Welcome to Checking In, a review series in which our editors and contributors rate the best luxury hotels based on a rigorous—and occasionally tongue-in-cheek—10-point system: Each question answered “yes” gets one point. Will room service bring you caviar? Does your suite have its own butler? Does the bathroom have a bidet? Find out below.
Describe the hotel in three words: Coastal nature escape.
What’s the deal?
Amanoi is the quintessential Aman resort: isolated, connected to nature, and also out of this world. Located in Vinh Hy Bay’s Núi Chúa National Park, within the UNESCO-recognised Núi Chúa Biosphere Reserve on Vietnam’s southeastern coast, the resort is landscaped like a winding maze—a masterclass in the art of privacy—with paths meandering over rolling hills and accommodations generously spread out across the property. 45 pavilions, villas, and residences are sprawled out across 42.2 hectares of mountainous topography, lush vegetation, and striking granite cliffs, overlooking white-sand beaches and the South China Sea. Come nighttime, clear skies will be lit up by stars, mirroring the constellation of boats out at sea.
Denniston’s Jean-Michel Gathy harmoniously blends low-rise structures into the surrounding landscape, recalling traditional Vietnamese architecture through sweeping eaves, local stone and wood, slatted walls and room dividers, open-air spaces, natural light signatures, a neutral grey and earth-toned colour palette, and triangular elements in a deft balancing act with Aman design tentpoles: clean lines, elegant geometry, and contemporary minimalism.
Wellness-driven and experiences-led, days at Amanoi can revolve around mindful relaxation, active adventures, or cultural excursions. Sail, snorkel, or kayak around Vinh Hy Bay, trek to Goga Peak to watch the sunrise, hike to the Ba Tang waterfall for a refreshing swim, picnic in Bai Da, take archery lessons, play tennis on the property, paint by the water, make pottery, practise your swings at the nearby Anara Binh Tien Golf Course, or discover the traditions and history of the indigenous Cham people. Half- and full-day trips to fishing villages, temples, sea-salt farms, and through Núi Chúa National Park are also on the cards.
The best room?
As of this summer, the best accommodations available at Amanoi would be the eponymous Ocean Pool Residence. Most pavilions, villas, and residences on the property are ideally placed, but this latest unveiling takes things to the next level, outclassing its previous highest room category with aplomb. It all starts with the location: perched on a dramatic promontory overlooking the ocean, with access to a private beach. Next, the space: 925 square metres of it, across three en-suite king bedrooms, two private swimming pools, an open kitchen, open-air dining sala, wine cellar, living room, and an expansive sundeck. Finally, the amenities: the Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence comes with its own private spa house, complete with a double treatment room, sauna, outdoor Jacuzzi, lounge area, changing room, and ice-bucket shower, as well as your own residence buggy with which to explore the Amanoi resort. (It takes time to move between places at Amanoi simply because the property is so large, so having a buggy on call to whisk you off to your next activity is a huge bonus.)
Did they greet you by name at check-in?
Indeed, and already well before that, when we were met at Cam Ranh International Airport for our private transfer to the Amanoi resort in Vinh Hy Bay, a scenic 1.5-hour journey by car. In fact, our late-night arrival did not deter the Amanoi team at all, and a large congregation of staff members merrily spilled out to welcome us at the entrance—talk about a memorable first impression, and a promising start to the stay.
Was a welcome drink ready and waiting when you arrived?
Yes. We were offered a fragrant chrysanthemum tea as a refreshment after our long journey, along with scented chilled towels (which became a repeated—and much appreciated—theme throughout the stay as chilled towels were proffered to us everywhere we went, in a bid to keep the humid and hot climate from manifesting as beads on our brows). Due to the late hour of our arrival, we were ushered to the Restaurant and Terrace—the main dining venue—for dinner immediately and check-in took place swiftly and efficiently in the room.
Private butler for every room?
