D I V I N E LY or i ented
Two luxe resorts in Vietnam serve up the pinnacle of chic accommodation – each with their own heavenly twists.
Fringed by a dramatically sinuous coastline along its length, Vietnam has a plethora of oceanic delights on offer. Two properties that set the bar high for ultra-chic stays in stunning surrounds are the recently launched boutique 26-villa Anantara hotel just out of Quy Nhon, and Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, near historic Hoi An, which at 12 years old is still the gold standard for luxury accommodation in the country.
ANANTARA QUY NHON VILLAS It’s 6am and Quy Nhon is waking up. Fishing boats bob on the harbour against a sunrise unlike any other I’ve seen: a neon tangerine orb glowing with intense precision against a mountainous backdrop. Squint and you’ll see a fisherman. From my jet-lagged fog at the new Anantara resort in the south of Vietnam’s central coast, I’m wrestling with the first decision of the morning. Roll out of bed into the plunge pool or take a dip on the private stretch of beach? Either way, it’s going to be a lucky day as my villa faces east, an auspicious orientation according to phòng thu, the Vietnamese version of feng shui.
As the bubble of tourist hotspots like Nha Trang are at bursting point, laid-back Quy Nhon is quietly on the rise. One of Vietnam’s best-kept secrets, it’s a 45-minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City and an hour’s drive through a city of traffic-mad scooters from a new domestic airport. Big things are predicted for the coastal region and its secluded beaches, but for now there’s barely a foreign tourist in sight. Developers have set their sights here, but Anantara has beat them to it with a luxury resort comprising 26 villas and a generous central pool area complete with swim-up bar. It’s just the right amount of remote, where you can easily go days without seeing another soul or take advantage of the hotel’s Explore Experience where staff will whisk you away to the ‘real’ Quy Nhon.
Southeast Asia-based HB Design and Marques & Jordy of London are responsible for the cliffside pavilions where contemporary architecture meets traditional craftsmanship in tune with the lush surrounding environment. Set in three hectares of landscaped gardens, the serene property makes use of native materials such as blue granite in the bathrooms, rich wooden teak decking and handmade ceramics.
It’s pure indulgence but for something more authentic venture out to a nearby fishing village for the ultimate water-to-plate experience. Go with the flow and say yes to everything, but I’m told Westerners just don’t have the constitution for tré, a delicacy of pig’s head and ears, sesame, galangal root, garlic and chilli wrapped in guava leaf and fermented in the sun. Prefer to play it safe? The hotel’s in-house restaurant Sea Fire Salt serves seafood on salt bricks or you can have a meal delivered to your door. Prepare for a food coma no matter what. The next day, to wake up, I head to the gym – a glass box nestled into lush greenery with views to die for.
As interest in the area heats up, flights are set to increase but keep an eye out for Anantara’s highly anticipated new mode of transport: a chic train carriage reserved exclusively for guests travelling from Da Nang.
Get there now, before everyone else does. anantara.com/en/quy-nhon
With not just one but two pontoons touching the mirrored waters of their man-made lake, the owners of this idyllic Mornington Peninsula garden in Main Ridge, Victoria, would have enjoyed many On Golden Pond moments, watching the sun set behind the towering eucalypts.
Fiona Brockhoff was approached in 2009 by architect Don Mcqualter, then of Meacham Nockles Mcqualter now of Studio Mcqualter, who had designed a contemporary house in dark stained timbers. Squat and streamlined, it sat elevated on a site that sloped down to a lake, with an apple orchard to one side and surrounded by established trees such as Monterey cypress ( Cupressus macrocarpa) and local eucalypts. The new house stood in a cleared space with much of the rich volcanic soil the area is known for removed when the site was etched out of the landscape.
The pluses, says Fiona, were instantly obvious – the star being the lake with the existing vegetation and perimeter planting, which ensured privacy and superb backdrops, being supporting actors. But difficulties with drainage had been created by cutting into the slope for the house and the subsoil would need extra attention. “The owners wanted a natural landscape that framed views of the lake and a kitchen garden, including fruit trees, vegies, herbs and a chook house,” says Fiona. It also had to cater for a growing family and frequent visitors, with outdoor eating areas and sitting areas abutting the lake, a firepit at the lake’s edge, and an in-ground trampoline. And not forgetting an outdoor bath offering a front-seat lake view.
The garden layout, she says, was largely already determined by existing factors such as the lake, the stands of mature trees, the house, stables and nearby apple-packing sheds. Within these