Da Nang is a vibrant city on Vietnam’s central coast, with an international airport, fabulous beaches and a vibrant culinary tradition. We arrived fresh from the calm and orderly experience of visiting Japan, so a chaotic transfer at Hanoi meant we were absolutely ready for the tranquillity of the Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa when we arrived there on a hot July evening.
Accommodation
We were ushered to the welcome desk at the Regency Club, meeting the Regency Club manager, Ethan, who ensured we were smoothly checked in and quickly availed of the two-hour cocktail happy hour (there’s a daily free cocktail, mocktail and some light bites between 5pm and 7pm). At the Hyatt Regency Danang, guests have the option to pay for Regency Club access which offers an extra breakfast restaurant, an exclusive pool and a separate reception desk, as well as access to free water and soft drinks throughout the day.
Our room was a Regency Club Ocean View, with a daybed on the balcony overlooking the beach, a seating area and a bathroom that made it comfortably into my top ten because of the space for guests to put all their bathroom bits across the twin sinks, as well as a rain shower perfect for cooling down from a day by the sea. Another top feature was the walk-in closet, where there was plenty of room to hang dresses, unpack underwear and line up heels ready for a couple of days of tottering to resort restaurants and looking our most fabulous selves.
Other features of the room include the 43’ flatscreen TV, the crucial climate control system and the nice little welcome gift of seasonal fruit and delectable dessert. After a long day of travel, it was a relief to sit on the balcony and listen to the soothing waves, sipping a cup of tea and planning our sunshine strategy for the next day.
Food and drink
The showstopper of Hyatt Regency Danang’s food and beverage offerings is Le Petit Chef. This innovative dining concept, conceived and produced by a company called Skullmapping, features a 3D animated illustration of a 6cm chef and transforms your table into verdant farmland, deep ocean and snowy mountains.
The Petit Chef wanders around muttering to himself in French as he prepares your food in front of your eyes, chainsawing broccoli ‘trees’ and wrestling his (your) fish from the claws of a lobster! When the cute little scene comes to a close, the servers place your dish in front of you and you tuck in, while the ocean or grass or rockpools continue to gently move across the table.
One of the servers, Rachel, was in charge of announcing the start of each new animation and course, while Assistant Manager Vinh was quick to make adjustments to accommodate preferences and allergies. There are a couple of set menus to choose from and we had one diamond and one gold; my favourite dish was a Lobster cake from the diamond menu with Avruga caviar, red curry condiment and lemon zest. The humorous cartoon fun continued on the plate too – even Le Petit Chef wasn’t walking across it! – because this dish even came in the shape of a shellfish!
Given the very limited number of seats at Le Petit Chef (and the quite insistent accordion music that accompanied dinner there) you won’t be able to dine there every day. Luckily, there are lots of other places to eat at Hyatt Regency Danang. Baguette is a daytime bakery serving French pastry items and Osteria al Mare is, unsurprisingly, an Italian restaurant. So popular for breakfast that you have to get up early or queue to get in, the dinner menu is a good range of Italian staples, including some very good pizza.
We also tried the lunch at Vive Océane, where you can get a combination of French and Vietnamese food. Some of the dishes, such as the bao buns, make a great quick snack (and are also available on the pool menu to be delivered to your lounger) but my favourite was the wok-fried noodle with crab. Vive Océane is also a breakfast option, but this place really comes alive at sunset, when you can enjoy some excellent sundowner cocktails on the terrace overlooking the sea.
Local Sampan rum, which is produced just a few kilometres away in Quang Nam, really works in the Samcacoba cocktail with banana and tangy calamansi. Other twists on the classics are the sign of a creative bar team; the red velvet negroni was also a winner. We also tested one of our favourites, the margarita, at the Terrasse bar and confirmed that they were of a consistent quality with the ones we ordered beside the pool during the day. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.
Resort Facilities
Before I go on to mention the facilities, let me remind you that the need to wait an hour after food before you swim is a bit of a fallacy and the worst you’ll get is a stitch. Chances are, sitting in the shallow end with your sun hat and a cocktail won’t even give you that, so it’s probably not a consideration in this context!
The beach is white sand and mostly empty – you can borrow kayaks and bodyboards from the Hyatt Regency Danang’s activities hut on the beach, or you can just run in and enjoy the relatively shallow waves. There is an exclusive pool beside the Regency Club and an adults-only pool near the well-appointed fitness centre. There are sun loungers at all of these, but wear sunscreen and, most importantly, slather it all over your kids. Sunburn and heatstroke are real, people.
If you’re worried about frying your offspring, Hyatt Regency Danang has a kids club called Camp Hyatt with one of the most extensive activities menus I’ve seen at a resort hotel. Youngsters can have a go at making windchimes, jewellery and keyrings; go rock climbing and kite flying; play traditional Vietnamese games and decorate masks and tote bags. For the kids that are a little bit older, activities include pizza and mocktail making, water fights, air hockey tournaments and sports classes. Another innovative addition is The Arena, where children can play arcade and console games, so kids (of all ages!) can get their gaming fix and maybe find some new friends.
Finally, the Vie Spa is the pinnacle of relaxation at Hyatt Regency Danang. In a calming relaxation room, decorated with the plants and species from which the signature scent is made, you are first welcomed and offered a cool towel and tea. The treatment rooms are all accessed individually from an architectural garden and are totally separated from each other, with each room having a changing space, bathroom facilities and an outdoor bath for more luxurious treatment packages.
I opted for a stress recovery massage to relieve tension after travelling and my therapist Ngoc was very skilled in the long, moderately firm pressure that just smoothed out all my knots. Charlotte chose a different treatment from her therapist, Bee. The Vie Fusion, which combines various styles of Asian massage, includes a dry pressure point focus to relieve tension, followed by soothing warm oils. We were both very relaxed afterwards and sat in silence for several minutes enjoying the post-spa snack of dried mango and more tea.
The fitness centre has a well equipped gym, as I have mentioned, as well as male and female sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. Our favourite thing was the cold plunge pool, excellent for cooling down after a sweltering day by the pool or to refresh yourself if your job requires you to drink a few cocktails of an evening.
What can I do in the local area?
There are plenty of places to see and explore, many of which can be arranged by speaking to the hotel concierge, such as a visit to Marble Mountains or one of the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites nearby, including the Imperial City of Huế, the old town of Hội An and the ruins of My Son Sanctuary.
If you’re venturing out to Da Nang itself, there are myriad bars, restaurants and shops to occupy you. One of the highlights of my trip was dining at Madame Lan, a renowned restaurant known for its authentic Vietnamese cuisine. It was busy with local people as well as a few tourists, which is always a good sign, and the food was delicious too. Another unforgettable moment was watching the Dragon Bridge show.
Each evening at 9 pm on the weekend, the bridge comes alive with a spectacular display, featuring a giant dragon formed from the bridge’s arches that breathes fire and water. Keep an eye on where other people are standing (and whether they are wearing waterproof coats); the best view is from the bridge right at the head end, but if you are in the firing line when the water shoots out you will get very wet!
Da Nang is easy to access with its international airport and would be a great place to start an adventure across all of Vietnam (check out our visit to neighbouring Hoi An). However, if you’re looking for a place to enjoy all the best a beach holiday can offer, especially for a family, Hyatt Regency Danang has it all.
Hyatt Regency Danang
5 Truong Sa Street
Hoa Hai Ward
Ngu Hanh Son District
Danang, 550000
Vietnam