Guests booking residences can expect the service to come as a standard inclusion, but butlers can also be made available to guests in pavilions and villas upon request. Butlers can arrange buggy pickups to take you to your next scheduled appointment, make restaurant reservations, programme activities and experiences, and many other things—just send them a text message and let them handle the rest. (A special shoutout to our Four-Bedroom Pool Residence butler, Hang—observant, sharp as a tack, and just jolly good fun to be around, she did the most to ensure that our stay was excellent, and our experiences were as smooth as butter.)
Is the sheet thread count higher than 300?
300 exact. Amanoi pavilions, villas, and residences are furnished with 100 percent long-staple cotton bedlinen supplied by French designer brand Catherine Denoual Maison for that extra-silky, ultra-luxurious, smooth, and breathable feeling when you sink into the sheets. Add to that the secluded, tranquil nature of the property and the distance between accommodations, restful sleep is one thing you can effortlessly tick off your bingo card.
Is there a heated floor in the bathroom? What about a bidet?
In this part of the world, heated floors are rare (and redundant, considering the climate). Bidets, however, are standard fixtures, and our bathroom came with a handheld one.
Are the toiletries full-sized?
Kind of. Amanoi stores its bath and shower amenities in a set of ceramic vessels which we would consider about medium-sized, but considering the containers get refilled daily during housekeeping service—that special time of day we call “Aman magic” as staff whisks in and out of rooms, never to be seen—unless you are taking eight showers a day, you will not be left lacking. Bathrooms also come stocked with other amenities such as sunscreen, lotion, and insect repellent, and guests can request fresh aloe vera, harvested from plants grown on the property, for their skin as after-sun care. (In our case, the aloe vera was thoughtfully placed in our room by our butler Hang after a full day of sun-drenched activities.)
Is there a private pool for the room’s exclusive use? How are the spa and gym?
Yes. In fact, all categories of villas and residences at Amanoi come with private pools, some reaching 150 square metres in size with a suitably substantial sun deck to match. (If one private pool is not enough, the Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence comes with two.) Guests can also stretch their legs at the resort’s 140-square-metre shared infinity pool, the Cliff Pool, dramatically set atop—you guessed it—a cliff with panoramic views of the ocean, or get their laps in at the Beach Club, which has its own 400-square-metre pool. It’s safe to say Amanoi is bountiful in the pool segment, so you can splash around to your heart’s desire.
Wellness is also a considered hallmark of the resort, in alignment with the well-established tenets of the Aman brand, and Amanoi sure takes its wellness seriously, so if a full mental, physical, and spiritual reset is the main motivation for your stay, spring for either one of the two exclusive Amanoi Wellness Pool Villas, designed by Blink—the Forest Wellness Pool Villa is tucked into the surrounding jungle, while the Lake Wellness Pool Villa sits across from the Aman Spa. Both are elegantly appointed with double treatment rooms, private pools, and private thermal facilities such as a cold plunge pool, steam room, and Jacuzzi, with the definitive difference being that the Forest variant comes with a wooden banya, while the Lake alternate has a hammam. A dedicated spa therapist is assigned to each villa to provide personalised treatments, so wellness is at your fingertips and on your schedule.
As for the Aman Spa, this tranquil haven of well-being is cocooned in rolling hills, with a picturesque, lakeside Yoga Pavilion at the heart of it. Charming murals referencing Vietnamese culture grace the walls of the five double treatment rooms, all of which come with twin bathtubs, a dressing room, and a steam shower, while all but one of them benefit from an additional outdoor relaxation terrace. Guests wanting to deepen their wellness experience can also consider one of two hydrotherapy suites, which can be booked with or without treatments. Each suite has a heated stone treatment table, steam room, Jacuzzi, and cold plunge pool, as well as hand and foot therapy rooms and a finishing salon. A wealth of Aman signature treatments is in the offing—including a vibrational sound healing massage, Vietnamese massage, warm ginger and Himalayan salt treatment, herbal poultice treatment, results-oriented facials, and mum-to-be rituals—so there’s ample reason to return.
Amanoi is also packed with a full fitness centre and a Pilates studio equipped with Allegro Reformers and other gear, with private trainers available on request. Expert-led yoga, breathwork, meditation, and movement classes are held daily at the outdoor Yoga Pavilion—we flowed through our early-morning practice to the soothing pitter-patter of seasonal rain.
