Vinpearl Resort *****

Our brief comments:
The Vinpearl opened towards the end of 2003, the first five-star hotel in Nha Trang. Located on Hon Tre Island, a short distance from the coast, it offered both seclusion and luxury.

We inspected it during the 'soft opening' period and were impressed by the facilities, but less so with the architecture. The large v-shaped accommodation block dominated the small cove on which it was built and overpowered the attractive gardens and beach.

The service was friendly, but hit-and-miss. That, and the fact that an entire wing was still incomplete several months after the unofficial opening, indicated that training staff and setting up effective systems had taken second place to getting the resort operational as soon as possible.

During our visit, the hotel's management was being transferred to an international company with a remit to bring the standards up to five-star level. However, the promised transformation did not materialize, and complaints of poor management began to appear.

Recently, the hotel has again changed its managing agency to the 'Accor' chain, well known for its 'Novotel' and up-market 'Sofitel' brands. With its extensive experience in Vietnam, Accor is well placed to revitalize the Vinpearl and capitalize upon its excellent facilities and location.

The Vinpearl has 230 rooms with a further 270 planned. The facilities, fittings and furniture are all high quality and the views across the East China Sea in Sea View and Beach Front rooms are very good. However, 'Mountain View' rooms mostly look out on an uninteresting cliff face.

The main restaurant overlooks the pool and the bay, and there's a good seafood restaurant on a rocky headland. A Shisheido Health Centre and Spa (at extra cost), water and land sport facilities are part of the complex, and there's a daily activities programme supervised by professionals.

The spotlessly manicured 700m white coral sand beach is accompanied by three freshwater swimming pools: a small indoor pool near the fitness area, a large pool adjacent to the main building for people who want some seclusion, and a very large pool with an island in the middle complete with coconut palms.

To get to the resort from the mainland, you arrive at a reception lounge on Nha Trang beach, where you’ll board one of the resort’s three speedboat shuttles. The crossing takes about ten minutes. The boats provide a regular shuttle service to and from Nha Trang City

Inspected 2004 - feel free to contact us for an update

Room facilities:

Room Categories	Deluxe Mountain View	Deluxe Sea View	Deluxe Beach Front	Junior Suite
Number of rooms	80	117	12	9
Air-conditioner
Satellite television
Shower or bath
Bath with shower
Bath + separate shower	?	?	?	?
Personal safety box
Coffee/tea facilities
Laptop connection
Free broadband access
Extra bed
Child's cot
Room size (m2)	38	38	38	80
View	mountain	sea	beachfront	mountain

Additional room facilities: Yukata/Kimonos

Hotel facilities:

Outdoor pool		Non-smoking floor(s)
Pool bar		Non-smoking rooms only
Fitness/health centre		Vietnamese/Asian restaurant
Sauna		International restaurant
Massage		Patisserie/coffee shop/cafe
Jacuzzi		Business centre

Additional hotel facilities: Shisheido spa (extra cost)