Our brief comments:
The Palm Garden is a welcome newcomer to Hoi An's hotels. It's located on Cua Dai beach to the north of the crowded resort area on a stretch of beach that has only recently been opened up for development.

The resort has plenty of room - 5ha of tropical gardens and 220m of private beach. The rooms are in small villa-style buildings scattered around the gardens and lawned terraces.

The Ancient Town is about 6km away - a complimentary shuttle bus is available on request.

The large reception and lobby area is imposing. It's a very large three-storey hall open on one side. The picture doesn't do it justice - it's light, airy and comfortable. Nearby are two rectangular lily pools and a wide paved area available for barbeques.

All rooms are above average size, well proportioned and tastefully decorated. Doors, staircases and other fittings are in teak. Furniture is contemporary Asian style and bed linen is good quality.

Superior rooms have a small bathroom with shower only - however, they're attractive. There's a good balcony with rocking chairs. Deluxe rooms are similar but larger.

The Bungalows are seriously good. The large bedroom is light and breezy with an open roof void. Adjacent is an open air 'stone' bath with a white pebble surround leading to a separate shower area.

There are three food and beverage outlets. The main restaurant, the Terrace Café, is another large hall with an attractive terra-cotta floor, wooden tables and rattan chairs.

It was rather crowded at breakfast, but the staff members were managing the flow efficiently.

Other outlets are the Contino Club Bar, offering drinks, cocktails and finger snacks, and the splendid Colibri Pool Bar.

The latter is an architectural tour de force among Vietnam's hotels. A large arrowhead-shaped angular roof faces the pool and the ocean beyond. The open sides allow the air to circulate freely.

There's a good free-form swimming pool complete with a fountain, Jacuzzi and children's pool.

The fitness room is small but adequate with good 'his and hers' saunas.

Another pleasing feature is a souvenir shop selling authentic local products, thus benefiting the local economy.