Ana Mandara Nha Trang

This is a very nice resort. It is well designed and thought out. The restaurant is excellent, though they do charge western prices. The room was very nice but our beach view room was not quite on the beach, you had to stand on a chair to be able to see it in the distance. We stayed one night as we were just passing through and it was booked out after that anyway.

The pool is very big and well designed also.

We were not so impressed with the spa. The staff were good but it was way over priced compared to other parts of the country. 40$+ per hour.

The service at the resort is very good. However the staff are attentive to the point that they seem to be scared for loosing their jobs. This creates a certain edge and uneasiness there.

Overall this resort hypes itself as a new age type spa retreat. This allows them to overly inflate their prices and they get lots of pre bookings because of their flash web site. However I do not think it measures up to other places I have been to in Asia as far as value for money is concerned. So if you want to travel to Asia and pay western prices, come here.

Possibly the most beautiful place that I have ever stayed. Really. Superb pool, meticluously well maintaned gardens, comfortable beds, beautiful rooms, delicious food, breathtaking beach. You can't really go wrong. We had our three kids with us (aged 2,3 and 7) and, I hate to admit it but it is not well set up for kids. There is no kids club, no kids telly and we managed to track down a DVD player and the most "approprite" thing they had for them to watch was Terminator. This is not a critisim of the place just a fact. The staff were great with the kids it is just more for adults. I am really glad we went because it was extraorinary but maybe we should have gone to the Vin Pearl for half the time. When we arrived they gave the kids a teddy in traditional Vietnamese costume which was a lovely touch. If you are in Nha Trang, even with kids you must at least spend a couple of nights here, they told me they were getting a whole lot of DVDS for kids so maybe they have arrived. The internet connection is the slowest in Vietnam and it kept dropping out. But other than that, magic.

We stayed for 6 nights in Aug 05 in a deluxe beachfront room. Hotel and facilitites are fabulous.

To be honest not a massive amount of difference between the room we had (most expensive) and a garden view, other than the terrace was directly on the beach. I would save the money (although make sure you're not near the main road) and spend it in the hotel as you will need it!!

Having said that, eating/drinking in the hotel still cheap by Western standards.

Only complaint about the service was that a taxi was not aranged for us to Mui Ne despite being confirmed by one of the reception staff.

In appearance, the Ana Mandara Resort is a beautiful resort, which provides westernized conveniences and isolation from the noisy hustle and bustle that I can only associate with Vietnam life (the Vietnamese are for the most part poor. So, 24 hours of noise (maybe one hour of silence in the early morning, 3 am) is the Vietnamese working non-stop to make a living - you'll experience the full-blast of this in Saigon and Hanoi.)

I digress. Scratch beneath the surface of the Ana Mandara, and you'll realize that this resort is an illusion of sophistication and class. I used the lockers at the resort's spa. The lockers came with locks, however, the locks served as no deterrent to the resort staff (who were the only ones with a key) in going through my locker and withdrawing 450,000 dong from my wallet. I chalked it up as someone really needing the money, and it's not much of a loss to me, but the underhanded theft left a foul taste in my mouth.

Also, I'm an experienced spa goer, so I have an idea of great spa experiences and not so great. Ana Mandara's spa experience is not so great, where the staff's spa training at this resort can be summed up as home-grown and self-taught. My facialist and waxer didn't seem to have the training to know the balance between a healthy facial extraction, gentle touch, and waxing temperature. For example, for the scalp massage, I looked in the mirror to make sure I didn't come out bald.

If you want to be isolated from the life and culture of Nha Trang, then stay at the Ana Mandara. However, if that is your want, I would wonder why you would go to Vietnam if only to be isolated from the country's culture. The private beaches are more pretentious than useful. Nha Trang natives typically go to the beaches in the early morning around sunrise, leaving the beaches empty in the afternoon and evenings. As a result, a private beach really isn't needed to save your spot, as most Westerners go during the afternoon when the beaches are less vacated.

We spent the end of our honeymoon at Ana Mandara, having visited Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) en route.

After days of noise, traffic, and sightseeing at Hanoi and HCMC, it was a breath of fresh air to arrive at Ana Mandara and just relax.

Our tour operator had mucked up the honeymoon booking, and the hotel staff were excellent in arranging for us to be moved from a less desireable room backing onto the road (with twin beds! on honeymoon!) to a nicer, larger room with a four-poster bed, and sending us a bottle of champagne.

One of the best features is the fantastic, uncrowded sandy beach. After staying in a similar resort in Bali three years ago, it was a joy not having to race out of bed at 7am to get towels down on the sun loungers - we found that there were plenty of vacant sun loungers (cushioned, with clean rolled up towels provided ready) available all day both on the beach and beside the lovely infinity pool. There was a good deal of space between all the pairs of sunloungers, meaning that you could drag your sunlounger around to maximise sun (or shade, depending on your preference) without worrying about encroaching on another guest's personal space. The loungers also were equipped with a yellow flag you could unfurl to call waiter service direct to your sunlounger - an excellent idea. The beach is mainly private - you get a few locals walking through along the water's edge, but NO venders meaning that you can lie undisturbed on your sunlounger all day if you wish (again, a refreshing change after Bali).

The spa facitilities are the icing on the cake. We started off with what should have been a simple manicure and pedicure, but turned out to be a lovely relaxing experience. We then tried the "Adam and Eve" massage for the two of us, which ends with a private bathe in the jacuzzi pool, with a bottle of sparkling wine to share, pure bliss whether you are on honeymon or not!

After seeking out interesting restaurants to eat in at Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, we were happy to eat in the restaurant at the hotel. Fairly expensive (meals would have been much cheaper outside the hotel) but the food was excellent. In addition, the buffet breakfast had a mind-boggling amount of choice, suitable for all tastes (the banana jam was a new experience but more "traditional" breaksfasts were also available, including a full fry-up).

