The Anam is the first five-star colonial beach resort in Cam Ranh and a sanctuary of contemporary luxury that harks back to a bygone. John Savage indulges himself.
With an infectious smile as wide as Cam Ranh Bay, the Anam journey had started. She said her name was Pinky and she was at the airport with a welcoming smile, a sign bearing my name and a luggage trolley. She walked me over to a sleek black Merc for the 15-minute drive to The Anam Cam Ranh, one of the first five-star resorts in Vietnam’s Cam Ranh area.
The imposing grounds and buildings are on a 12-hectare parcel of land, which slopes down to the East Sea. The resort blends colonial-era charm with warm-hearted Vietnamese hospitality.
The property has 3,000 coconut trees in the 12 hectares and 80 gardeners undertake the mammoth task of keeping everything pristine. Bougainvillea saturates the property along with lush, manicured lawns. Every room has a window box of bougainvillea.
Building The Anam commenced in 2014 and was completed in 2017. Mr Norbert Meyer has been the Resort Manager since its opening; a stalwart manager with an affable nature who inspires employees through his teaching and leadership.
The original motto when the hotel first opened was: “no stress, no news, no shoes”. It has now changed to “Indochine charm - modern luxury”.
All the pathways around the resort can be accessed in bare feet, hence the initial no shoes slogan.
The name Anam is a reference to “An Nam”, the name of Central Vietnam during the French Indochina era. The Anam Cam Ranh overlooks 300 metres of beachfront on Vietnam’s scenic Cam Ranh peninsula, which averages more than 300 sunny days a year.
There is a shuttle bus that runs daily from the resort to Nha Trang city, which has a population of nearly a million; a scenic trip of about 30 minutes. Its highlights are the beaches and shopping malls.
The bus takes a picturesque route along the sea with sandy and rocky mountains on the left side and scenic views of the ocean on the right. There are some sizeable islands in the ocean, many of them uninhabited.
Closer to Nha Trang many small vessels is preparing for a night of fishing. The shuttle bus leaves the resort at 9:30 am and returns at 4:00 pm. I recommend this excursion, and if guests don’t want to stay until 4:00 pm a taxi return is about $20 AUD.
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| Ocean view pool villa (supplied) |
Ranging from beachfront villas with private pools to three-bedroom Hilltop Pool Villas, there are 77 villas and 136 rooms and suites across 12 accommodation categories. The resort features three outdoor pools. The center pool is adults-only, the beach pool is saltwater and there is a lagoon pool. A number of the villas have private swimming pools.
My Villa 331 was spacious and handy to all the facilities. There is a resort buggy service for guests and luggage if required by dialing zero.
Sustainability is a key management objective, and the resort has its own water filtering plant. They grow their own vegetables and flowers and have a strict no-plastic rule.
Some of the popular features of The Anam are the spa, gift shop, eco farm, bicycles, tennis court and mini golf services. There is a kids’ club open daily with various activities, a laundry service, fitness centre and gym, stone painting and morning yoga classes. A 60-seater indoor movie theatre shows regular movies for adults and children, and on a Saturday night, it’s open-air movies on the beachfront.
“We are trying to provide extras for the guests at no cost” said Nguyen Bao Trung the resort’s Marketing Manager. “A lot of our recent initiatives, like the extended mini golf course are free as we hope to give our guests more value during their stay.”
He said The Anam is different to the other resorts in the area. “We strive to give guests the feeling of Vietnamese culture, starting from The Anam name, which goes back hundreds of years. We also invest time and energy in the magical landscape which is distinctive in the area.”
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| The Anam’s indoor meeting rooms offer state-of-the-art facilities and equipment (supplied) |
On April 25, The Anam Group formally opened a multipurpose convention centre with a design inspired by the country’s ubiquitous coracle boat. Situated next door to The Anam Cam Ranh, Axi Plaza overlooks Long Beach and host a huge state-of-the-art conference hall, a 360-degree rooftop venue, a stunning outdoor beachfront event space, and about 10,000sqm dedicated to shopping and dining outlets. It is the largest multipurpose convention centre in the region.
The resort is 300 km northeast of HCMC, a 40-minute flight with Vietnam Airlines or Vietjet. Cam Ranh shares the new international airport and current domestic building with Nha Trang. The international airport also has regular direct flights from locations including Hong Kong, South Korea, China, and Russia.
Check the website for regular specials: www.theanam.com
GETTING THERE
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| John Savage is a veteran journalist, broadcaster and PR representative with vast experience in the tourism and hospitality industries. |
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