resorts property. The Sheridan's pub here closes at 10pm which about sums up the nightlife in Phan Thiet. Bring some good books, preferably Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy. Farther down, the Victoria Phan Thiet is a charming property, spilling down a gentle hillside. It is very much a Phuket or Bali-style resort with cottages and a terrific pool area. The one fly in the ointment is the rocky beach which is less-than-inviting at low tide. There are 10 connecting family duplexes here for those large family gatherings and the food is a notch above what you might expect. The Novotel Coralia Ocean Dunes Resort is your average Joe-Blow concrete Asian resort with a beachside setting, massage, sauna and a riot of watersports. But its ace up the sleeve is a golf course - on site.
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| Victoria
Phan Thiet villa |
Ending the strip is the Phu Hai Resort, a large and bold melange of twee European statues, fountains, waterfalls, faux rocks, pink stucco walls, and all manner of fantasy settings including a giant Angkor face looking out from one of the walls in the bar. The pool area is fun for children but all-in the resort is a rather muddled affair. At night things sober down and with the lights on things are rather more beckoning. Rooms are well fitted, if plain. Other properties of note are the neat and spread out Rach Dua Tropico Resort (thatch roof cottages with bathtub, TV, refrigerator and IDD phone), Swiss Village Resort (Japanese-style pagoda design - no kidding - with orange tile roof in a garden setting), the tiny stone-and-plaster cottage Indochina Dreams (with aircon, hot water and fridge but no TV or pool), Bamboo Village Beach Resort (which, as the name suggests, is all bamboo with 37 rooms, TVs, IDD phones and a pool), and the friendly Palmira Resort (in a coconut grove with simple villas and a fun pool).
Another noteworthy Vietnam beach resort is The Pandanus, close to the sand dunes of Mui Ne. This hotel covers 10 hectares and is set on a private 300m stretch of beach. There are 134 rooms housed in four lowrise buildings and 24 bungalows; the bungalows are set closer to the beach. Rooms have all the amenities that you’d expect in a resort of this size including satellite TV, minibar, aircon, IDD phone, and hairdryer. There are three restaurants and one bar, a large pool, business centre, spa, gift shop, as well as a myriad of activities to keep all ages busy. Bicycles (including one that is built for two) are free for guests to explore the surrounding area or, for those less active, a free shuttle bus to Ham Tien Beach area.
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| Saigon Muine cottage |
The main street in the central beach strip Muine area has a fair selection of large and clean thatch-roof restaurants. The curiously-named Hawaii serves delicious Vietnamese fare. Try the fried dishes with lemon grass. Other choices include Black Jack and Green Field. The Que Huong Restaurant doubles as an Internet Café, has an IDD phone and can arrange jeep tours.
Phan Thiet Tours
But before you leave, visit the dunes. That's right. Huge, red and ochre sand dunes straight out of the Sahara. Here, 20 minutes from Phan Thiet, you can boogie-board down the sands chased by urchins, or head further by four-wheel-drive to the heart of dune country. It's quite amazing. En route, stop by the fishing village and savour the sights if not the smells. The culturally inclined can visit the Cham ruins nearby. A four-hour tour for two persons to the dunes and White Lake is around US$50 with coffee break and lunch. Slightly further is the giant sleeping Sakiyamuni Buddha.
The drive from Phan Thiet to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is a quick three hours. Stop at one of the wall-to-wall roadside stalls selling dragon fruit - the local speciality. (A hired car with driver from Nha Trang to Saigon via Phan Thiet is approximately US$100.)
Southeast of Saigon, the Anoasis Beach Resort in Long Hai is a two-hour drive away. Its cottages and villas occupy 13 hectares on a lush green hillside with a private beach. Accommodation ranges from the newer Pavilion Rooms and 60sq m Cottage Bungalows to slightly larger Family Bungalows and even more spacious Ocean View Villas (with two bedrooms, lounge, living area, terrace and Jacuzzi). There's a swimming pool, tennis and billiards as well. Anoasis offers a picturesque setting that is easily accessed from Saigon airport.
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| Princess d'Annam/ photo: hotel |
Ke Ga Bay
Within driving distance of Saigon, about 150km away on Ke Gay Bay in Bin Thuan province, south of Phan Thiet, is the Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa. This is a modern construct, low-rise, and blending well into the surrounds with 57 colonial-style villas, four swimming pools and a spacious spa overlooking broad sandy beaches. The Mandarin Villas offer 70sq m of stretch room with the usual mod-cons like flat-screen TV and Internet.
