After my apocalyptic stay at the Sheraton Hanoi, it is in Nha-Trang that my Vietnamese journey took me.
Nha-Trang is one of the main seaside sites of the country. I say this because if you are looking for landscapes, history and culture you have come to the wrong place. It is a relatively pleasant city to visit at the end of your stay when you have travelled the length and breadth of the country but otherwise it is not very interesting.
Nha Trang: a still under-exploited potential if culture is not important
I say relatively pleasant because in terms of bathing we have seen better elsewhere in the region. Unfortunately, Vietnam has not yet reached the level of professionalism or development in tourism that countries like Thailand, Indonesia or even Malaysia have. This has the merit of preserving a certain form of authenticity, which we will appreciate, but in terms of customer experience it remains to be done.
I also say relatively to the ambition of the city. During my first visit to Vietnam a few years ago, models of the future of the city were exhibited in the airport, an ambitious plan with Marina, luxury residences, etc., which reminded me of Miami. So far I still don’t see the change.
The airport being quite far from the city I used the services of the hotel which organized my transfer with one of their cars. Really affordable.
The driver waits for me at the exit of the terminal, takes care of my luggage and drives me to the hotel.
A good location for a well maintained hotel.
The Sheraton Nha-Trang is conveniently located by the sea. But beware: a street separates it from the beach, there is no private beach or direct access. Anyway in Nha-Trang hotels directly on the beach are not numerous and to be honest I only know one.
The hotel is not brand new but not antique either. I wonder what to expect inside: old, dusty or newly renovated.
The lobby immediately reassures. If the hotel is not new it is obvious that many of the common areas have been recently renovated.
Lobby:
The “business” areas in the mezzanine above it:
As a platinum member of the loyalty program, I was invited to take the elevator to check in at the club lounge.
This one confirms my excellent impression of the hotel’s condition.
The desk where I check in with a welcome drink.
Lounge:
We’ll talk about the lounge again, as I’ll be coming there every evening to have my aperitif snacks as usual.
The check-in goes very well, all my documents are already ready and I am told that although I had booked a standard room I will be upgraded to a junior suite. A suite that we will visit right away.
Junior Suite at Sheraton Nah-Trang.
The suite opens on a corridor leading to a shower room and a living room of suitable size.
Then comes the room of a more than correct size with a good size office space.
It opens onto a balcony that I would describe as…anecdotal.
On the other side there is a good sized bathroom and a dressing room.
Strangely enough, the bathtub and the shower are behind the same door and you have to go through the latter to get to the former.
A little gift from the hotel is waiting for me in the living room.
And after having installed me I will be offered a tea which will be brought up in my room very quickly.
Nice view from this room too.
The visit in video to finish.
A very nice junior suite for which we can only reproach a taste that some will find questionable in terms of decoration.
Facilities at the level of a good resort
As strange as it may seem, this Sheraton is not classified as a “Resort” even though it is located on the edge of a seaside resort and has all the attributes of one.
Starting with a large swimming pool with a seaview located on high floor.
The gym, also located on the first floor, has the remarkable feature that it is glazed on all four sides, which provides a superb view. It is also very well equipped.
Again, it is new, spacious, bright, one feels good there.
The hotel also has a Spa. In terms of treatment, just the classic. It’s well executed, competitively priced but it doesn’t revolutionize the genre, nor does the beauty of the place. Clean, neat, efficient, it’s Sheraton, not 5 star.
However, the spa is very large even if compared to the rest of the hotel I found it a little more old-fashioned, a little less refined.
A treatment room:
Sauna:
The Hammam :
The gigantic jaccuzi:
But in the end lacks warmth, too cold, industrial. Especially the locker rooms.
The video to finish.
A catering organized for mass tourism.
I already told you about the lounge. I had access to it every evening for an aperitif snack offered.
The offer was of high quality. Good in variety without equaling Le Meridien Saigon or to a lesser extent the Sheraton Hanoi, it was a pleasure to taste.
It is one of those hotel lounges that more than allowing you to have a little snack can allow you to skip going to dinner afterwards.
And as in the daytime the setting is very pleasant and warm.
In addition, the hotel has two main restaurants, one à la carte and the other with a choice of buffet or à la carte, one offering a “local” menu and the other a more international cuisine.
If the second one was always crowded, the first one was rather empty when I went there.
In both cases the dishes were good. It’s not grand cuisine but “efficient” cuisine.
And that’s the problem: they are designed to handle a large number of guests at the same time, in “factory” mode, especially since the hotel must surely accommodate many group trips.
The result: large, cold spaces and a staff that treats customers “in a chain”, almost assaulting you so that you place an order 2 minutes after receiving the menu. I add the problems of training which make that even when they do not understand they will not say it which results in forgotten dishes and delays.
In short, if I don’t criticize what I had in my plate, there is surely a way to eat better in Nha-Trang, in a warmer and more authentic setting and for less money. Unless your day has been exhausting or you don’t dare venture outside the hotel walls, you can do without visiting them.
The hotel also has a panoramic bar billed as “the place to be seen in Nha Trang”. All it takes to make me not want to try it.
Conclusion
The Sheraton Nha-Trang is a resort that does not have the name, but a solid resort without any weak points. So of course it’s a Sheraton with all that that entails in terms of standardization and lack of warmth in a seaside vacation setting.
Its real weak point in my eyes are its two ” factory ” restaurants but it is the price to pay in a hotel sized to handle groups.
It is therefore a sure value on which you can’t go wrong. It does the job and that’s what we expect from it.
If you want something more qualitative, authentic, with your feet in the sand but a little more out of the way (but not too much) I recommend the Ana Mandara where I stayed a few years ago. A totally different style but if you want beach bungalows, more upscale dining and a warmer, more intimate setting this is the place for you. At the time it was the only hotel in town with a private beach and the quality of the welcome made an impression on me.
Grades :
Hotel (location etc…): Well placed in the center of the tourist Nha-Trang, recent, it lacks only a direct access to the beach. 9
Check in -out:smooth and attentive. 10
Room : Very pretty junior suite of good size even if as regards decoration one does not discuss the tastes and the colors. The balconies are anecdotal. 9
Restaurant/bar: excellent lounge, restaurants too impersonal, too “factory” and staff not always up to par. 6
Facilities (gym, pool, spa…): very nice pool and gym, nice sauna but without warmth or personality. 7
Service and attention: very good for the reception staff, too much irregularity in the service in restaurants as often in these regions of the globe with personnel not necessarily at the level. 8
Loyalty program application: nothing to complain about with the “logical” upgrade. 10
Experience for money 160 euros a night is expensive for Vietnam and at this price we expect something irreproachable. 160 euros for a suite is very good but if they had let me stay in a standard room I might have been a bit more critical. If you find the Ana Mandara at the same price, prefer the second one. I will say that I got my money’s worth, no more, no less, without disappointment or excitement. 8
