An Lam Villas
UPDATE: Since we stayed at An Lam Villas they have undergone a name change are are now known as L’Alyana Ninh Van Bay, we’ve amended the contact details and the links below will now take you to their brand new website.
An Lam Villas in Ninh Van Bay is a luxury resort in Vietnam where romance and relaxation reign supreme. Add two vegan guests and what do you get?
Read on to see what we did with our time there, testing out the resort’s vegan friendliness…
We sampled two different villas during our stay (and had a sneak peak at a few others too) so we got a really good feel of all the options available. If you’re looking for luxury there will be something to suit you at An Lam Ninh Van Bay. The design of all the villas was very natural, being sympathetic to the surrounding environment.
Our favourite was the Lagoon Villa, with it’s open plan design and indoor-outdoor feel. It gave us a real sense of relaxation and the gorgeous stone pool was not only perfect for cooling off, but was a good spot to gaze at the sea in front of the lagoon.
The bed was delightfully comfortable, with big sliding doors in front that opened up onto the pool. With all the peace and quiet, getting a rejuvenating night’s sleep was easy at An Lam Ninh Van Bay. The villa had some great places to relax including some very cool and playful indoor swings. The outdoor bathroom, with a huge stone bath big enough for two, had a friendly chameleon that would come to visit each day. It was all so incredibly romantic.
The resort is really spacious which gave us the opportunity to get on the bikes that came with our villa and explore our surroundings. We were overjoyed to meet some very friendly pigs foraging in the undergrowth, eating coconuts and anything else that was around. The sight of happy animals is always a bonus.
There was also a big vegetable garden where local vegetables and herbs were grown (which definitely put our gardening skills to shame). Everything looked so fresh, alive and thriving (we had garden envy).
The still, clear and warm blue sea was never far away, whether we were staring at it from our villa, looking out over the lapping water at breakfast or paddling around the bay in the complementary kayaks. But for the times when we didn’t want to swim in the sea, the beachside infinity pool was a perfect place for swimming, or more sea-gazing, or both!
From check-in to check out, the service at An Lam Ninh Van Bay was outstanding. For starters, we had our very own butler who was not only super efficient, but also really friendly.
The Vegan Food
All meals were served in the main restaurant which overlooks the pool and the beach, it really was an amazing setting to enjoy some amazing food.
For breakfast we sampled delightful vegan pho, a Vietnamese staple veganized for us with huge chunks of tofu and a light vegetable broth and also stir fried vegetables and glass noodles, all covered in a tasty rich sauce. We also had curry, mild and sweet and spiced with lemongrass, turmeric and a subtle chilli warmth, and fried noodles.
As an alternative to Vietanmse food for breakfast, we had a platter of mushrooms, tomatoes and fried with specially made cornbread and morning rolls. We ate Bircher muesli (decadently sweet, so ask for no sugar if you don’t have a sweet tooth!) made with soya milk and packed full of grains, nuts and fruit and finished with an orange marmalade drizzle.
There was a choice of freshly made juices and smoothies, our favourite during our stay being a mixed juice that seemed to pack in all the flavours of the tropics in one go.
An Lam Villas served great coffee, and even sparkling wine for that little bit of extra vegan luxury
For dinner we had the same great choice of delicious vegan food, with our own Vietnamese and Western menus to choose from.
Standout dishes included a ‘Pickled Beetroot Salad Served With Baby Cress’, where squares of lightly pickled beetroot, crunchy walnut pieces and rolls of sweet pumpkin were served with a star anise infused beetroot syrup that tasted like a beetroot toffee apple, full of caramel, earthy and sweet flavours. Totally delicious.
We were also impressed by the ‘Pumpkin and Coriander Congee’ a soothing rice based soup with sweet, caramelised onions that produced an intense flavour hit with every spoonful. Stars of the Vietnamese menu included a mushroom and tofu dish cooked in a claypot; sweet, rich and spicy with lemongrass, chilli, tomato and coriander flavour.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Check in to An Lam Villas if you’re looking for a romantic getaway where you’ll have a huge choice of delicious vegan food including both Western and Vietnamese options.
Enjoy cocktails at sunset and feeling close to nature as you relax in this beautiful luxury resort where excellent service matches the excellent quality of vegan food.
We were guests of An Lam Villas but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views
An Lam Villas
Ninh Hoa
Khanh Hoa
Vietnam
Telephone: +84 258 3624 777
Email: reservation.nvb@lalyana.com
Cost From: £260 / $390 per night (May 2015)