Vietnam’s Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa Opens on South-Central Coast
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Vietnam’s Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa Opens on South-Central Coast
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Category: Asia Pacific - Vietnam - Industry economy
- Hotel opening
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2009-04-20
Designed by Tan Hock Beng, Resort Sets Up as One of Vietnam’s Most Exclusive Properties
Vietnam’s long journey from a curiosity to a viable, upscale destination passed another critical milestone recently when the Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa opened on this pristine stretch of the South China Sea 150 kilometers from Saigon.
The Princess d’Annam joins a select few properties in Vietnam that woo guests who pay four-figure room nights as a matter of course, that makes a bold design statement with its architecture and that trades on a stunning oceanfront location.
“This part of Vietnam was crying for a top-flight property, the likes of which you rarely encounter between here and Bali,” said Jean-Philippe Beghin, the resort’s general manager. “Now, the crying is over.”
Named for a 13th Century Vietnamese princess, the Princess d’Annam opens with 57 units on a secluded bay 35 kilometers south of the provincial capital of Phan Thiet.
The property’s beach takes in a private bay that’s defined by an 1899-built colonial French lighthouse to the north and a massive ridge of sand that curls out to sea to the south.
However naturally impressive the surroundings, the resort is a landmark tropical design, crafted by noted Singaporean architect Tan Hock Beng. The resort is a testament to the architect’s craft of critical regionalism whereby ‘place’ matters.
The all-villa resort trades in three classes of accommodation, from the 75-square-meter Mandarin villa to the 100-square-meter Princess and the 185-square-meter, two-story Empress.
The spa itself is an 1,800-square-meter monument of design, reminiscent of a Moroccan sanctuary. The pre-eminence of the spa is underscored by its situation on the property itself. Where other resorts bury their spas in an out-of-the-way location, Princess d’Annam positioned its spa on the sea.
“It’s the best seat in the house,” said Beghin. “Usually, the visual experience of any spa treatment is negligible. Here it’s overwhelming.”
Likewise, the resort’s gardens. Designed by Alan Carle, who also designed the ginger gardens in Singapore’s Botanical Gardens, the grounds teem with more than 200 varieties of flowers, shrubs and trees. In the heart of the resort is a ginger garden, a subtle echo of Carle’s renowned design further south.
In addition to the private pools featured in the Princess and Empress villas, four common pools enhance the resort’s oasis-like appeal. The emphasis on water is apropos: the Princess d’Annam is located in the most dependably sunny region in Vietnam.
Dining from the Princess d’Annam’s ever-changing menu involves four primary venues — the Dining Room, the Terrace, the Lounge or the Villa — and two families of cuisine — a Vietnamese menu and a European menu founded in France and Italy. The menu changes daily.
The resort’s appeal extends well beyond the property itself, to the environs of a destination that stands apart as a new destination within Vietnam. Excursions from the Princess d’Annam range from the stately lighthouse just offshore to the eminence of Ta Cu, a nearby mountain where a 2-kilometer cable car system whisks visitors to a pagoda at top and a 49-meter long recumbent Buddha, reputed to be the longest in Southeast Asia.
Further afield lie the Ocean Dunes Golf Club, an award-winning 18-hole tracked designed by Nick Faldo, as well as the red and white sand dunes of Mui Ne and Po Shanu, an ancient Cham tower complex.
The rack rates at the resort begin at $465 per night, and climb into four figures for a major class of accommodation. Princess d’Annam is one of just three resorts in Vietnam that cater to the ultra high-end market.
The resort’s design appeal is founded in Tan Hock Beng’s interpretation of a colonial French villa design with strong Chinese overtones. With steeply pitched roofs that seem to hover above the villas, rubbled walls and ornate lattice work, the architecture marries the traditional to the contemporary and modern simplicity to imperial elegance.
“We didn’t want merely to create a resort that catered to a clientele with the most exquisite taste,” said Beghin. “We also wanted to make a statement with a resort that is relevant to the climate, the light and the ambiance of Ke Ga.”
Inside, Vincent Koh’s understated contemporary Vietnamese tropical design enhances the light-filled, airy ambiance. Private plunge pools distinguish each of the Princess villas, and a private lap pool spans the private compounds of each of the four Empress villas.
All of the villas bring the outdoors in with al freso bathrooms, featuring rain showers and baths and sunken tubs. The in-room amenities run from high-tech (plasma-screen televisions and high-speed wireless environments) to high-touch (24-hour room service).
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