InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

 A few weeks ago, Adamson and I went on a kid free vacation to Da Nang, Vietnam. We left the kids at my mum’s for 2 nights (maybe can go longer as the kids get older). 

There are actually a lot of nice big 5 star hotels in Da Nang. But we chose to stay at the Intercontinental because Adamson has had his eye on this one for a long while now… it’s one of the top 10 resorts in Asia. 

It sprawls from the top of a cliff face all the way down to the private beach. 

We initially got a regular room which is priced around sgd 500 plus a night.  But then as a surprise, Adamson upgraded us so we could get Club Access. 

As the resort is quite vast, you get around on buggies, which you need to call for 10 mins in advance. Or you take this tram thingy called the Funicular to the different levels of the resort (there’s Heaven, where our room was, then there’s Earth and Sea). The funicular runs from early morning to 11pm, and tthere's hardly any wait time for it. It's quite a fun ride with great views.

My honest take? Apart from the stunning views of the bay, as a regular guest, it’s like any other 5 star resort really.  Go and stay at the Pullman, Marriott , Sheraton etc at half the price of a regular room at the Intercontinental Danang…    You won’t be missing out much. 

But what has set this place apart for me is the Club Lounge treatment.

 

It was a remarkable experience for us. The special treatment and the inclusions of very indulgent food and drink made the splurge for the upgrade worth every penny.

From Check in (they take you away from the main lobby for check in, so you get to meet your butler, and have a seat with a view and a drink while they check you in)

… to tea time (it’s high tea with a fresh menu daily so you don't eat the same stuff everyday. I love the hot & freshly baked Scones with smooth clotted cream)

 … to cocktail time before we head out for dinner. There's loads of canapés (including foie gras my favourite) with your evening free flow cocktails (also have free flow champagne but my personal preference, I chose their Bottega Prosecco which I sooo enjoyed ). The wait staff were super attentive, keeping our glasses topped up, and engaging in friendly chatter with us. Too bad we could only enjoy this on the first night because the second night we headed out to Hoi Ann for the evening instead (which was also a nice experience la).  

... And the Breakfast menu ...  omg there was steak tartare prepared fresh for me (along with a whole menu of other equally indulgent ala carte items, and a small buffet). 

For our second morning there, we decided to try out the breakfast buffet at their main dining restaurant (called Citron) instead of the club lounge… and yes the decor is opulent and looks posh… but the spread while being very good, is no more impressive than what you would expect of any 5 star hotel in vietnam (or most of Asia). 

Breakfast Buffet at Citron

I mean, it doesn’t disappoint, but it doesn’t blow your mind either. 

Apart from the first time you step into the lounge,  where they get to know you/your room number etc... the subsequent visits to the lounge it's like everyone got with the programme. They recognise you, address, and most staff at the club lounge even knew our favourite table, just from being attentive to such details. 

For tea time on day 2 there wasn’t a cheese board out like the previous day. So I mentioned, oh no cheese board today :(. No big deal la... I say only. But our waiter apologised and offered to go get some cheese for me from the kitchen if I could just let him know the name of it… I declined cos like every session at the club lounge I’m eating blue cheese, so it’s ok if I take a break from it lol. [ But for future reference, it’s Roquefort mmm k]. 

You also get a butler on speed dial (mine I could WhatsApp her anytime, she was very keen and friendly, great service) to arrange transport etc. This one is a nice perk I guess, but not something we used or needed a lot.

The Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula (with club access) is better than the Shangri la Valley Wing in Singapore. Before this, the Valley Wing had been the leader in the most indulgent and lux pampering experience I’ve had from a hotel. Now, it pales a little (maybe I need to go back and reassess the experience because it’s been some years since we had a staycation at Shangri la). 

Ok here are photos of our getaway …  Next blog post I’ll tell u about our Japan trip (with our kids) that we went on after getting back from Vietnam. 

My favourite- Scones with clotted cream

Restroom at Club lounge

Breakfastl buffet at club lounge 

Fresh coconut at breakfast

Club lounge tea time

Club lounge breakfast menu

 Club lounge tea time menu

This is Citron

Ceiling mirror at Long Bar

Huge day beds at Long Bar

My Bubba at Long Bar

An evening in Hoi Ann

Hoi Ann is about an hour's drive away from the Hotel

Their river lights up with lots of Lanterns in the evening

Poison Cafe where we popped in for dinner

When in vietnam... springrolls.

Food was good...

Back to Intercon after Hoi Ann, and headed to Long Bar

Seasonal cocktails...

Bubba taught me to play pool... I'm ok, not bad lol

Long bar also has archery and darts

I suck at this. I would rather be at the Club Lounge getting pampered haha but it's so late night so it's closed already, luckily the Long Bar is a pretty nice alternative.

We never used the beach or the beach recreation stuff like basket boat, paddle boards because it rained soooo much. But this not the hotel's fault la.

I was more than happy to relax in our fabulous room and Bubba had to do a bit of work anyway. So I didn't mind the wet weather.

Our room

Our room, and huge wet ass balcony outside it

Beautiful spacious bathroom

If you do go to Danang, and want to stay at the Intercon, see if you can budget for a splurge for a Club Access room, it will be an experience to remember. (But of course if you're the kind that will be out of the resort the whole day and only come back to sleep, then don't bother with paying more for club access,, just get regular room or any of the cheaper 5 star hotels in Da Nang, because you need to be there to enjoy the experience).