Everson Hideaway Ana Mandara Hotel

The hotel is advertised as a 5 Star hotel and although certainly gives the initial impression of being just that, did not meet up to our expectations during our 4 day stay in early March. The accomodation is small and the decor ( especially the bathroom) is starting to look tired. The variety of food in the restaurants is good and the presentation excellent, although you are left feeling that you have paid for the pleasure!! We were also looking forward to using some of the spa treatments, but again these were expensive and in some instances were more than what you would pay in the UK. The location of the hotel, edging onto a private beach is fantastic and therefore the hotel is worth visiting if you want to enjoy time for some beach resort relaxation, but compared to other similar class hotels in Vietnam, was not generally 'Good Value for Money'.

We really enjoyed our stay here. It was heavenly. It was such a peaceful enviroment that we didn't want to leave the resort. The people were extremely friendly and professional. It was about a five minute cab ride into town. The boutique that was onsite had such lovely items. We really enjoyed our spa experience. We each received three hour spa treatments and it was the best massage I have ever received.

Loved the Ana Mandara. We were greeted at the airport & immediately our cares were whisked away. We didn't even have to wait at the luggage conveyer belt for our bags. The staff took us to the coach while they fetched our bags so we could relax in air conditioned luxury with fresh cool towels and cold water. The drive to Nha Trang is gorgeous! The property is conveniently located so you can walk to town (check out the market!) My dad & I traveled together & he served in Vietnam 40 years ago ... he said Nha Trang was like taking a step back in time - hasn't changed much in that time ... The staff were great. We got a bit sick while there (not at the property - but food poisoning somewhere along the way? which is surprisingly common) Nurse Mai was INCREDIBLE. She saved the day, was so kind & reassuring. She gave my dad medicine that solved his problems, and saved our trip. Hate to get sick in a foreign land - far from the big city hospitals, too. But she was so competent and kind. This place was paradise!

I actually cried when I saw our room, it was so beautiful. Expectations exceeded. My fussy boyfriend whinged that the bathroom was looking tired, but he couldn't find fault with anything else. On the beach, charming cloth menus are scrolled up inside bamboo holders attached to the sun shades, with flags you stick in the sand to call a waiter. It became our routine to treat ourselves to a mid morning home made ice-cream - heavenly inventive flavours. The floodlit infinity pool is gorgeous for nightswimming, as bats swoop overhead hoovering up insects. The breakfast was probably the best I've ever had - and after living in 5 star hotels for 5 years, while working for an airline, I've had a few breakfast buffets in my time. Home made cakes, fruit served with herbs/spices, all in a lush tropical garden area by the beach. Both restaurants were also excellent, but if you're looking for food that's rather more authentic, seek out Lac Canh at the other side of town for fish grilled at your table while you soak up the local colour.

It's a bit of paradise right in busy, developed Nha Trang. The resort is very tastefully decorated. The rooms and bathrooms are nice enough and comfortable with there own balconies. The rooms at the back are too close to the street, so you might want to request one in the second or third row. The beach-area and swimmingpool are comfortable as well, with plenty of sunloungers and hammocks and staff bringing you cold wet towels. The breakfast is nice, but a bit expensive at $25. The trips we took that were included in our package all pleasantly surprised us. The cyclo-tour was interesting with a very nice and knowledgeable guide who spoke excellent English. The 5-island-tour was also a very nice way to spend the day with a wonderful lunch included. Dinner on the jetty was romantic, even though the food wasn't great (westernised we thought). It's better to have dinner in town at one of the seafood places. Probably the best thing about the resort is the staff. They are incredibly friendly and you have your own personal staff-member who takes care of you during your stay.

The Ana Mandara is quite unusual in that whilst in the beautiful gardens or on the excellent beach it feels like you are away from it all.....but exit the hotel and you are immediately pitched into a busy and colourful beachside resort with a whole range of pleasure seeking and cultural attractions. The villas are well designed and furnished, and there is a lot of attention to detail. The hotel is very well managed and organised, and there is a sense that the staff really enjoy their guests. There is a welcoming drinks party at least once a week, which was notable for the fact that there were no overt strings attached. There was genuinely no direct sales pressure of any description during our 7 night stay. There is an excellent main swimming pool. The busy road provides some traffic noise by the pool, and if you are in the rear line of garden view villas - we had a middle row sea facing villa which had no noise other than the sea - I imagine noise might be a factor. Food and drink is expensive, especially compared to the local going rate and in fact there is a series of excellent eating options close by gathered around the Tran Phu/ Biet Thu junction. We particularly recommend the Truc Linh 2 ( owner and chef used to work at the Ana Mandara ) and the Sailing Club which is also a great venue for a drink (s). It is a quality option with lots of dimensions to it.

