Located 60 minutes by car from Cam Ranh Airport (CXR) to their private resort lounge dock in Nha Trang, and then a 20 minute speedboat trip to the island, the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay epitomizes 6 star luxury while maintaining an ethos of sustainability, ecology and environmental responsibility. The two night/three day escape, expertly arranged by Luxperia DMC, Ho Chi Minh City’s premiere luxury travel group, was a mind-blowing taste of paradise beyond my wildest expectations.
Speedboat to the island. Photo courtesy of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Upon arrival to the resort, I was seriously expecting Mr. Roark and Tattoo to great us, shouting a boisterous “Welcome to Fantasy Island!” Yet Andrew, the lovely General Manager, and Near, (not Far) as he prefaced, our highly attentive and dedicated GEM (Guest Experience Maker) were there on the docks to joyously welcome and escort us to check in. Once the paperwork was complete, Near took me to their ceremonial beachside gong, where it is Vietnamese tradition for a woman to clang 9 times, focused on personal determinations, wishes and intentions.
Near drove us in an electric golf cart to our Beach Front Villa, where we were welcomed with a complimentary bottle of bubbles and a lovely tropical fruit platter, which was grown organically on the island. The 1890 sq. ft. Villa was beyond stunning and featured every imaginable amenity, a private plunge pool with private beach access, separate living and sleeping areas, an enormous ensuite bathroom with separate vanities, both indoor and outdoor showers and a beautiful handcrafted wooden bathtub for two.
Aerial view of the Beach Front Villa. Photo courtesy of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Bedroom. Photo courtesy of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Ensuite bathroom. Photo courtesy of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Upstairs living room. Photo courtesy of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Their attention to detail was truly unparalleled and so very welcoming; they even created His and Her wooden nameplates for our bicycles. So cute!!
His and Her bikes. Photo author’s own
That evening, we dined with Ary Arbani, the resort’s Marketing and Communications Manager, high above the picturesque Ninh Van Bay, and nestled within the island’s indigenous rock formations. The food was SPECTACULAR, highlighting local produce with prime meat and seafood. I highly recommend ordering the Beef Tartar with capers, cornichon, egg and “super sauce”, the Steamed Clams with saffron shellfish broth, grilled bread and aioli, and the Seared Barramundi with charred leek, skordalia, salsa verde and olive. Completely OUTRAGEOUS!!!
Dining by the Rocks. Photo courtesy of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
After a restful night’s sleep, we spent the morning lounging by our pool and soaking up the sun before I got dressed and ready to make my way to the resort’s spa for my first attempt at “Flying Yoga”. Aerial yoga is a practice I have been dying to experience, and was thrilled for the opportunity to try it for the first time. It took me a few attempts to conquer the various positions, but by the end of the class, I was actually hanging upside down, suspended only by my feet wrapped around the nylon hammock’s suspension belts.
Flying Yoga. Photo author’s own
Flying Yoga. Photo author’s own
After a relaxing afternoon at the beach, we got dressed and walked down to the boat jetty, where we boarded a traditional Vietnamese wooden boat for a romantic sunset cruise up and down the bay. Nibbling on light bites and sipping champagne, we watched the sun go down over the mountains in utter awe and reverence. If you decide to visit this magical place, I can not recommend experiencing the sunset cruise highly enough; it was definitely the highlight of our already stunning trip.
Our Cruise Director. Photo author’s own
Cheers!! Photo author’s own
With all the above said, what I found the most impressive about the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is their passionate commitment to ecology, environmental responsibility and sustainability. The resort was built utilizing local and recycled natural materials and wood, they engage in Green Day beach clean-ups where over 2,770 pounds of trash was collected from the bay in 2019, all still and sparkling remineralized drinking water is produced from their on-site reverse osmosis plant and then bottled in reusable glass containers for their guests, the onsite solar panels generate the majority of the resort’s energy, they are engaged in an effort to replant and repopulate the bay’s natural coral reefs, ravaged by a typhoon a few years ago… The list goes on and on. It was truly inspiring to stay at a place that took such pride in preserving their natural habitat. It just goes to show that it is completely feasible to maintain 6 Star luxury while simultaneously reducing our carbon footprint with just some effort and action.
Photo author’s own
To say I highly recommend visiting the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is an understatement. Being a travel journalist, I have had the opportunity to experience some pretty extraordinary destinations in my lifetime, and this resort is unquestionably on the very top of that list. Contact Linh Le at Luxperia DMC to book your vacation, as they are currently offering incredible resort packages this winter to visit the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay.
For more information about the Six Senses Nihn Van bay, please visit them on the WEB or on their Instagram.