Hyatt Regency DaNang
Right at the Marble Mountains, Luxurious but perhaps forgettable
Stayed March 2016
Published June 2016
My first long visit to Vietnam and I really loved it!
This was over the long weekend of Good Friday and I had already booked my stay at a different hotel much earlier. A very fantastic one. But this entry on the Hyatt Regency, so please ‘stay tuned’ for the update.
While planning for the flights, I found out it was much cheaper to fly the day before my confirmed hotel booking and thus I had to extend my stay for a night in DaNang. As I love to try different hotels, I looked for another place to stay. After some research on the (poor) availability (of chain hotels) and prices, I settled on the Hyatt Regency.
The price was less than 5 million Vietnamese Dong (I really had problems with the currency), which works out to be less than SGD$300 for the night.
From Singapore to DaNang, I took the Silkair flight. However, DaNang is also serviced by Jetstar so there’s a budget option for non-stop flights as well. There is always an option of connecting flights.
The flight was uneventful and I landed safely in the small airport.
From the airport, I took a taxi to the hotel. A sign indicating the usual prices was placed at the taxi stand outside the airport. Communication with the driver didn’t seem to have gone very well, but I did get to the right hotel in the end without much issues. Cost was slightly higher than that on the board but the vehicle was better than the usual taxi as well so I am not sure what the reason for the higher rate was. Maybe it was ‘tourist price’. -shrug-
The difference was not great and therefore, I made no fuss.
The resort was rather crowded as evident by the luggage in the picture above and very open.
As a Hyatt Diamond (Gotta love elite status), I was able to check in at the Regency Lounge. The experience was not quite smooth which I attribute to the language barrier. A few staff did not seem too experienced as well, but I shall spare them any criticism.
Lounge Check In |
From the lounge, we were led to our room in the block closest to the beach.
The beach is on the other side |
I was upgraded to the Regency Suite for the night which was right at the lower corner of the block and just off the beach. On the side away from the beach, the suite was below ground level, but opens up to the beach on the seaward side.
Love the rolling clouds in the distance over the peninsula |
The Regency suite is of a good size and has a toilet in the living room.
The setup was the usual clean and subdued Hyatt. I am one of those who prefer the loud and over-the-top W and Andaz, so this seems underwhelming.
Living Room Toilet |
The huge cabinet in the living is the minibar. Rather under-filled.
The bedroom was closer to the beach and the view of the beach pictured earlier was really relaxing.
The bathtub and shower also offers a view to the outside for the exhibitionist individuals.
Beside the toilet was a big walk-in wardrobe, more than enough to hide 1 more occupant.
The bathroom amenities are from Pharmacopia and come in small bottles as pictured.
The resort is pretty big and there are quite a number of buildings with some greenery.
As mentioned, my suite was on the ground level and I enjoyed the easy access. It was in the corner as well so there is increased privacy.
A laminated A4 sheet was placed on the table listing the activities scheduled in the resort.
The Regency Club
As a Diamond (and Suite guest), I had access to the Regency Club lounge for the evening cocktails, breakfast, as well as refreshments at other times.
There is an enclosed area by the side of the Club Lounge with al fresco seating and also a swimming pool restricted to Club guests.
There are a few cats and kittens in the area which were rather cute. However, please be careful because they attack for food. I saw a kitten attack a child for the snack in his hand.
This is obviously learned behaviour as the cats basked fondly in human attention, and they were not interested in the pieces of bread scattered by other guests.
For the evening cocktails, there were several times of salads, some fruit, bread, sweet treats and wine.
Soft drinks were available in the fridges.
Overall, I found the selection weak for my carnivorous habits. Too many plates of salad.
Beautiful teapot! |
Staff went around distributing some special items during the session and I thought it was going to be a life-saver. However, the dishes were not compatible with my palate.
I sat in the ‘Quiet Zone’ at one end of the club lounge.
While it was more quiet than the other end, the small number of children still broke the silence regularly.
Breakfast was slightly better with some cereals, more pastries and a few hot dishes.
There is also a choice of a hot dish prepared to order.
Both at the table can read at the same time! |
At other times, only some biscuits and the drinks in the fridge are available.
The Gym and Pool
The Gym is located at the Residences part of the resort and they do look good. I could see into them very well, so I feel that privacy was lacking.
Gym and Spa entrance |
When I visit the gym, there were about 5 people in it. That is a pretty big number as I usually find resort gyms totally empty or with at most a couple.
The equipment selection is actually rather good seeing that there are free weights with ample space and benches.
The pool was totally empty. I wonder why when the weather was mild and the pool so gorgeous.
As mentioned, the resort is right at the Marble Mountains which is shown in this picture.
The resort is also on the path to the UNESCO site of the town of Hoi An. The resort has a paid transfer to Hoi An, which was offered free for Diamond guests during my stay here.
The Marble Mountains! |
Overall, it was a good stay for that 1 night. I would have liked to stay longer to enjoy the resort.
However, the next hotel beckons!
Happy and Healthy Travels!