First published March 2021 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
This post was last updated 3 years ago. Please check the comments section for possible updates, or read more on my Updates & Accuracy page.
INTRODUCTION | REVIEW | MAP | RELATED POSTS
Ten kilometres north of Nha Trang city centre, along an excellent coast road as it bends around a rocky bluff, Amiana Resort is a large but low-rise oceanfront property with a high standard of comfort and amenities, several excellent infinity swimming pools, a white sand beach, good views and a family-friendly atmosphere. At the time of writing (February 2021), ‘pandemic rates’ were around $80 per night including breakfast, which represents very good value for money considering the standard of accommodation and facilities. But, of course, this may change if/when international travellers start to trickle back into the country. Highlights for me during my stay at Amiana Resort were the enormous, gorgeous, highly photogenic infinity pools, the excellent buffet breakfast, the spacious, well-made and well-equipped guest rooms, and the views out over Nha Trang Bay and the city’s increasingly vertical skyline.
*[To check rates, availability & make a reservation for Amiana Resort please BOOK HERE]
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REVIEW: AMIANA RESORT NHA TRANG
Address: Turtle Bay, Pham Van Dong Street, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province [MAP]
Average Rates: $80-$120 | Email: reservations@amianaresort.com
*Please support Vietnam Coracle: All my reviews are independently researched & financed. I never receive freebies of any sort in exchange for positive reviews or listings. If you use the links on this page to book your accommodation, I make a small commission. All my earnings go straight back into this website. Thank you.
[Click the image below or BOOK HERE]
MAP:
The Location: Accessed via the ocean road leading northeast of Nha Trang city, Amiana occupies the beachfront near the tip of a rugged, jungle-covered headland dividing Nha Trang Bay to the south and Ninh Van Bay to the north. The property has views due south and west out over the ocean and islands, and Nha Trang’s high-rises are clearly visible beneath the mountains of the mainland. In general, Nha Trang’s geography is fascinating and dramatic: a series of large bays dotted with islands and backed by looming mountains. From Amiana you get a good sense of this – especially when walking along the resort’s long, wooden-decked seafront promenade. It’s also nice to be out of downtown Nha Trang but still within easy reach of it. However, while this means the location is fairly quiet (although there’s currently a huge construction project just north of the resort) and boasts good views, it also means there’s no local life or sights within walking distance of Amiana. But the resort offers a free shuttle bus twice daily to central Nha Trang and free bicycles for guests to explore the ocean road beyond the resort’s grounds.
The Resort Grounds & Layout: Amiana has over 150 guest rooms, but because the property is so spread out and because all structures are low-rise, it doesn’t feel like a particularly big, or a busy, resort. Amiana’s villas, bungalows, bars, restaurants and pools sprawl along the seafront from east to west, connected via lush cobbled lanes and a long seafront walkway. The reception, lobby, main restaurant and pools are roughly at the centre of the resort so you’re never more than a pleasant 5-minute stroll along the seafront from the main facilities. Nothing feels crammed-in or overcrowded at Amiana. Instead there’s a feeling of spaciousness and natural light wherever you are in the resort’s grounds. All dining, drinking, and social spaces are wide, open-sided and bright. Although Amiana has a lot of oceanfront, most of it is an embankment. There’s only one section of sandy beach: a crescent of white sand near the eastern end of the resort, which is very pretty and sheltered from the waves making it good for bathing.
Pools, Facilities & Activities: If there’s one feature that defines Amiana, it’s water. Not only is the resort built on a long stretch of seafront, it has a gigantic grey-blue saltwater infinity pool at its centre, flanked by two more very attractive freshwater infinity pools, and an expansive reflection pool in front of the reception lobby that appears to hover above the ocean. Everywhere you look, there’s water and there are reflections. And that means there are ample opportunities for photos. In fact, Amiana is one of the many high-end accommodations in Vietnam that owes its fame largely to people photographing themselves posing on the rim of infinity pools in some aerobic, yogic, exotic, erotic or contemplative position, posting them on social media and letting the ‘likes’ and shares (and free publicity) flow. And you’ll likely do the same, because the water at Amiana is indeed extremely photogenic.
