The road that leads to Zannier Bãi San Hô is potholed with street-food stalls spilling onto it, a lattice of fish traps abutting the shore.
It doesn’t look like it would lead to a five-star property. But then that’s the charm of a Zannier hotel: super luxurious, but with a specific sense of place.
The hotel is splashed across 98 hectares of mountainous coastline and golden beach, curving around the cerulean Bay of Corals in Vietnam’s blissfully undeveloped Phú Yên province.
For us, it was a heavenly pitstop part way through a longer Vietnamese adventure, arriving by car from Hoi An (not recommended – at seven hours it’s long) and left via an overnight sleeper Ho Chi Minh City (definitely recommended – it’s brilliant fun). But the nearest domestic airport, Phu Cat, is 60 minutes away and the hotel includes one free transfer. It might be hard to reach, but those who do will be richly rewarded. Rare beauty, a menu showcasing the very best of local cuisine and a very warm welcome await.
The Vibe
As we arrived, our host Ly, beautifully dressed in a traditional oyster-coloured silk dress, bravely plucked my sticky baby son out of our car. With this simple action she ushered in a sweet sense of relief after a gloriously chaotic few days in Hoi An. In the library, a huge window out over the ocean cold fresh towels awaited.
Arnauld Zannier’s fifth property is a masterpiece in design made local. While it shares a muted earthy colour palette with its clutch of sisters in Namibia, Cambodia and Megève in France, this hotelier specialises in bringing the DNA of a place and its people to life in his properties. From our welcome drink of zingy ginger and lemongrass pressé to the 1930s teak coffee-house furniture in the central courtyard and Saigon Monopoly board in our villa each and every detail speaks the local language. It’s electric without being jarring, and feels personal. Indeed, Arnauld spent several months exploring Vietnam when he was developing the property, handpicking many of the antiques from flea markets.
We travelled out of season – in January Vietnam is emerging from its chilly winter – and the resort was deliciously quiet with perhaps 30-40 other guests. This meant the beach was all but deserted, and we could luxuriate long over breakfast on the best table in the house without feeling any guilt. Among others, we met an older couple from Germany, a family from Brazil, a British woman travelling alone to celebrate her 30th birthday, and drooled over a pair of footballers, nationality notwithstanding.
The Rooms
The hotel has 73 ‘keys’, so called because you really are given a beautiful brass key to your ‘home,’ 48 of which have private pools. And whether tucked into the hillside, hidden in paddy fields or set back from the beach, each vanishes into lush surroundings, giving a feeling of complete seclusion. The villas draw inspiration from distinct Vietnamese architectural styles including fisherman’s huts found in the floating villages nearby, mountain longhouses inspired by the Rade people of the Central Highlands, and thatched roof Chăm family homes.
We stayed in a Hill Pool Villa. Highlights include a vast and heavenly bed, huge standalone bath and infinity pool overlooking the bay. Natural local materials and muted tones soothe the soul while a bamboo floor is gentle to the feet. For families there are also interconnecting Terrace and Paddy Field Villas, and the Beach Pool Villas have high ceilings, four-poster beds and pools right on the sand.
The Food + Drink
Start your day with a buzzy Vietnamese iced coffee topped with a cloud of condensed milk in the main restaurant Nhà O. High on the hilltop with dramatic views over the infinity pool and sparkling South China Sea, the breakfast still manages to be the star of the show. Alongside an incredible spread of everything from cold cuts, cheeses, pastries and fantastic local salads, you can make your own mimosas (passionfruit, mango or raspberry), build your own Bahn Mi or create your own congee, complete with century egg. Meanwhile in the central courtyard there’s a live cooking station, where local chefs prepare daily delicacies over coal-fired plates. And the à la carte menu includes pancakes and fragrant pho. Served from 7am-10.30am it’s well worth savouring.
Food is served here all day, but head to loungey beachfront Làng Chài for a late lunch. Phú Yên is surrounded by fishing villages – the area is known for its shellfish so try the prawns, squid and lobster. And then there’s Bå Hai built in a traditional Vietnamese style house, overlooking the rice terraces. It was closed during our visit but you can book private supers and cooking lessons here during high season.
The Spa
Dip down a spiral staircase to the Hoa Sen Spa for the ultimate in relaxation. Here clay pink walls and hushed voices usher in a clean, serene atmosphere. Wellbeing is based on the five elements of the universe and life, and treatments here, performed by expert Vietnamese therapists, bring harmony to both body and mind. Here there are seven womb-like treatment rooms, a Himalayan salt bed, and male and female steam rooms and saunas. Locally inspired treatments incorporate herbal remedies, bathing rituals, acupuncture and cupping. My facial began with a ritual foot wash that left me tingling.
The Little Extras
Despite its luxury, we loved the relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere. The vast majority of staff are local and zipping around in the buggy – often with my son driving – they are super friendly. The service here is laid back and easy, reflecting life in the region.
And while this isn’t what you’d call a family hotel, I travelled with my baby son and there was a welcome box on our bed, just for him. Both thoughtful and playful it included a family of rubber ducks he delighted racing across the infinity pool, nappies, baby wipes and a children’s toothbrush and toothpaste – all things we’d managed to abandon in previous hotels. The children’s club has a wonderful array of children’s toys and daily activities, as well as free childcare during peak season.
The To-Do List
The resort is huge, and there are free bicycles dotted around to explore on. There is also a boat house, with catamaran, jetskis and kayaks, as well as tennis courts and gym and yoga studio. But for a high-end resort the complimentary activities were limited, with additional fees for almost everything, including hiring snorkels and tennis rackets. Given the surroundings, sunrise yoga, or other complimentary water or wellness activities, would be a nice touch.
That said, there is a free activity each day, and we enjoyed kayaking, exploring the coves and fishing boats in the bay. There are also paid excursions to see neighbouring village life, fish farms and waterfalls, but one of the friendly buggy drivers recommended a local restaurant for us to eat at one evening so we ventured into the real world on our own to try the seafood the area is famous for. A local family fished our supper out of traps in front of us – we sat on red plastic chairs and ate charred prawns with tamarind sauce and clams in lemongrass broth as the sun set behind an ugly concrete bridge and it was fantastic.
All image credit: Frederik Wissink for Zannier Bãi San Hô
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