The Bill Bensley-designed resort in its lush natural surroundings may elicit a certain amount of deja vu among fans of The White Lotus...
Our trip to Da Nang begins with a touch of drama. We narrowly avoid storm-induced delays as we depart Hong Kong, but when we touch down the sun is shining and a gentle breeze sweeps over the seaside Vietnamese town – a stark contrast to the torrent we left behind. We’re spending the weekend at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, and apparently we couldn’t have arrived soon enough.
Stepping out of the airport, we settle into the cushy Mercedes-Benz sent to pick us up. The drive to the resort is a quick half-hour, with scenes of buzzing streetside cafes and shops, and of tourists ambling from their hotels to the nearby beach, melting away to a view of the city skyline as we wind up Son Tra Mountain, then to nothing but the greenery of the Son Tra Nature Reserve. Chain-link fences bedecked with cheeky monkey decorations greet us as we approach the resort’s entrance.
Black and white – referencing the concept of yin and yang – is the main colour palette, with bright splashes adding a sense of the playful and contemporary. Local inspiration abounds, from the entrance through to the property’s six restaurants and 189 rooms, suites and villas. The entrance is styled after quintessential Vietnamese temples, while Michelin-starred La Maison 1888 is French colonial, and the beachside Barefoot restaurant emulates a traditional local fishing hut with its wooden structure and thatched roof.
