See the Hawaii of Vietnam: The Six Senses Con Dao is located on a Paradise Island not far away from the hustle and bustle of Saigon. Read what makes this resort so special in my Hotel Review of the Six Senses Con Dao.

Location

The Six Senses Resort is located on the paradise archipelago Con Dao in the South of Vietnam. Only a 30 mins flight away from Saigon.

From the small airport it’s only a short 10 mins ride with the Six Senses Shuttle along the coast. Our first impression of the island is amazing: It looks like a Vietnamese version of Hawaii!
The beaches are long and empty and the mountains around us are impressive and green. We were so surprised to find such a peaceful place so close to the busy metropole Saigon.

The Resort

Like in all Six Senses Resorts everything is designed in harmony with the surrounding nature with a lot of wood and bamboo elements. The concept is to relax your body but also your mind.

After arriving at the welcome lounge we enter the ‘Market Place’ which reminds me of a Vietnamese Fishermans village. This is where the reception, a shop, the ‘Elephant Bar’, the ice cream store and a traditional Vietnamese restaurant are located.

A staircase leads down to the beach which is huge and empty with a wonderful clear and warm ocean. During low tide you can find beautiful shells along the beach but during high tide the water comes really close to the Ocean Front Villas.

All around the resort you find beds for herbs and other plants like lettuce, Aloe Vera and more which are used in the restaurant or the spa.

The Spa area is located at the very end of the resort in a quiet and private atmosphere. We really enjoyed the Vietnamese massages with the use of traditional methods.
After the massage you can relax in the pool, the sauna or simply enjoy the wonderful nature around you.
In a separate pavilion you can join a daily morning yoga session for free which is a very relaxing way to start the day.

The Villas

The villas have two main categories – The Ocean Front Villas directly at the beach or the Ocean View Villas which are located a little higher to overlook the other villas.

We stayed in a Duplex Ocean Front Villa – which is made completely out of wood & bamboo like all the other villas too.

You enter the two-storied villa over a little bridge to the upper level. Here you find the bedroom with a separate toilet and a balcony.

A staircase leads down to the huge bathroom with a bath tub, the wardrobe and even a relaxing area. I loved the shower which is located outdoors – but under a little shelter in case of bad weather.

The terrace has a roofed outdoor sofa and beds to enjoy the sunshine. The best part was definitely the refreshing pool and the private beach access right behind it.

OTHER VILLA CATEGORIES:

Three Bedroom Villas

This room category is perfect for families & friends which want to stay together but still have their private bedrooms.
Like the other categories the three bedroom villas are available as an Ocean Front or Ocean View variation and all are having a huge private pool.

These bigger villas have a living room and an open kitchen to come together. It’s even possible to enjoy a private barbecue on the huge verandah.

OCEAN FRONT THREE BEDROOM:

OCEAN VIEW THREE BEDROOM:

Breakfast & Restaurants

There are two restaurants in the Six Senses Con Dao. The first one is the „Vietnamese by the market“ which serves traditional food like Pho (noodle soup) or Banh Mi (warm filled baguette). There hasn’t been one day where I didn’t had a Pho Bo since it was so delicious!

The „Elephant Bar“ is the ideal place to relax while sipping a cocktail in the evening or during Happy Hour. The swings at the bar are the best seats for that 🙂

SPECIALS

My favorite part has been the ice cream store where you can enjoy as much homemade ice cream & sorbets as you want until 6 pm – and all for free! The flavors have been changing daily.

Even so all Villas have a private pool there is an additional main pool located at the beach with the huge mountains in the background. We loved this bigger pool to refresh in the afternoon.

Every villa has a so called gem – which is similar to the butler service in other hotels. The gem shows you around the resort, helps with any requests and takes care of reservations for the restaurants and activities.

In your villa you will find a schedule of all activities for the week – a lot of them are for free like the Morning Yoga, a coconut oil making class or watching a movie in the outdoor jungle cinema.

Historical Island Tour

Other activities will be charged additionally like a snorkeling trip or a tour around the island. We decided for the Historical Island Tour which I can highly recommend. Con Dao used to be a prison island from 1862 until 1975 during the french occupation and later during the Vietnam war.
These prisons have been built for political opponents which were captivated under really heavy and torturing conditions. Especially the so called Tiger Cages have become popular around the world after they have been discovered in 1975 when the army still used them. They kept the Tiger Cages a secret since the prisoners were kept in their cells like animals which is against any human rights.
It has been a really shocking but also interesting tour which shows a dark part of the Vietnamese history. All this is hard to imagine if you see what a paradise archipelago Con Dao is today.

RÉSUMÉ

Our stay at the Six Senses Con Dao has been one of the biggest surprises during our trip to Asia. We didn’t expect such an untouched nature so close to the busy parts of Vietnam! Sometimes we felt like Robinson Crusoe since we’ve been the only ones at the beach.

The resort has been a place where we felt so much at home that we didn’t want to leave at all. I will miss the food which has been amazing and also the excellent service! If you ever think about an unforgettable stay, the Six Senses Con Dao will leave you speechless and totally relaxed 🙂