I too have just stayed at the Ana Mandara. Like Mr Lee, we were compelled to attend the New Years Eve Dinner and although the food was better than for Xmas, we shouldn't have been forced to pay for it. The prices at the hotel are truly shocking. For the cost of one meal there, you could eat the best food in Nha Trang for 5 days. The staff, while friendly and helpful in the main, did often try too hard and one began to feel that if you weren't smiling all the time, you would be sent to your room. Finally, the rooms are in DESPERATE need of refurbishment. We had mould in our bathroom, the room was dark and dingy, there was no privacy on the verandah being much too close to the neighbouring rooms and it is clear that nothing has been done to the rooms since the hotel opened.In view of the rates, the highest in Vietnam, this is poor value indeed. This resort does not compare to other beach resorts in the region and does not deserve its high reputation.

This was an open letter I wrote to the resort-- enjoy! I am writing to follow up on my stay at Ana Mandara. I wanted to say that the people helping us at Ana Mandara were very friendly and helpful. Kudos to them and their efforts. Our stay was made easier by their friendly demeanor and willingness to help. However, I had a few major complaints-- *The Christmas Eve Dinner. First off, I don't understand why everyone is "forced" to pay for this dinner. I don't think my staying at your hotel requires me to have dinner at your hotel. This should be entirely voluntary-- this was a very big turn off for me. However, despite this condition, I agreed assuming that the dinner would be spectacular-- it was not. First off, the main dish was turkey. I don't know about you, but I don't expect to pay US$100 per person for a main dish that is turkey. This is probably one of the cheapest meats out there in the market. By comparison, we had a terrific meal of lobster, crab, Wagyu beef, scallops and fresh juice at the Mandarine (in HCM) for US$90 (their Christmas dinner special) before we arrived. That meal was much better than what you served. You really ought to be ashamed-- I really think you scammed the guests. Second, the staff seemed really overwhelmed-- although they were friendly, I thought you were very understaffed. Third, the entertainment was terrible. I felt I was in a second-rate bar. Nothing I would expect from (supposedly) one of the most exclusive spas in Vietnam. *Spa. The spa was fine, but nothing special. It is unfortunate we found that Spa Tropic in HCM better. Moreover, I live at the Four Seasons in HK, and their spa and masseuses are much better than yours. Very overpriced *Disorganization. I requested in my fax to you that I would like to have information about tours, activities, etc. in Nha Trang. However, I never received any such information. What is the use of asking that in the welcome package if you aren't going to supply me with the information? Moreover, with respect to your Christmas Eve dinner, I didn't know the time it started, not to mention the menu until I actually sat down to eat. It would have been nice to know these things and to have the information when requested. *Value. I really don't think I got my money's worth. The tours were overpriced, the breakfast was absolutely mediocre, the spa, the Christmas Eve dinner (I think you know how I feel about that), etc. There were so many problems. I think the problem is, unfortunately, management of the resort. I didn't get a sense of professionalism that I received when I visit resorts of (supposedly) a similar level. I would like to think that I am the type of person that you like to think you target. I have stayed at Banyan Tree, Four Seasons, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Trisara and other resorts in the region. Compared to these, Ana Mandara has to be the worst in value (by far). Don't get me wrong, although I don't travel much, I also don't complain about the bill because I expect that the money I am paying will equal the services provided. I am disappointed to have to say that Ana Mandara flunked that test by a long shot. I paid about US$1,000 for two nights and three days at Ana Mandara, when I could have stayed at some place cheaper and probably have had a better time. I really believe that if you expect people to pay US$300 to US$400 a night to stay at your residence that you should really expect to give such effort. During my stay, this was my experience, and I have a lot of people (with similar views) that have asked me how my experience at your resort was-- unfortunately, I have told them that they shouldn't go.

