halibahs

Certainly possible, there are Vietnam airlines flight connecting REP/LPQ and CXR with a transit in Hanoi.
Possible routing can be:
Amansara (REP)--> Amantaka (LPQ) --> Transit or stay in Hanoi (HAN) --> domestic flight to Amanoi (CXR)
One can fly via SGN/BKK to REP and fly back home from CXR via SGN

Kagehitokiri

HAN not SGN (http://info.flightmapper.net/route/YY_LPQ_HAN)

airport nonstops >

CXR - ( HAN / SGN / DAD )

HAN - REP / PEK / MNL / LPQ
SGN - REP / PEK / MNL
DAD - REP / HGH

REP - LPQ / ( HAN / SGN / DAD ) / PEK / HGH / MNL

LPQ - REP / HAN (airport upgrading)

so >
amanoi / amansara / amantaka (i didnt look at vietnam connecting times)
connecting to aman summer palace / amanpulo / amanfayun (then more connections from those)
(nam hai is DAD, six senses ninh van bay is CXR, six senses con dao is VCS)

hmm, ICN-CXR returned in 2013. in jul/aug 2012 and 2013, twice a week. so may return again in jul / aug 2014.
looking at 2013 times i could have done IAD-ICN-CXR and back.

two other things re flights >
- there is a flight between CXR and moscow once a week, becoming twice a week
- also >
Tue,Fri,Sun 15:15 Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok (BKK) 16:55 Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Lufthansa LH 772 Non-stop Boeing 747-400 (744) 1:40 Valid until 2013-10-25
Tue,Fri,Sun 15:15 Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok (BKK) 16:55 Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Lufthansa LH 772 Non-stop Boeing 747-400 (744) 1:40 Effective from 2014-04-01
(really short flight, but IIRC has new F class with permanent beds and new J class)

5khours

I don't think so. It seemed to me that one of the nice things about Amanoi is the fact that there is not so much of pronounced high and low seasons. Supposedly it's pretty nice all year round.

Pierre&Cédric

Amanoi in August is a bad idea as far as weather is concerned? We are already beginning to think about next Summer and hesitating between Turkey and Vietnam.

Musken

Normally we should stay in Europe during summer if weather is the biggest concern... Turkey is REALLY burning hot, though. I do not mind, and loved Amanruya in July, but others might prefer a time when weather is slightly cooler so that one can do more than just being at the beach club and in the pool. No idea about weather in that particular region of Vietnam, but normally August is rainy time. We have been very lucky in rainy times before, though, just went for a massage, took a nap, went for the gym or something when the rain was pouring down, and then loved the sunshine and crisp air afterwards.

ndesq

I booked a Vietnam Airlines (VN) flight on the web for the next morning. There are a few flights a day from SGN to Cam Ranh (CXR) which is located just south of the city of Nha Trang. You can also fly from Hanoi and Danang, which is convenient if you're visiting other parts of the country. It's a short flight, 45 minutes, and the domestic air system in Vietnam is quite good (no worries) and very cheap (SGN>CXR $50 in Y and $100 in J).

5KHours, online from the USA those flights look to be about $140+ each way in coach; I assume -- but can you confirm for me -- that it is substantially cheaper and not risky to just wait until I get to Vietnam to book the flights, and that they are cheaper purchased in VN?

ndesq

@5KHours, what was the fishing village itself like? You mentioned floating seafood restaurants; are they viable options for meals off-resort, are are you pretty much confined to eating your 3 meals a day on site?

5khours

You should be able to get the same fares if you book directly on the VN website. I'm seeing $30 coach for most days. I tend to book last minute, which is probably not a good strategy. Domestic flights tend to be fairly full especially on weekends. I booked my return flight the day before and it was sold out when I first checked although one seat eventually opened up. My last trip to DAD, I had to fly back stand-by.

I didn't go to any of restaurants and had all my meals on site. A lot of the Amanoi staff have been to the restaurants and say they're good, but a couple of people got sick eating clams so I think you need to be a little careful (generally true everywhere in Vietnam). Once they get the zodiacs at Amanoi, it's probably a 3 minute boat ride to the restaurants. Now it takes probably 20 minutes or so to get to the restaurants.

I did not spend any time in the village of Vinh Hy, but want to do so on my next trip. It's definitely quite poor so don't expect much other than an opportunity to see some unadulterated Vietnamese contemporary culture....which to my way of thinking makes it interesting. (Note however, that your friends back home who've been to Vietnam won't be interested in hearing about Vinh Hy, and will want instead to talk about their "amazing" cultural experiences in Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, and Hoi An.)

Shangri-La

Just curious, does Vietnam have any other quality luxury resorts?

5khours

Nam Hai is probably the nicest. Con Dao Six Senses is supposedly nice too, but I haven't been there.

ndesq

5KHours, I suppose I should know what I'm in for with an Aman, but can I ask about the pricing of the food and beverage at the resort? Did anything (breakfast, minibar, etc) come included with the room rate? Are food prices on par with other luxury resorts in Vietnam or even higher? I ask because you can budget for the (relatively reasonable, I'd think) room rates at the Amanoi, but if you're more or less going to eat all your meals and drink all your drinks there, that can add up very very quickly. Are any activities included with the rate?

5khours

Don't recall exactly. There is no charge for beach activities. I think tennis is free. They obviously charge for spa treatments. Meals probably run from $20 to $100. The service charge was around 10% which is quite a bit cheaper than some other Amans. I usually find the total charge at Amans including room, food, drinks, service charge, and frequent spa treatments run about 1.5x to 2x the room rate (less with 1 person more with 2). I didn't drink much and only had two spa treatments at Amanoi, and I think my total bill was around 1.25x the room charge alone so I guess I would have been spending about $100 to $150 a day on food/drink.

If you're budget is tight, you could probably get buy on $75/person/day (coffee/eggs/toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, beer at the pool in the afternoon, and noodles for dinner).

NYBanker

Thanks for taking the time to put together this detailed set of posts. I enjoyed reading your observations and enjoyed the pictures.

Indeed, this property seems worthy of a visit.

Amanaddicted

I plan a trip to Amanoi in March 2014. Can you tell me if the common areas are great and if we feel already the Aman spirit? Terraces of the Pool Pavilions look a bit small but is it comfortable enough? Also, would like to know if Susan the GM is nice and has really the Aman philosophy in her way of being? Thank you.

5khours

I really liked the Cliff Pool and the terrace at the Central Pavilion. The Beach Club is very nice too, but a little hot and bright in the morning and mid-day.

The terraces of the Pool Pavilions are a bit small, but the pools are a good size, and the views are great. Overall, very comfortable.

I spent quite a lot of time talking with Susan. She's really nice and a great manager. Same is true of everyone there.

IMHO, Amanoi has the best service of any Aman I've been too, but I should caveat that by saying I was probably the "first" real guest and the only one there for the first few days so I'm sure everyone was on their best behaviour.