Asia hosts plenty of luxury beach resorts, each one offering a different ambience, design and list of activities. In Vietnam, Six Senses Con Dao proposes some eco-friendly oceanfront pool villas in a peaceful atmosphere for a memorable stay.
From the domestic airport of Ho Chi Minh City, it takes around 1 hour to get to Con Dao archipelago. Then, after a 20-minute ride by luxury mini-van, you finally arrive at Six Senses Con Dao greeted by the General Manager and your dedicated Guest Experience Manager (GEM) who introduces the resort’s key points. Let’s be clear from the beginning: forget full of people resorts where you have to queue at restaurant and wake-up early to get a place at the beach or pool… Here you will have the feeling of being alone in the property – this is true for all common areas – surrounded by an abundant vegetation, just perfect for a retreat away from civilization. Well, just in case, complimentary wifi is available everywhere… :)
Living
Six Senses Con Dao – Common pool
The first surprise at Six Senses Con Dao comes from nature: the resort hosts a stunning large and deep sand beach, fully private, which was empty most of time during our stay. Then, of course, it’s impossible to cannot notice all the wooden-made buildings ; Six Senses group has always been eco-friendly, this residence is no exception. The main street is located on the hill and composed of several wooden “houses” for reception, shops, real-estate (yes!), complimentary all-day ice-cream, the Elephant Bar and the traditional Vietnamese By The Market restaurant. At sea level a thin bridge gives access to By The Beach restaurant where Asian fusion food is served – with French touches – and to the common pool with its large sun loungers.
Overall installations are very nice, well-designed and really deserve the several world awards won since the opening. Did I mention the Spa, a resort within the resort, with its own pools and unique views?
Room
Six Senses Con Dao – Ocean View Duplex Pool Villa 2-storey villa
Ocean View Duplex Pool Villa consists in a 2-storey with an infinity pool, terrace, bathroom and outdoor shower on ground floor, and a bedroom with balcony on 1st floor ; you can access both thanks to an outdoor stairs. Furnitures and materials are really good, design brilliantly reflects resort’s spirit while the blue-green pool is an invitation to relaxation ; it’s actually impossible to imagine a better place to stay in the island! I especially liked all the small touches, such as complimentary aloe vera gel, mosquito skin spray and information notice regularly dropped in the villa.
One important tip: Ocean View villas are convenient because centrally based in the back-end of the resort and offers full privacy to guests, however Ocean Front ones are really lacking it as you can be seen at the front by people walking on the beach and at the back by people walking/cycling on buggy’s street… Keep this in mind if you wish staying there!
Dining
Six Senses Con Dao – By The Beach Restaurant penne pomodoro
My gosh… I highly recommend to book there with a full board plan, as food is really an experience at Six Senses Con Dao! At breakfast first, thanks to a gorgeous selection of Asian, Vietnamese, French a-la-carte dishes and buffet delicacies. The choice of freshly squeezed juices is impressive, as well as the quality of pastries ; one cooker is available for on-demand crepes/pancakes and honey lovers will be delighted, as the resort proposes a fresh local production… Just amazing, and that’s only 10% of it.
Then you have a small and authentic traditional Vietnamese By The Market restaurant with an open-air kitchen ; I like it and each time I ate there it was a culinary discovery. Homemade spring rolls worth the visit!
Finally, most of all, you can enjoy fine-dining at By The Beach restaurant – managed by Chef Christopher Long – where the attention to detail is high but still keep a relax-chic atmosphere. Menu is quite large but you can be sure each dish will be great, as the Cuisine seems to be very skilled and talented ; my special recommendation goes to the Risotto with Fish of the Day, I never had such delicious risotto even in Italy.
Level of exigency
Excellent guest management at Six Senses Con Dao, from the airport where you can find a dedicated counter to the resort where the GEM will manage your needs proactively throughout the stay. Housekeeping and room service are also very efficient – even during peak times – while all the maintenance works are done regularly and quietly in the property in order to keep a good service quality. A true five-star residence that honors the group’s brand.
Stay from October 4th to 8th, 2015 – Sponsored media visit, but this article reflects 100% of my opinion and thoughts.
The Six Senses Con Dao opened in 2010 and is composed of 50 villas (more coming soon). I stayed in an Ocean View Duplex Pool Villa – around 194sqm – which public rate is 795USD++/night.
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