For our first visit to thee beautiful country of Vietnam, Anush and I decided to split our time across 3 iconic coastal spots in Vietnam in the center and south. Our first stop was the charming seaside town of Hoi An and we stayed at the beautiful Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai. The Nam Hai is a luxurious beach resort situated in a tropical oasis of over 4500 palms and on one of the country’s most celebrated beach – Ha My beach. With an idyllic location on Vietnam’s culturally rich central coast, the Nam Hai offers a portal to three extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage sites close by too.

STAY

We stayed in one of their luxurious one bedroom pool villas. Our villa was so stunning, it felt like a private oasis all by itself with a separate unit for living and a separate unit for the bedroom. The bedroom unit had a spacious bathroom with an outdoor and indoor shower area, chic indoor and outdoor sofa area as well as a massive patio which had an outdoor dining area, lawn as well as a private swimming pool with views of the ocean. This style of villa also comes with their own butler as well as complimentary return transfers from Da Nang airport.

Here are some photos from our stunning villa :

Entrance to the one bedroom pool villa

One bedroom Pool Villa

Every villa get their own bikes to go around the property

DINING

The resort has 2 restaurants and 2 bars on property, and you can also enjoy in room dining. Cafe Nam Hai offers contemporary European and Indian cuisine. The daily breakfasts are also served here. The spread was incredible from western classics to a wide array of fresh tropical fruit, pastries and traditional Vietnamese delicacies. We also tried an Indian dinner here on one of the nights and it was absolutely incredible ; the butter chicken was my favorite!

Lunch at La Sen

La Sen is the other restaurant on property that serves Asian comfort food and contemporary interpretations of Vietnamese classics. For lunch we tried their Pho and it was handsdown one of the best Pho we have ever had!

Speciality coffee at La Sen

If you are here in the afternoon, don’t forget to try some of their delicious speciality Vietnamese coffee and tea. We tried the Nam Hai iced coffee and coffee lemonade and they were both excellent!

We also dined at La Sen for dinner for a night market style dinner buffet which was a fun experience with great night market style food like Banh Mi, Vietnamese pancakes and so much more, live music and a magical ambiance with all the colorful lanterns.

Floating breakfast in our villa

On our last morning we opted to order breakfast in the villa, in a floating breakfast style. What better way to enjoy our last few hours at this beautiful property than with a floating breakfast in your own private pool!

SPA

Goodnight Kiss to the Earth Ritual

The Nam Hai also has an amazing spa on property that offers spa services, wellness experiences, meditation, yoga and more. The spa setting is so serene and tranquil, all the treatment rooms face the lagoon. We opted for the Nam Hai Vietnamese bodywork which was a traditional body massage and it was so rejuvenating! Just what we needed after a long travel day.

While you are on property don’t miss out on the Goodnight Kiss to the Earth Ritual that happens every evening at the spa. Every evening they have this intimate ceremony where you get to write a love letter to Mother Earth in traditional wishing candles and float them on the Spa’s lagoon. Such a beautiful way to practice daily gratitude.

POOLS AND BEACH

While we spent most of our time at our own pool in the villa, the main 3 tiered pool at the property is to die for! The first pool is kid friendly and has stunning views of the property all around. The second one is a lap pool and the biggest of them is the Olympic pool which sits right at the beachfront and also has the beach bar and La Sen right next to it so you can spend the entire afternoon at the pool.

3 tiered pool at FS Namhai

Ha My beach is also footsteps away and on a clear calm day, the ocean is also a great spot for a swim! You also get complimentary kayaks, body boards and windsurfing boards if you are a watersports fan.

Beautiful shores of Ha My Beach

THE NAM HAI COOKING ACADEMY

The resort has plenty of activities to keep you busy, but the one thing  I would highly recommend is the Nam Hai Cooking academy! It was one of the highlights of our trip and such an unforgettable experience. They have different themed cooking classes everyday and for the day we chose to do this activity it was the “Hoi An Market experience”. This experience started with a culinary excursion to the local markets and craft villages in Hoi An and then back to the resort farm to handpick fresh ingredients, followed by a step-by-
step cooking lesson and a communal lunch.

Central Market at Hoi An

I loved the fact that this cooking experience not only involved cooking but also shopping for the ingredients in the marketplace. Visiting the Hoi An Central market was a sensory experience – we learnt so much about ingredients used in traditional Vietnamese food and also got a glimpse into the daily hustle and bustle of the market scene in town.

At the Cooking academy we were all set to learn to cook this menu :

• Watercress and Prawn Salad
• Bò Lá Lốt (Wild Betel Leaf-Wrapped Beef)
• Yellow Rice Noodles with Prawns and Chicken

We were guided by Chef Trang who taught us step by step on how to prepare these 3 traditional dishes. We learnt so many tips and tricks that we cant wait to use when we recreate these dishes back home! We loved enjoying a communal lunch with the other members of the class and also got a certificate of completion at the end of the class.

HOI AN ANCIENT TOWN 

No Visit to the Nam Hai is complete without visiting the charming ancient town of Hoi An which is just 15 minutes away. The resort offers free shuttles in the evening to and from the town. I highly recommend visiting the town both in the evening ( to experience the magical floating lantern festival) as well as in the daytime ( to explore around the historic spots, do a little shopping and get lost in the charming streets of town).

Hội An is a city in Vietnam’s central coast well known for its well preserved ancient town cut through with canals. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and a melting pot of historic cultures reflected in its architecture. Here is a quick guide for all the must do things in town :

1) Visit the town during the day and stroll the charming streets and alleys.

Charming streets of Hoi An

2) Visit it again in the evening to experience the magic of the floating lantern festival that happens every evening. Stroll along the Thu bon river, go on a sampan boat ride and float lanterns on the river all while taking the sights and sounds of the magical old town.

Hoi An at night is such a vibe!

3) Hội An has a bustling coffee culture – don’t miss out on some delicious Vietnamese coffee! Faifo coffee was our fave – try the egg coffee and Coconut coffee!

Rooftop at Faifo coffee

4) the town also has tons of authentic incredible Vietnamese restaurants and some of the best Banh Mi in the world – check out Banh mi Phuong. Mì Quảng Ông Hai (Mr. Hai Noodles) is also a local favourite place to grab a bite to eat. It has six tables and serves only two dishes – Cao lầu and Quang-style noodles.

5) Hội An is also known for its custom tailoring shops ! There are almost 500 different tailor shops in town . This is the place to get a custom suit/dress! The resort recommended Yaly Couture which is the only tailor in Hoi An that uses 3D body scanners to take your measurements, allowing you to place additional orders for all sorts of items once you’ve returned home. They have a great range of fabrics, including cashmere and leather. You can even have shoes made to match your clothes! Commission a garment, and they’ll deliver it to the resort within 24 hours.

6) Some historic sights of interest to not miss – the beautiful Japanese covered bridge, Fujian assembly hall, Tan ky family house.

7) Go handicraft shopping in town – so many cute stores and boutiques !

8) don’t miss out on the markets – both the Cho Hội An ( central market ) during the day as well the vibrant Hội An night market. Loved getting a traditional lantern from the night market here.

Lanterns at the night market

 

Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

Jyo

 

Disclaimer : This stay was in collaboration with Four Seasons The Namhai, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.