First published March 2023 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
Tom Divers is the founder and creator of Vietnam Coracle. He’s lived, travelled and worked in Vietnam since 2005. Born in London, he travelled from an early age, visiting over 40 countries (he first visited Vietnam in 1999). Now, whenever he has the opportunity to make a trip, he rarely looks beyond Vietnam’s borders and his trusty motorbike, Stavros. Read more about Tom on the About Page, Vietnam Times and ASE Podcast.
Opened in January 2023, The Anam is the latest luxury resort on the sands of Mũi Né beach. This Indochine-themed property is classy and elegant without being fusty and formal. The décor is beautifully judged, build-quality is excellent, food is good, rooms are large, light and well-appointed, staff are wonderful, and facilities – including two photogenic, grey-stone infinity pools – are fantastic. Competition on Mũi Né beach keeps prices comparatively reasonable for such high standards of accommodation: I’ve stayed in resorts twice as expensive as The Anam but half as good. The Anam makes few claims of being ‘green’ – don’t come here for a sustainable retreat – but at least it doesn’t pretend to be an ‘eco resort’, like so many luxury properties do these days. At the moment, The Anam is the best high-end accommodation in Mũi Né. In March, I got my deposit back from my old house and spent it here: I’m glad I did.
*To check rates, availability & make a reservation for The Anam Mui Ne please BOOK HERE
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REVIEW: THE ANAM MUI NE
Address: 18 Nguyễn Đình Chiểu, Hàm Tiến, Phan Thiết, Bình Thuận Province, Vietnam [MAP]
Average Rates: $100-$150/night
CONTENTS:
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[Click the image below or BOOK HERE]
MAP:
The Anam Mui Ne
The Location: Toward the western end of Mũi Né bay, The Anam sits on a small section of good beachfront. Over the last decade, as the sands of Mũi Né beach have been eroded, the westerly end has fared better than the central and eastern sections of the bay. This is partly due to heavy sandbagging and Geotubes (essentially huge sandbags laid beneath the sand to stop or slow erosion). The other advantage of being at the western end of the bay is that it’s closer to the likeable city of Phan Thiết, which is great for an excursion, especially for some good local seafood. Behind the resort, on the opposite side of the road, is a long row of restaurants, shops and bars, mostly aimed at foreign tourists. And behind them are the peaks of sand dunes and the attractive, arid – almost Mediterranean – landscape that the area has become known for. Mũi Né is well-connected to most southern cities: by bus and train and, sometime in the future, by plane as an airport is currently under construction.
Resort Grounds & Layout: Built on a narrow but deep plot of land, The Anam creatively uses the depth of its property to good effect. The resort’s buildings are constructed either side of a long, narrow central courtyard planted with palms, tropical flowers and lawns, creating a line of sight straight from the entrance lobby down to the beach and ocean, between which lie the resort’s two infinity pools, each one reflecting the trees and sky in their motionless waters. The lobby is a beautiful open-sided space filled with light and air and cool breezes channeled in via the central courtyard. The east wing of the property is several storeys high, overlooking the infinity pool and courtyard garden: this building houses most of the resort’s guest rooms. The west wing is just a couple of storeys high, featuring the resort’s restaurants, bars and exclusive villas. Overall, the resort is too big to be intimate, but neither is it overwhelming or impersonal. The elegant Indochina-themed décor – wooden balustrades, tiled floors, long corridors, chandelier lighting – is tasteful and somehow softens the scale of the building.
Pools, Beach & Activities: Although The Anam doesn’t have a long stretch of beach, it utilizes the small portion it does have very well. Unlike the Victoria Resort, which is just west of The Anam and was constructed nearly two decades ago when beachfront property in Mũi Né wasn’t in such high demand as it is today, The Anam has had to make do with a narrow corridor of direct beach access. With an exposed, manicured lawn on one side and a sandy beach-lounge area under the shade of a mini-coconut grove on the other, the beach is a nice place to be. But, what The Anam might lack in beachfront, it more than makes up for in swimming pools. The resort has two beautiful infinity pools, each of which is an attractive grey-stone colour. One is a saltwater pool near the beach; the other a freshwater pool near the lobby. Both pools are very photogenic and good for swimming. There’s also a good gym housed in a wooden beach hut near the ocean, which also provides lots of equipment for watersports, including kite-surfing, for which Mũi Né is famous. There’s a good spa, too, and a games rooms with a table tennis and pool table.
