We had been travelling to Vietnam via Malaysia (see blog post) and our plane was arriving in Huế (Central Vietnam). We were then travelling onto our destination of Banyan Tree Lang Co, before spending some time in Hanoi.
Arrival and Welcome
We arrived in Huế airport and after a long flight we were very pleased to see that the hotel had arranged transport for us. We were picked up in the airport by a private driver who was holding a sign with our names on it. It was a 45 minute drive to the Banyan Tree Lang Co and on our approach we could see a group of people (including the manager) waiting outside to greet us. As we arrived we were presented with Orchids and some really nice refreshments, biscuits, and face towels to freshen up. After enjoying our incredibly warm and friendly reception, we were escorted by the lovely Anna who explained the layout of the hotel and helped us to our villa.
The Banyan Tree Hotel complex is enormous. To give you an idea of how spacious it is, we travelled from our reception area by golf cart to our private villa complete with swimming pool and landscape view. We were given a list of 8 restaurants in the complex which catered for various tastes, Vietnamese, Italian, Vietnamese Fusion, Saffron Thai, Thu Quan Bar, International, Asian, etc.
We then arrived at our Villa…
Villa
Built in traditional Vietnamese Style but fused with modern fittings and facilities it was stunning. Pictures speak better than words, have a look here:
Walking towards the entrance there are two very comfortable looking sunbed loungers laid out in front of our own private swimming pool, which is overlooking the lagoon. As you walk past the veranda where the sun loungers are and through into the entrance of the Villa, you can see the sofa laid out in front of the luxurious double bed. Behind the bed is then a hidden room area which is in fact your own personal walkthrough wardrobe, for storage of all your belongings and clothing.
There are plenty of beautiful little touches in traditional Vietnamese style, such as the way the hand towels are laid out with occasional lotus flowers positioned. The bathroom has a beautiful oval, egg shaped, white bath which faces out into the garden area. It’s just a wonderful combination of modernity matched with the natural outdoors of Vietnam. You can relax in luxury whilst also feeling part of nature.
Facilities
The Banyan Tree hotel has an incredible array of facilities for a traveller to be able to access. It is a gigantic complex with plenty of space between the various locations, spread across the area with the beautifully designed villas.( It’s a new experience being able to travel across the hotel in a golf cart to get to your next activity!) In addition to being a luxuriously equipped hotel, we were also allocated our own villa host -- Anna, who was on hand to deal with any of our needs. Provided with a phone and a direct telephone number for our villa host, we had the opportunity to make contact at any point during our stay. The hotel boasts a number of impressive facilities, including; a wedding chapel, golf course, fully equipped and very modern gym, boardrooms, banyan tree gallery, banyan tree spa, yoga and pilates area, several lagoon/beach view areas, a large selection of restaurants, cooking classes (including traditional Vietnamese and Thai), hotel pickup, massage and spa facility, essential oil and incense sticks, mini bar, private pool etc. We were also provided with snacks and a selection of fruits.
Then we come to the daily activity schedule which runs through the week all within the grounds of the Banyan Tree Hotel; archery, conical hat painting, Uno, Vietnamese coffee making, Vietnamese hot chocolate making, bamboo dance, dumpling demonstration, karaoke, Vietnamese folk dance, Vietnamese language lessons, cocktail classes, spa workshop (learn to massage), golf, darts, wine hour, table tennis, traditional games, and Banyan Tree Sundown Ritual, and more…
So even though Vietnam itself has lots to offer, the Banyan Tree Hotel offers so much in terms of facilities, luxury and activities there isn’t any need to leave the complex if you didn’t want to.
One of the special events I will always remember is visiting the Banyan Tree Spa. One of the spa workers (Tram) was washing and massaging my feet, which was very relaxing, gentle and skilled. I have never experienced such a pleasant massage of my feet before. She used plenty of essential oils and ingredients and cleaned my feet first with some really fresh mint (which she explained was an effective anti sceptic). Afterwards she massaged my hands, feet and full body, which made me so relaxed by the end of it…a really tranquil experience.
In the mornings, breakfast was a real treat. There were so many choices and selections it was hard to pick what to taste. There was Vietnamese, a whole international ranges of food, continental breakfast, vegetarian, a range of fruit juices, just so much on offer all just really fresh and tasty. That said, we didn’t really need to go to the breakfast restaurant if we didn’t want to as some fresh delights were delivered right to our villa in the morning.
What I also liked about the hotel, is that even though it was located in a beautifully natural part of the landscape there we did not encounter any mosquitos. Despite this, Banyan Tree provided us with a number of mosquito repellents.
Best times to go:
So if you fancy a trip to Vietnam, when is the best time to go? Well, the best time to visit Vietnam is in February to April at the beginning of the year when the temperature is fairly moderate and the rainfall is lowest, or later in the year August to October. Otherwise, all year round can be a great idea too as the resort offers everything. Vietnam is spread across 1000km with quite a lot of diversity across the country. The cheapest time to travel is during the rainy season (October/November) but obviously this means being willing to tolerate the rain and the hot humidity.
Depending on where you are travelling from, stopping through Hong Kong, is a good place to change flights before flying on to your destination.
Conclusions
Vietnam is a jewel in the crown of Asia. It’s an incredible destination which really does feel like home. It’s blend of modernity with it’s very diverse and changing landscape makes it one of the most beautiful places to visit in the world. The people are friendly, and as a tourist destination it is becoming more and more popular – so you won’t be on your own visiting. Make sure that Vietnam is on your list of places, and especially the spectacular Banyan Tree Hotel, Vietnam.
For reservations:
https://www.banyantree.com/en/vietnam/lang-co
For more details:
Cu Du Village, Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc District, Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam
+84 234 3695 888
+84 234 3695 999
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