Anantara Quy Nhon Villas hides in a private cove on Vietnam's south-central coast, ringed by mountains on three sides and opening onto the Bay of Quy Nhon. Just 25 pool villas are scattered across seven acres of tropical landscaping that front a beach reserved for guests alone. The most memorable way to arrive is by rail, a six-hour run aboard The Vietage by Anantara down the coast from Da Nang or Nha Trang; the resort sits around 12 km from Quy Nhon city, far enough to leave the crowds behind. Every villa frames the ocean through floor-to-ceiling glass, and the moment the sun lifts out of the bay at dawn is the one you remember. Your Villa Host carries you by buggy through dense foliage to your sanctuary, where the air is set to the scent you chose on arrival, down to the soap from the resort's natural collection. The infinity pool cantilevers out over the cliff's edge toward the water, and when you open the bathroom doors, an oversized tub waits beside a bottle from your own cellar. In the beachfront villas you can step from bed to pool to sea.
Dining centres on Sea.Fire.Salt., the signature restaurant, where local seafood and the regional flavours of Binh Dinh province take the lead and fire and salt do the talking. The pool bar lounge keeps light bites and craft beers flowing all day, but the experience to plan for is Designer Dining by Anantara, a table set on the sand or on your private deck with a menu the chef builds for your party alone. Anantara Spa is tucked into the trees, its synchronised four-hand massage the house signature. Beyond the gates stretches a coast few people reach: head out with a guide in a traditional coracle to fish, snorkel and picnic on uninhabited islands, or turn inland to the Cham towers and Tay Son martial arts of the old Champa kingdom. Come dusk, sink into the cliff-top pool and watch the sun drop into the horizon, the world left on the far side of the mountains.