Guest Rooms & Décor: Most of the 127 guest rooms at The Anam are arranged around the central courtyard, overlooking the infinity pool, gardens and ocean beyond. All rooms are attractively decorated in Indochine style – white cotton sheets, black and white tiled floors, rattan chairs, table lamps, wooden ceiling fans, standing plants and potted tropical flowers, freestanding clawfoot bathtubs, wooden desks and statuettes – with French doors opening onto small balconies. Rooms are large, light and spacious with an open-plan bedroom-bathroom. All three of the most common room types – Deluxe, Premium, and Premium Ocean View – are 40m2, elegantly appointed and comfortable places to be. Service is excellent, and little touches like essential oils burning in the room after cleaning and chocolates on the pillow at night, make all the difference. Considering the size, style and quality of guest rooms and facilities at The Anam, prices represent value for money: $115-$150 per night. However, the beds are too soft and the blankets too heavy and hot for a tropical climate – this is a common mistake among high-end beach resorts in Vietnam. I also think that some of the artwork in the rooms clashes with the overall décor and colour scheme.
Breakfast, Dining & Drinking: At The Anam, even the welcome drink (usually a low-quality formality at most resorts) is good: cinnamon-infused iced tea and freshly baked cookies. The resort boasts two good restaurants and an elegant bar. The Indochine is the main restaurant, situated between the lobby and the freshwater pool. The daily buffet breakfast is served here beneath the shade of tropical plants and creepers. Breakfast is excellent – among the best I’ve had in Vietnam – featuring European cheeses, baked goods, granola, cold cuts, Vietnamese noodle soups and much more. The dining ambience, especially outside, is lush and pleasant. The Indochine continues to serve international cuisine throughout the day: quality is good, but portions can be sightly too small considering the prices. For dinner, head to Làng Việt on the beachfront, The Anam’s dedicated Vietnamese restaurant. Housed in a sumptuous, open-sided structure by the saltwater pool and decorated with wood, rattan, tile, and soft lamp lighting, the menu features an impressive array of Vietnamese dishes arranged by region: miền Bắc, Trung, Nam (Northern, Central, Southern). The food and ambience are good, even if the flavours are slightly tuned to Western palates. Finally, the Saigon Bar is located in the entrance lobby. It’s such an elegant, colonial-style bar that you may find yourself tempted to order a cocktail as soon as you check in. However, because the bar is located by the entrance, it’s rarely used. I’d suggest an early happy hour (3-5pm) to encourage guests to populate it.
Summary: In Vietnam, high prices often reflect high-end pretensions but not high-end reality; at The Anam, however, you get what you pay for. I was impressed by the quality in almost every aspect of the resort. The fact that I rarely thought about the cost of my two nights at The Anam, is evidence that the room rates represent value for money. I loved the infinity pools, the décor, the colour scheme, the breakfasts and the incredibly well-trained staff above all. Even – and this is a big deal in Vietnam – the music played in public areas, such as the restaurants and lobby, wasn’t too bad (although none would still be preferable, because then you could listen to the sound of the waves and the breezes through the tropical trees instead). If you can stretch to over $100 a night, The Anam won’t let you down.
*To check rates, availability & make a reservation for The Anam Mui Ne please BOOK HERE
Please Support My Site
All my reviews are independent: I never receive freebies or payment. If you use the links on this page to book your accommodation, I make a small commission. Alternatively, please consider making a donation or becoming a patron.
Thank you, Tom
*Disclosure: I never receive payment for anything I write: my content is always free & independent. I’ve written this review because I want to: I like this resort & I want my readers to know about it. For more details, see my Disclosure & Disclaimer statements & my About Page
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Nice review, thanks. Having been to Mui Ne a number of times, mostly to visit a friend, I’ve never thought much of it. This new resort sounds like a welcome addition.
My opinion on the “need” in VN to play music even when it takes away from the natural sounds is that this is a country uncomfortable with silence and nature is never loud enough to be considered sufficient.
Hi John,
Yes, I kind of feel the same way about Mui Ne – it’s more about where you stay than the location itself (unless, of course, you’re a kitesurfer).
Yes, I think silence is often associated with ‘sadness’ in Vietnam – that’s why it needs to be filled with noise 🙂
Best,
Tom
Excellent point. I hadn’t thought of the sadness angle.