Having stayed in many five star resorts around the world, this rates as a definite must in Vietnam but not necessarily top five in Asia (Evason Hideaway could make that list). It was a wonderful five days of relaxation and was the anecdote to the hustle and bustle of Hanoi and Saigon. We would definitely return. The resort is located right on the beach and is a ten minute walk from the center of town. The service is truly exceptional, with a personal assistant who will tend to your every need. The breakfast buffet was sumptuous, the pool area a glorious view onto acquamarine seas, and all staff were highly attentive and helpful. Our room was a beachside villa, and the sight of waking to a glorious sunrise over the beach and sea will stick with me for a lifetime. Where the hotel is let down is that it is starting to look a little dated. The gym needs newer equipment, the hotel does not offer movies or DVDs in the room, the bathroom shower was weak, for example. An exceptional surprise at the end of the stay was our last night at Evason Hideaway, a newer sister hotel on a private beach reached by speed boat. We had mentioned to our assistant when we checked in that we were interested in learning more about the resort. She found us by the pool one afternoon and offered us our last night there at no additional charge - an incredible experience. In short, if you are in Vietnam and want relaxation but still be close to the action in town then Ana Mandara is for you. If you have more money to spend, and want totally tranquility and isolation, then try the Evason Hideaway. A tip: we booked through a reputatable Vietnamese tavel agency such as VietnamStay who got us a good rate.

We booked four nights / five days at the Ana Mandara for my honeymoon through the Ana Mandara reservations directly. All room reservations were conducted via email, and I found the process to be quite reliable. From Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon, airport code SGN) International airport, we boarded a 1 hour domestic flight on Vietnam Airlines to nha trang on a seemingly WWII-era turbo-prop plane. Although the actual flight wasn't that bad, the plane slammed into the runway in nha trang pretty hard and it definitely made for a "rough" landing to say the least. The domestic flight, which I booked via Ana Mandara at least a month in advance, cost me $172 USD for two people round trip. Curiously, I found that the flight if booked locally would have cost me only about $50.00 per person USD round trip. I wasn't pleased with the cost I paid, but I figured it was better that I pay the hefty surcharge and at least have the flight guaranteed. The domestic tickets were hand-delivered to me in HCMC at my hotel by an Ana Mandara representative which was a nice touch at least. I knew immediately we were in for a nice stay however as soon as we were greeted by the Ana Mandara staff at the Nha Trang airport terminal and escorted to a well maintained mercedes-benz limo bus with nice leather seats and handed a cool wet towel scented with lemongrass to wipe our hands, face and neck. Then we were passed an ice cold bottled water. They also collected our baggage for us. After an extremely pleasant 30-minute bus ride through beautiful mountain valley rice paddys and along an ocean cliff, we arrived at the resort. Our personal liason officer greeted us and escorted us to the resort lobby for our welcome drink, and I can honestly say that the first impression of the resort was quite impressive. The Ana Mandara features two restaurants, both with outstanding selection of Vietnamese, Japanese, Asian-fusion, and French dishes. The executive chef, David Tsai, is a formally trained French Chef and vietnamese by birth. My wife and I spoke with him on several occasions and were impressed with his culinary knowledge and evident training. Like all top calibre chefs, he carried himself with a bit of ego and swagger, as he was again evidently proud of his skill and training. Be prepared to pay western prices for the resort food, however for us, it was well worth it. The resort also features a "sports activities center" offering just about every outdoor adventure activity one could think of. If there is something that you would wish to do that is not on their offering, the staff would gladly cater to your desire. My wife and I took a sunset river cruise one evening in Nha Trang, a 20 km mountain bike tour thru rice paddies and a local village another time, and also went scuba diving another morning along side a nearby island called Mieu Island. All excursions were very beautiful, and I found the tour guides to be extrememly helpful and knowledgable. The Spa facilities were also excellent, although I am not an avid spa-goer. We indulged in multiple spa treatments featuring full body massages, vietnamese style massages, facials, exfoliations, etc. The spa facilities were very clean. Beyond a doubt, however, the most excellent feature of this resort was not the facilities, but the level of professional service and treatment we received from the staff. It was almost embarassing to me the level to which they tried to accomodate any comforts we desired. our total expenses, including room and food and activities for our five days / four nights totalled about $2,700 USD. For the price we paid, there is no resort in the Western hemisphere I imageine that could even come close to the value we received for our dollar. One last thought, the resort is very large, and features around 70 villas and depending on how busy they are, can seem a bit crowded. You can be as social or as reclusive as you want to be at the resort. We met many pleasant, and a few not so pleasant, people from all over the world specifically Australia, UK, France, Germany, Russia, USA, and Japan.