Six Senses Ninh Van Bay

One thing becomes clear when you step off the speedboat onto the private jetty; the team at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay know how to deliver the finest of laid back luxury. But don’t let the relaxed ‘island’ vibes fool you into thinking that they might not have everything covered, we are talking quality and service of the highest level here, with location, accommodation and cuisine to match. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay occupies a huge private bay, with the sea on one side and jungle stretching up amongst the giant pre-historic boulders on the other side. This unique luxury resort can only be reached by private boat, which gives that tropical island feel that just adds to the overall experience. Prepare to step into the world of luxury and not want to leave.

We stayed in a ‘Beach Pool Villa’ where the bedroom overlooked our own private pool, and the ocean was just a few steps away, all of the the villas at Six Senses certainly have the wow factor and ours was no exception. The sea and sunset views from the open air upstairs area were favourites of ours, this was the perfect place to chill. We loved the beautiful wooden and copper fixtures and fittings in our bathrooms including one of the coolest bath tubs we’ve ever seen, the bed was blissfully comfortable, and having the option of a morning swim in the pool or the ocean is surely the stuff that dreams are made of?

The Vegan Food

We started each day with Six Senses Ninh Van Bay healthy breakfast shots called ‘Fire Vinegar’. These took our simple apple cider vinegar shots to the next level, as they’d been brewed with rosemary, orange, garlic, onion, black pepper, limes, bay leaves and lemon grass. An excellent concept and an excellent kick start to breakfast. Almond milk lattes and freshly squeezed juice followed, as we waited for vegan banh xeo to be prepared. These turmeric and rice flour pancakes are a regional breakfast favourite but the protein is often not vegan. Ours, however, had delicate cubes of pan fried tofu, lots of veggies and a soy and herb dipping sauce that was very good indeed. The Vietnamese veggie curry was delicious and a trio of veggie sushi rolls with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger from the chilled room certainly hit the spot. Our breakfast experience was polished off with a special order of vegan pancakes from the pancake chef, sprinkled and drizzled with whatever we could find that was vegan. They were a decadent sweet treat that rounded off our breakfast perfectly.

Pasta and pizza are a perfect combination and were perfect for our Italian lunch at ‘Dining by the Pool’. We ate linguine tossed with olive oil, garlic and mixed green veggies where the pasta and vegetables were cooked to perfection. The whole dish was nicely seasoned and the olive oil had a great flavour. Sometimes the simple dishes can be the hardest to get right but this ticked every box. Paired with a vegan pizza which was stacked with vegetables, vegan cheese and a drizzle of chilli oil; we enjoyed every mouthful.

No visit to Vietnam can be complete without fresh spring rolls so we ordered ours for lunch one day at ‘Dining by the Bay’ and can confirm they did not disappoint. They were followed by a rich and flavour packed chilli tofu, the two dishes together making the perfect plant based taste of Vietnam. A special mention goes to the delightful salad with avocado which had a gorgeous creamy dressing coating the fresh and crunchy baby kos. We loved the shitake ‘bacon’ and would have loved it even more with a few extra pieces. The salad was a great healthy and light lunch option to precede our certainly not as healthy and not as light ‘Vegan Chocolate Mousse’ (which in fact was more of a tart). With a light biscuit base and the smoothest and most decadent chocolate topping, it was plated with fresh berries and a beetroot coulis. It made us smile from ear to ear so we ordered it twice during our stay, or maybe even three times…

Our stay at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay coincided with their first ever ‘Culinary Sensation Week’. This saw leading chefs from Turkey, Germany and Vietnam team up with Executive Chef Tim Goddard to present a ‘Global Showcase of Gastronomic Brilliance’ through a series of specially created events. With a sustainable twist to each of the events, it was fitting that the menu for the opening event was 100% vegan, which of course we were excited to be guests at. We thoroughly enjoyed being guided on a culinary journey around the world, during which each chef offered their take on the theme. It was a wonderful evening with beautifully plated plant based food for all to enjoy.

Spa and Wellness

Hidden in the jungle and reached via stepping stones, is the heavenly Six Senses Spa. It’s the perfect place to relax, recharge and rejuvenate during your stay. Our signature massage was sublime, we never wanted it to end. Our guided meditation was supremely relaxing, taking us on a journey to somewhere we wanted to stay forever. We also took the opportunity to have a wellness screening, which was both informative and enlightening; a thorough screening undertaken by yet another excellent, passionate and well informed team member. We left with dietary, relaxation and sleep goals to aid our wellbeing going forward.

The Vegan Essentials

The bathroom amenities were in refillable ceramic containers and the razor and toothbrush were made from bamboo. There were even toothpaste tablets to reduce the need for single use plastic toothpaste tubes. It was great to see these extra steps to ensure the impact of tourism on the planet is reduced. As you would imagine and in line with the no-plastic approach, all water was supplied in glass bottles, filtered and bottled on site for minimum impact. We love the fact that our plant based diet has less of an impact on the planet than a conventional diet and we are also always happy to see any initiative that further reduces the impact. Earth Lab is where the magic really happens at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, where the passionate team continue to innovate and develop new concepts to increase sustainability. They work hard to share these ideas and initiatives with guests to increase understanding and encourage involvement in protecting our home and planet. We also love vegan ice cream; it makes us smile. Especially if it’s complimentary and available all day, every day like the treats from ‘Ice Cream Corner’ at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay.

The Vegan Food Quest Verdict

Make a reservation at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay if you want a vegan luxury experience that you will never forget. From the amazing villas to the breathtaking scenery, it’ll be hard not be impressed as you soak up the blissful relaxation that awaits you at every opportunity. Savour the delicious vegan food, and let yourself be spoiled by a wonderful team of passionate individuals.

We were guests of Six Senses, Ninh Van Bay but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Ninh Van Bay
Ninh Hoa
Nha Trang
Vietnam

Telephone: +84 58 3524 268
Email: reservations-ninhvan@sixsenses.com
Cost From: £900 / $1100 per night (Mar 2023)