2019-08-01_Red_UK

WHAT TO WEAR

T

he scent of lemongrass wafts over me as I open the doors to my

villa in Anantara Quy Nhon. It took a long time to get here:

a 12-hour flight followed by an extended stopover in Vietnam’s

bustling capital, Hanoi, which has left me feeling shattered and

slightly stressed. But as I drop my bags and inhale the calming

citrus scent, all that tension disappears. The city of Quy Nhon, which

remains inaccessible by international flights, is quite clearly Vietnam’s

best-kept secret. While most travellers favour the natural wonders of

Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh City or Hoi An, Quy Nhon remains relatively

undiscovered by tourists. Located in Vietnam’s Binh Dinh Province, it

boasts lush greenery atop a glittering coastline, peppered with tiny fishing

villages. Anantara’s hotel sits right on Quy Nhon’s beach – a private stretch

of mustard-coloured sand. My villa is glass-fronted, and outside there’s

a private infinity pool with a patio leading just three steps down on to the

cushiony sands below. The room is stocked with yoga mats, a gorgeous

wicker bag and a gigantic bath complete with Elemis products.

It’s tempting to lounge on the double bed on my patio for the entire trip,

but there’s a whole world to discover nearby. The hotel’s tour, the

Quy Nhon Explorer, takes my group around the region: we drink strong

Vietnamese iced coffee and try our hands at the local trade, making incense

sticks. We visit the Thien Hung Pagoda, a Buddhist temple that is so peaceful

that I have to suppress an overwhelming urge to lie down on the floor and

stay there for ever. The food is even more enticing: we eat beef pancakes

wrapped in rice paper, as well as seafood plucked directly from the water.

Back at the hotel, a Vietnamese massage (delicate, but firm) in Anantara’s

tranquil cliffside spa makes me feel as though I’m suspended in mid-air. That

evening, at the hotel’s chic restaurant, Sea.Fire.Salt, we eat meat cooked – and

served – on bricks of Himalayan rock salt. Salt, it turns out, is the speciality –

there are dozens of options to choose from (ginger and basil are my favourites). 

Something about this place makes me feel dazed, but in a good way.

Maybe it’s the quiet, undisturbed hum of the ocean outside my window,

or the ever-present scent of essential oils. I feel so detached from my

everyday reality that it’s almost like a dreamland. The vibrations of life

seem calmer; the pace, slower. I vow to remember this moment and

hold on to it when the minutiae of the everyday consumes me again.

Now rejuvenated, I sleep the entire way home. My trip seemed to pass

in a heartbeat, but after a long day in the office, I’ll drop lemongrass oil

into my aroma diffuser at home and transport myself to the peace and

sheer joy of Quy Nhon once again. ARIELLE TCHIPROUT

REJUVENATION

IN VIETNAM

TRIP NOTES A stay at

Anantara Quy Nhon Villas costs

from £382 per villa per night,

including breakfast. Visit

anantara.com/en/quy-nhon.

Flights to Quy Nhon start from

approximately £360 per person,

one way with a stop in Ho Chi

Minh, via Vietnam Airlines

(vietnamairlines.com).

Clockwise from

left: the pool at the villas

sits beside the beach;

the bedrooms have

rooms to die for;

mustard-coloured sand

is beautifully soft

underfoot

Take a relaxing dip

in your private pool.

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BAG, £30,

Warehouse

JUMPSUIT,

£55, Next

SANDALS, £135,

Fairfax & Favour

HAT, £19.99,

Mango

EARRINGS,

£20,

Jigsaw