First published April 2017 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
This post was last updated 7 years ago. Please check the comments section for possible updates, or read more on my Updates & Accuracy page.
INTRODUCTION | REVIEW | MAP | RELATED POSTS
Sitting on the rocks above Vung Tau’s attractive seafront promenade – overlooking a fascinating seascape with ships coming and going – Leman Cap Resort is an excellent option for expats or mid-range travellers looking to escape Saigon for a couple of nights. From here, Vung Tau feels a bit like a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. Rooms are very large and well-furnished, and the ocean views are great. [Average rates are between $60-$100 a night. You can check current rates, availability & make a reservation for Leman Cap Resort HERE]
*Please support Vietnam Coracle: I never write a review for money: all my content is free & my reviews are independent. You can support the work I do by booking your hotels via the Agoda links & search boxes on my site, like the ones on this page. If you make a booking, I receive a small commission. Any money I make goes straight back into this site. Thank you.
For expats or travellers, Leman Cap Resort is perfect for a couple days respite from the clamour of Saigon
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REVIEW: LEMAN CAP RESORT & SPA
Address: 60 Ha Long Street, Ward 2, Dua Beach, Vung Tau City, Vietnam [MAP]
Price: $50-$100 | Phone: (+84) 64 351 3136 | www.lemancap.com
[Click the image below or BOOK HERE]
MAP:
Vung Tau is Saigon’s closest beach. As such, it has been the go-to destination for city dwellers looking for some easy-access sun, sea and sand for almost a century. However, over the years, Vung Tau gradually gained a reputation as a seedy, overcrowded resort town, with dirty beaches that had been subjected to low-quality tourist development. Happily, this has all changed in recent years, thanks to some excellent city beautification projects, beach clean-up initiatives, and an increasing variety of good accommodation options, of which Leman Cap is one of my favourites. Now is the time to visit/revisit Vung Tau.
Leman Cap Resort fits in with Vung Tau’s much-improved image over the last few years
Leman Cap Resort is located about 50 metres up a steep lane leading from the seafront road along bãi Dứa (Pineapple Beach). This narrow back alley, with whitewashed villas, has a very Mediterranean feel, which continues once you enter the resort: Several clusters of white-painted buildings – some new, some showing their age – climb up the rocky hillside, which is draped in bougainvillea and dotted with small temples. The reception, however, is conspicuously Vietnamese in style: a pretty, open-sided, little wood-and-tile chalet.
The reception is an attractive, traditional Vietnamese-style, wood and tile building
Below reception, a splendid infinity pool sits on a terrace overlooking the East Sea. Soft loungers lie under the shade of parasols and the splaying branches of a giant mango tree (whose ripe fruit drop onto the resort’s grounds, making a sweet poolside snack). The pool is big enough to swim lengths and there’s a shallow end for kids. It’s beautifully done, but there might be some noise disturbance over the next few months, because the resort is expanding to the land next to the pool.
The splendid infinity pool at Leman Cap looks out over the East Sea
From the pool (and most of the rooms, too), the views out to sea and down along the waterfront road are beautiful and fascinating. Vung Tau is a major port, located at the mouth of several important rivers, one of which winds all the way to the Saigon docks, and another into downtown Ho Chi Minh City. Large container ships pass each other silently throughout the day, dwarfing the local wooden fishing boats, and, at night, oil rigs are illuminated on the horizon, looking as though they’re spacecraft lined up on Cape Canaveral, ready for launch. Although this may all sound rather industrial – not the kind of setting for a beach break – in my opinion, the maritime activity only adds to the appeal of the seascape: all of which can be observed from your lounger by the pool, with a cocktail in one hand and a fresh mango in the other. In the rainy season (June-November) you might even get to see a storm approaching from the sea, which is very exciting.
Vung Tau’s seascape is fascinating to look at: this is a raining season storm approaching in June
The shady patio next to the pool is where the restaurant is located. An excellent buffet breakfast (included in the room price) is served here: either outside in the dappled morning light under fragrant frangipani trees, or inside on an attractive black and white tiled floor. The variety, quality, and presentation of breakfast far surpasses what I’d expect from a mid-range Vietnamese resort, and represents great value for money. The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner, including an extensive menu of Asian and Western dishes: again, the quality is very good.
The buffet breakfast at Leman Cap Resort is excellent: good quality, variety, and presentation
Behind reception, the resort’s rooms are arranged in a couple of 2-4 storey, white-painted villas. Accessed via a steep stone staircase through lots of tropical flowers and fruit trees, all rooms have patios, balconies or terraces with outside furniture, where you can sit and watch Vung Tau’s seascape and enjoy the peaceful surrounds. The buildings are fairly attractive: built into the rocky hillside, with European flourishes such as outside lanterns and balustrades around the balconies. Rooms at the top have the best views, but bear in mind that there’s no elevator, so it’s a bit of a hot and humid trek to get up to the room or down to the pool.
Rooms are set on the hillside in white-painted villas, all with large terraces and big windows
Inside, the rooms are spacious, bright, and very well-appointed. Wooden furniture, tiled bathrooms with enormous bathtubs, Japanese-style toilets with dozens of buttons, rain showers, sofas, lamps, TVs, floor-to-ceiling windows – there’s a lot of furniture and equipment, and it’s all tastefully arranged. In short, all rooms are aesthetically pleasing and comfortable places to be. However, I must mention that the quality of some of the appliances is a little suspect. The taps, for example, tend to be loose and move all over the place when you use them and, although the giant bathtubs look inviting, the chances of actually filling one up are slim, because the water pressure (especially in the higher rooms) is very weak. These minor issues are a shame as they give the impression that the management has tried to cut corners. But they are only little things so I hope they will be addressed soon.
A comfortable place to be: all rooms at Leman Cap Resort are spacious and well-appointed
Staff at Leman Cap are pretty good: mostly enthusiastic but still learning the ropes, which is often the way in Vietnam. Other services at the resort include a spa, gym, coffee shop, table tennis, and motorbikes for rent. The latter is a good idea if you want to explore the city or simply roll up and down the delightful seafront road (Ha Long Street). If you want to swim in the sea, head down the lane from the resort to the waterfront. There’s a roped off section of beach here (only exposed at low tide) that’s safe for swimming.
All rooms have large, inviting, bathtubs, but the water pressure is often too weak to fill them
I’ve stayed at Leman Cap on a couple of occasions: once as a refuge for writing after a long research trip, and another time with my family. The resort is perfect for a couple of days and nights by the sea, either as a short and easy break from Saigon, or as a ‘treat’ after a long journey, perhaps at the end or the beginning of Camping the Ocean Road. [Average rates are between $60-$100 a night. You can check current rates, availability & make a reservation for Leman Cap Resort HERE].
*Please support Vietnam Coracle: I never write a review for money: all my content is free & my reviews are independent. You can support the work I do by booking your hotels via the Agoda links & search boxes on my site, like the ones on this page. If you make a booking, I receive a small commission. Any money I make goes straight back into this site. Thank you.
Leman Cap Resort is a perfect getaway from Saigon for a couple of nights by the sea
Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free and independent. I’ve written this review because I want to: I like this hotel and I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements here
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I think it’s now called SV Boutique Resort
Thank you for the update.
Best,
Tom