Ki-em Art House Resort ^unique

Fifty kilometres north of Nha Trang, down a long winding track off Highway 1, lies the Ki-em Art House Resort on the beautiful Doc Let Beach. Although it's quite a journey, the resort's seclusion and style makes the effort well worthwhile.

The Ki-em Art House is a resort with a difference. The owner is a famous French artist who has developed the hotel to provide jobs and an income for her family and relatives. However, her concept goes much further – Ms Ki-em has set about creating a haven for artists and like-minded people who love the arts as well as travellers seeking relaxation and meditation in an ambiance of natural and artistic beauty.

The guest rooms consist of nine well-designed large traditional-style villas. Those and the ancillary buildings are set in an excellent garden facing one of the best beaches in Vietnam. The whole site abounds with original artworks, installations and other features.

Rooms have matt terra cotta tiled floors, white walls, open palm thatched roof spaces, and an abundance of reclaimed and distressed bare wood used for furniture and construction. They are very spacious, dominated by beds in the centre located between the four heavy wooden pillars that support the roof.

There are three categories of villa, prosaically named First Class, Second Class and Family.
Two of the First Class villas face the garden, and two are tucked away on each sides of the garden overlooking the sea.

The latter have wooden decked terraces, while garden view villas have tiled patios - both have good loungers and furniture. First Class rooms have open wardrobes.

The two Family villas overlook the garden. Each consists of two rooms linked by a showers and toilets at the rear, and a recessed patio area at the front of the building.

The rooms are similar to First Class, but have a large section of wall-mounted cement shelves in lieu of a wardrobe.

One room has a single large bed, and the other has two large beds. Both Family villas have very high roof spaces, equivalent to a two-storey building.

The Second Class villas are in a single terrace of three rooms facing the garden. Internally, they are a bit smaller, but otherwise identical to First Class rooms.

Both First Class and Family rooms can accommodate an extra bed.

The small restaurant is on a terrace overlooking the sea. It's a long single table designed for communal dining, but guests can opt to eat in the garden, on the beach or under the palms in the moonlight.

There's a single set menu. The 'American' breakfast (usually bread, jam, eggs, etc.) is much the same each day, but lunch and dinner menus vary according to what's available in the nearby village.

We didn't have time to sample a meal, so we can't comment on the food.

There's also a large traditional meditation room and an art gallery with a small multi-channel television.

The gardens are lush, spacious and dotted with occasional furniture and art works. There's also a sunbathing terrace facing the beach.

The beach is simply stunning. It's brilliant white soft coral sand stretching into the distance in both directions apart from a small fishing village to the east. Unusually, the sheltered bay escapes the strong autumn winds that make swimming difficult along the rest of the Nha Trang area's coastline.

There's coral and good snorkelling about 500m away. Small boats and boatmen can be hired.

What you don't get:
A swimming pool, telephones, television (although reluctantly provided in the art gallery if requested), lots of facilities, a nightclub, bars, saunas and massage (though a local masseuse can be arranged), extensive buffet meals and so on.

What you do get:
Complete peace and quiet, an empty virgin beach of stark white soft coral sand, individual attention, a truly unique ambiance, and an opportunity to spend time amongst people who care about art, creativity and the finer things of life.

It's ideal for people who want to escape from the humdrum world for a few days. It's also perfect for a simple, but exclusive, romantic break or honeymoon.

We like the resort and will support this courageous venture. We hope you will, too.

To find more about Ms Ki-em’s remarkable vision, visit her web site.

Inspected June, 2006.