Alma Resort Cam Ranh is on a prime location on the nine-mile golden Long Beach in southern Vietnam. Local lore has it that famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau’s lifetime fascination with the underwater world began here when, as a young man, he went diving in the bay; today, Cam Ranh is Vietnam’s fastest-growing upscale sun and sea destination. The Alma is just 20 minutes from Nha Trang’s international airport, which is easily accessible from both Hanoi and Saigon airports, as well as through cities like Bangkok, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
When we arrived, a buggy took us from the Alma Lounge next to the reception to our one-bedroom Ocean Front Pavilion, which was right on the beach. We loved the feeling of space, the pale floors and warm wood fixtures and the blue shades of the upholstery and the scatter rugs. And we found ourselves stopping again and again at the large black and white abstract artwork on the wall, trying to puzzle out what it represented. Like all the Pavilions and Suites it had ceiling-to-floor windows, ours leading out to our private patio and pool. The upper-level Pavilions have Jacuzzis instead of pools.
The Pavilions sweep right across the sealine on the lower levels of the resort, and have one, two and three bedrooms. The very spacious living rooms have couches, a dining room table, full-sized refrigerator, sink, microwave oven and espresso machine, as well as a coffee table and an easy chair. The two towers house the one-bedroom Superior, two-bedroom Premium and three-bedroom Panorama Suites, all with balconies that have ocean views and separate living rooms, with the same generous space and amenities as the Pavilions. They, too, have an additional bathroom besides the en-suite, and the two and three-bedrooms have long dining tables that can seat 10. There are 25 connecting suites and four for guests with reduced mobility.
General Manager Herbert Laubichler-Pichler ([email protected]), an old friend from his time with the Nam Hai and then The Anam, hosted us at La Casa Italian restaurant. Living in Italy we are very picky, but the menu from Chef de Cuisine Francesco Leone ([email protected]), including a perfect pesto, a luscious lasagna and great wood-fired pizza, hit all the right spots. So much so that we declared it the best Italian restaurant we have found in Asia, and Francesco said we should come back to try his signature dish of fettucine with gamberi, stracciatella and limone.
Breakfasts, we discovered the next morning, are served à la carte in La Casa and buffet-style in the Alma Garden. For lunch, we dropped into the Alma Food Court where we could choose from a range of specialties at the Vietnam Express, French Bakery, Little New York and The Noodle House hawker-style stalls. An al fresco dinner in the beachfront Atlantis Restaurant was a perfect way to end an interesting twilight Zen Meditation Walk to a local Buddhist pagoda.
The menu is a choice of premium seafood, though there are also grilled meats and Vietnamese rice and noodle specialties. Our Romantic Dinner Menu featured a beetroot and truffle soup, followed by a duo of oysters and a baked lobster thermidor, another culinary highlight. Herbert told us that many guests like to dine at scenic spots across the resort or have a floating breakfast in one of the 12 swimming pools that cascade down to the beach. He also said that as they get families of up to three and four generations, many like the in-room family dining options “like our family sharing menus for families of four or of eight.”
Spa time meant a relaxing couple of hours, and we took the suggestion of Hoang Nguyen Minh Anh ([email protected]), spa manager, to try the Le Spa Balancing Therapy. This massage is specifically designed to relieve sore muscles after a long flight or journey, and combined foot as well as facial and eye reflexology. It was soul-soothing, and we left feeling happily relaxed.
Booking Tip: Jed Arricivita ([email protected]), commercial director, told us booking is best at least one month ahead for Christmas and New Year and also for Chinese and Vietnamese New Year. For special requests like airport pickups or tours he said to contact the Dinh Tuong Vy ([email protected]), front desk manager.
With free access to the Splash Water Park, which has a lazy river and a wave pool, the cinema, the Kid’s & Youth Clubs, 18-hole mini-golf, kite flying, tennis, volleyball and basketball outdoor courts, not to mention the raft of water sports, there are so many facilities for all ages that it is easy to pack every day with different activities. But guests who want to get some local flavor off-property should visit the nearby town of Cam Duc, which has a lively morning market. This is a great way to experience the traditional lifestyle—an essential part of any foreign travel—and Dinh Tuong Vy on the front desk can arrange transport and tour guides.
What we loved: We did a morning market tour with Christina Nguyen ([email protected]; +84-929-352-782), owner of Zazen Travel, and then visited a facility that grows mangoes. Though it was not the season we got to try delicious dried mango products and mango tea offered by the owner Dang The Truyen in his downtown Cam Lam Tearoom. Christina also brought us to visit a small temple built by a monk who placed every single stone by hand thanks to donations he collected over many years.
The morning ended with a cooking class in the Atlantis Restaurant where we tried our hand (very successfully we discovered when we sat down for lunch) making Goi Cuon fresh spring rolls with prawns, Bo La Lot beef wrapped in betel leaves, and Hanoi’s iconic Pho Bo beef noodle soup.
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