Is the restaurant worth its salt?
Yes. Despite its sprawling hectarage, Amanoi does not have an abundance of choice when it comes to dining outlets, but the two that are available are solid options. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the hilltop Restaurant and Terrace, where the menus are designed around Vietnamese and international flavours, as well as daily catches from local waters to showcase the richness of Vietnamese produce and provide support to regional farmers. Approximately 70 percent of ingredients used at Amanoi are sourced domestically. A breakfast spread could include a mango and lychee smoothie bowl, eggs Benedict, French toast, croque madame, blueberry pancakes, and ricotta and figs toast, while heartier plates such as seafood spring rolls, beef pho, roasted duck noodle soup, bò lúc lắc shaking beef, and stir-fried clams populate the lunch table. Dinner items run the gamut from claypot sizzling beef, sweet and sour fish soup, crab fried rice, and grilled chicken with purple sticky rice to squid and tiger prawn with spiced salt, grilled Vinh Hy-style scallop, and Northern Vietnamese-style grilled pork, not to mention a wealth of Western dishes. Wines are sourced from around the world, and there’s a special Aman Champagne, too.
Elsewhere, the Beach Club is open for lunch and poolside refreshments. Don’t miss the fish tacos—it was a clear winner in our books. Poké bowls with miscellaneous toppings, burgers, pizzas, and grilled surf and turf options are in the offing as well. For something with local inflection, consider the Vietnamese barbecue board—a sizeable platter loaded with vegetables, meat, or seafood, or all of the above—to share with the table.
Another option is to go private and let the expert Amanoi team handle the dining experiences. Rock Studio, carved into a rock face of granite boulders, is one such option, with a bespoke menu that could include cucumber salad with marinated octopus, char-grilled Angus beef with local herbs, steamed garden vegetables, and braised fish fillet with turmeric, lemongrass, and peanut.
On the warm sand by the Beach Club is another option, with a live barbecue station dishing up grilled baby scallops with a peanut scallion sauce, chicken and banana blossom salad, red mullet wrapped in pandan leaves, shrimp mousse on a sugarcane stick, five-spice-marinated Australian tenderloin, and more. A romantic dinner on the lake is on the cards, as is a special Cham dining experience, an authentic encounter with the Cham ethnic group’s customs, followed by a blessing ceremony in the jungle.
Afternoon tea is served daily at the Central Pavilion’s Restaurant and Terrace, where bánh căn rice-flour pancakes—a local speciality—are prepared à la minute on traditional clayware, and served alongside a selection of sweet bites, savouries, and fresh fruits.
Do you want to spend Friday night in the lobby bar?
Yes—the Bar is huddled in the Central Pavilion along with the Restaurant and Terrace, so moving between the two venues is effortless. Boasting views over Núi Chúa National Park, the Bar is a contemplative retreat channelling design inspiration lifted from traditional local teahouses. Here, the team whips up cocktails narrating the journey through Vietnam’s natural wonders, celebrating imposing rock formations, ancient growths, coral reefs, and coastlines, with a spotlight on such ingredients as smoked tree bark, rice paddy herb, and local honey. Negronis and G&Ts with a Vietnamese twist also make a prominent appearance.
Would you buy the hotel if you could?
It’s a tough one to say no to, and the only problem we foresee is being spoilt for choice on which villa or residence to call dibs on. Almost 12 years on, this distinguished Aman outpost in Vietnam continues to radiate a timeless allure, though Amanoi is by no means resting on its well-deserved laurels. As the recently launched Amanoi Ocean Pool Residence demonstrates—not to mention the nine additional accommodations that were added in 2022—the resort keeps bettering itself through new initiatives and developments, and the promise of something fresh and exciting to look forward to on the next visit is irresistible.
Score: 9
What Our Score Means:
1–3: Fire your travel agent if they suggest you stay here.
4–6: Solid if you’re in a pinch—but only if you’re in a pinch.
7–8: Very good. We’d stay here again and recommend it without qualms.
9–10: Forget booking a week. When can we move in permanently?
All images courtesy of Amanoi.