The Princess Villas go up to 100sq m with four-poster king-size bed and the top-line Empress Suites serve up a more-than-generous 185sq m in a two-storey configuration with a private pool. Among the resort’s highlights are a unique ginger garden, fitness centre, and 1,800sq m spa with 10 treatment rooms. Water sports galore and a myriad beach activities.
Ha Long Bay
In popular Ha Long Bay, the 247-room Tuan Chau Resort is on a private island. Villa accommodation is stylish and lavish running down the hillside to the seaside. The island is developing as an all-in entertainment getaway with dolphin and crocodile shows, theme parks, golf, and a further hotel wing. There are water and laser shows to keep families occupied, and the more energetic can pursue a broad range of water sports and beach activity - or a hard-hitting game of tennis. Some rooms offer Internet access. Ha Long Bay can be managed as a day trip from Hanoi at a stretch but is best enjoyed over a couple of days with a cruise through the limestone outcroppings that lend the area its dramatic charm.
Phu Quoc Resorts
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| Tuan Chau Resort, Ha Long/ photo: hotel |
In the Gulf of Thailand, off Vietnam’s south coast sits the island of Phu Quoc. White sand beaches and an abundance of green make the island an inviting proposition, as well as the fact that it hasn’t yet been overrun by a mass of huge resorts. Be quick though – the island is set for heavy development. Vietnam Airlines has direct flights to Phu Quoc from Ho Chi Minh City and the southern port town of Rach Gia. The flight from Ho Chi Minh City takes about an hour, and it’s about 30 minutes from Rach Gia. There’s also a three-hour-long ferry ride from Rach Gia for about US$13. Accommodation ranges from back-to-basics bungalows on the beach to a couple of resort-style options. The airport is close to the main town of Duong Dong.
La Veranda Grand Mercure Resort and Spa is on the luxury side of the scale compared with other accommodation on the island. Set on the southern end of Duong Dong beach, the resort offers 43 rooms and villas with private balconies. Six villas have direct beach access. Rooms come with air-conditioning, satellite TV, DVD player, Wi-Fi Internet access, mini-bar, and private bathroom. The resort has a tiled pool amid tropical gardens and a spa offering a range of treatments. The colonial-style main building has a bar and restaurant overlooking the sea.
Saigon Phuquoc Beach Resort and Spa is a large resort about ten minutes drive from the airport set on its own private section of Duong Dong beach. All 90 rooms and bungalows have balconies with a garden or sea view. In-room amenities include satellite TV, DVD player, aircon, and WiFi. There’s a pool, tennis court, driving range and plenty of other activities on offer from snorkelling to kayaking. If all the action makes you peckish, there’s a choice of three restaurants. A high-speed boat is available for transport to and from Rach Gia – the trip takes about two hours.
The simpler and less expensive Kim Hoa offers 48 rooms in the main building as well as 18 bungalows. All rooms have aircon, TV, minibar, and private bathroom with a hot shower. There is a swimming pool, and a small restaurant serving Vietnamese and western fare.
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| La Veranda poolside/ photo: hotel |
SASCO Blue Lagoon Resort Phu Quoc is a family-friendly offering on a 100m stretch of Duong Dong beach. It has 75 rooms spread between one highrise tower, nine bungalows and ten chalets. Each room has a private balcony, aircon, TV, hairdryer, safe, minibar and coffee-making facilities. There are five food and drink outlets, a large pool, spa, two karaoke rooms, and an array of activities for kids and adults alike. Along the same beach is Tropicana Resort, another simple offering with 30 rooms and bungalows. Larger beachside bungalows come with private patio, aircon, minibar, hot shower and private bathroom. There’s a restaurant on the beach serving Vietnamese and western fare, and a tour desk to arrange activities that range from sightseeing to fishing and snorkelling.
Cassia Cottage Hotel and Inn, on Ba Keo beach, has 18 large rooms spread throughout one main house, two beach houses and five garden cottages. The main house has four sea front rooms with private bathrooms, and there are two rooms (with bathrooms) in each of the beach houses and cottages. Guests can rent out entire beach houses or cottages for extra privacy. There are no TVs here, but there is Internet if you need it. Really though, a computer may be the last thing on your mind when you have a pool, palm trees, beach, hammocks, sun-loungers, and a seaside restaurant serving (among other things) “cassia” ice-cream.
At the basic Mango Bay Resort it is back to nature. Here bathrooms are alfresco and water is solar heated. Set on Ong Lang beach with a backdrop of native forest, the resort has 16 rooms and bungalows. There is no air-conditioning, but bungalows come with sea views, four-poster beds and overhead fans. The restaurant is open-air on the beach and offers a seafood-based menu.
That's the bumf, beach to beach. If you've got time, wait till a local lovely catches your eye. Then fall to the ground and do fifty push-ups.
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