But the pools aren’t just pretty, they’re big, good for swimming laps, and good for kids to play around for hours and hours while their parents relax and do whatever mums and dads do on holiday when they don’t have to attend to their children’s needs. In general, Amiana is good for families. There’s so much space and so many pools and things to keep children entertained and busy. During my stay, most of the Vietnamese families woke early, left their kids in the pool to play happily for the next 8 hours while the grown-ups went for a long, lazy breakfast, chatted over coffee, got a massage or a mud-bath (another feature of the resort), then a snooze and a cocktail before dragging their sons and daughters from the water to have dinner together. A range of watersports are available and so are excursions to many of Nha Trang’s popular attractions and sights, such as boat trips to the islands in the bay.
Guest Rooms & Decor: There are several room types available at Amiana and they are all very spacious, well-made, well-equipped, cosy, comfortable and nice places to be. There are essentially two main room types – deluxe rooms/villas or deluxe private pool villas – both of which come with either garden- or sea-views (the latter being pricier than the former). The pool villas are fun if you have a large group or children (and some extra money to burn), but otherwise the normal, ‘non-pool’ villas have everything you need (especially considering there are so many other pools on the property).
The general style of the rooms is modern but with traditional flourishes, such as wooden slat ceilings. Decor is fairly understated but smart and everything appears to be sturdy, well-made and maintained. All rooms have big patios, lots of natural light, and large outside bathrooms with a showpiece, free-standing granite bathtub surrounded by potted tropical plants. Rooms have enough character that they feel homey and special rather than generic and bland. Each room is supplied with glass bottles of drinking water which can be refilled at any time – this means none of the small single-use plastic bottles that most hotels provide.
Breakfast, Dining & Drinking: The buffet breakfast, included in the room price, is enormous. Served in the large inside-outside Bacaro Restaurant overlooking one of the infinity pools and the ocean, the breakfast spread includes plenty of cooked Asian and Western options, cold Mediterranean platters, loads of baked goods, an eggs station and a noodle soup station. What’s more, real coffee is made to order – espresso, cappuccino – whatever it takes to wake you up on a tropical morning. The range of food and the general high standard of quality puts Amiana straight into my top 5 buffet breakfasts in Vietnam. Get up early and take a swim then head for your table on the patio beneath the palms for a long and delicious breakfast to set you up for the day ahead.
Lunch and dinner are also available at the restaurant. The food is fine but prices are fairly high and the restaurant is quiet in the evenings, partly because most discerning Vietnamese guests will venture into town for a seafood feast at dinnertime instead. The two pool bars serve surprisingly good quality cocktails – don’t miss the daily happy hour from 5-7pm: buy one, get one free on all drinks (the negronis are excellent). This is the ideal time for a sundowner and a stroll along the seafront promenade.
I enjoyed my stay at Amiana because it was exactly what I was looking for at the time: somewhere comfortable, with a great breakfast, lots of opportunities for good swimming, sea views, a good happy hour, large and luxurious rooms, and where I could focus on getting some work done online. Apart from the incessant saccharine pop music played in every public space – like being at a 12-year-old’s birthday party – Amiana provided all these things. The resort is great for couples or families who want to stay in one place for a few days, relaxing and playing by the ocean. But Amiana isn’t so good if you’re looking for local life, food and sights. Amiana is a very comfortable and satisfying getaway; it’s not somewhere to come to soak up the local culture. [To check current rates, availability & make a reservation for Amiana Resort please BOOK HERE]
*Please support Vietnam Coracle: All my reviews are independently researched & financed. I never receive freebies of any sort in exchange for positive reviews or listings. If you use the links on this page to book your accommodation, I make a small commission. All my earnings go straight back into this website. Thank you.
Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free & independent. I’ve written this review because I want to: I like this resort & I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements here
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