We had one day of rain during our stay, but the spa, free internet access, pool table and table football made it more bearable. The next day the rain was gone and the sun was back.

The gardens are lovely, but there are many mosquitos so pack your repellent.

I would highly recommend this resort to anyone planning on visiting Vietnam (but suggest that it be combined with a visit to one of the major cities to experience Vietnam at its fullest).

We spent 12 days here during a trip to Vietnam, so it had better be a good place. It was and we had a great time, spending more than I felt we should have by the splendid giant infinity pool.

This is sheer luxury, with excellent facilities including an (almost) private massive flat sandy beach with everything you need. Sublime sea views, services, hammocks - the lot. The restaurants serve excellent food and breakfast is possibly the best we have ever known and we have known some good ones.

The huts are spacious and clean with excellent facilities including big bathrooms but it is worth investing in a sea view as some of them (including ours) had dark shaded patios that were just about ok but disappointing to us after our experience of Thailand the previous year.

The staff were reasonably friendly if slightly patronising and we found that though they were helpful most of the time they were unbending on important things such as changing our room to a better positioned one.

Our big complaint - and this was endemic throughout the hotel with the few UK guests - was the cost of everything, once you were there.

We compalined but felt like cheapskates as the attitude of the management was a well-worn one of if you have to worry about prices, you shouldn't be here!

the prices of eating and drinking "at home" were frankly outrageous and we worked out that an admittedly less gourmet quality meal in Nah Trang out of the secure environment of the hotel would be about one fifth to one tenth of the price and could be of a pretty top notch standard equal to many 3-4 star SE Asian hotels. The justification for the prices was one of sheer high quality and the demand for top international chefs. Undoubtedly the chefs and the service was exceptional but the cost really was not justified here in Vietnam. We remain shocked, how many - especially the Australians - seemed to stay and eat all their meals at the hotel.

Nah Trang is a fascinating place with lovely beaches and a friendly local population who stare with great fascination at our white skins especially my 6ft tall teenage son who seemed to attract a host of pretty young (and not so young) Vietnamese girls. Though he seemed impervious to their presence.

We took boats out to the islands and visited the local Buddha and had a great time. We love Vietnam and would heartily recommend it to the slightly more adventurous holidaymakers but make sure that you give Saigon and/or Hanoi a good four or five days.

We stayed here in March 2004 and it was wonderful. The staff were excellent - saying hello and smiling but not being intrusive.

Our room was comfortable, with a four poster plus mosquito net which the maids got ready for you each night. The breakfasts were varied and plentiful and the buffet restaurant excellent quality and value. We would also recommend walking down the road to the sailing club for food and drinks as that was excellent. The spa at the hotel was highly professional and I would have to say very reasonably priced - between £30 and £35 for a massage. The infinity pool looking out to the sea was never busy and very quiet, similarily the beach. We never got bothered by vendors and there were security guards posted on all entrances so it was quite safe.

After an exciting day exploring the city of Nha Trang, nothing was better than walking thru the front gate of the Ana Mandara...instant peace and tranquility.

The service was impeccable...our service mgr. popped up everytime we had a question or were in need of something. The entire staff from the door man to the head chef were very friendly and caring.

For the price, you cannot beat this resort!!!

Stay in a sea-view room or risk the perils of sleeping near the moped mayhem of the main road that rather sadly runs alongside what would otherwise be a beautiful beach. Our room was excellent, quiet and beautifully decorated with dark wood and a beautiful four poster bed - all you can hear at night is the quiet(ish) breaking waves on the beach. We were given a non-sea view room on our last day because we had to hang around and the staff were very gracious in giving us another room to change in etc. It was nowhere near as nice and if you can push the boat out definetly definetly definetly get a sea view room - it will change your holiday and it's only money anyway, you can always borrow more.

The staff were very (possibly too) attentive, desperately trying to flog you trips to various places whilst your trying to eat your breakfast. Beyond pleasantries I really don't feel like saying "maybe we'll do that tomorrow" 200 times to a member of staff (do they work on commission?). Perhaps that is me being cynical but it did annoy me but they were on the whole very genuine and kind locals who I think had been whipped into the realities of capitalism by the owners, keen to squeeze every last penny off their guests.

The hotel is lovely with two pools, one of them attached to a spa where treatments were again pricey but very good (my girlfriend assured me of this - I hope they weren't too good!!!). This does feel like an international hotel and the service reflects that but I think it loses some of its charm by being so Westernised in its ways. It does look beautiful but somehow lacks a little soul but that is perhaps inevitable if you stay in a top class resort.

Nha Trang itself is an interesting place but not beautiful at all. Ana Mandara is streets ahead of other accomodation some of which looks seriously tired and as I mentioned the fact that a main road carves up the beach from the town is really tragic. Walking down into Nha Trang is fun and you realise the place really is a fully functioning town and the sleeping buddha is worth a visit as is a boat trip in-land.

If your looking for the best place to stay in Nha Trang - Ana Mandara is it but to be honest there ain't much competition. If your looking for a Vietnamese paradise then Nha Trang is far from that - it is a fascinating town but it is not beautiful until you get into the countryside or back to your luxurious bedroom. I loved the place but it isn't a get away from it all kind of town although if you chose to stay within the walls of the hotel it could probably feel like it is.

My wife and I stayed at the hotel in November of 2000. As nice as a Four Seasons. The rooms were wonderful. The service was outstanding and the spa was good.

The hotel staff was great in suggesting restaurants and calling for taxis. The airport was closed when were to leave. The hotel staff arranged for vehicle transportation back to Saigon.