The Sheraton, Nha Trang, Vietnam.

The Sheraton in Nha Trang was the base for the beach part of a recent holiday to Vietnam. We wanted something which combined good service and modern amenities, but did not totally cut us off from the place we were visiting. We considered alternatives such as the Novotel (not as luxurious) and also self contained resorts such as the Evason Ana Mandara Six Senses Hidaway and Vinpearl Resort and Spa (both a little cut off from the main town and they get hit and miss reviews on Trip Advisor). The Sheraton opened in March and has all the hallmarks which make Sheraton one of my favourite hotel brands. In my view this is definitely the best choice in Nha Trang regardless of whether the trip is a holiday or business trip.

The public areas are clean, light, luxurious and spacious. I love the design touches which in places make the hotel have the feel of being in an art gallery. The staff strike just the right balance between attentiveness, friendliness and professionalism. The breakfast offerings are wide ranging to suit Vietnamese and international palates. You could get anything from fish soup and noodles to bacon and egg. We tried most of what was on offer during our four night stay and on the whole the standard was good. Where it did fall down it was as much to do with the pitfalls of mass catering and food lying around a bit, as it was to do with using poor ingredients or poor cooking. The pools ( a main pool, paddling pool and plunge pool) are on the sixth floor. The main infinity pool looks stunning and has great views of the ocean and mountains. On the seventh floor there are gym facilities, a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. These facilities were fine as they go, but the jacuzzi was so large that it felt a bit more like a paddling pool with water pumped in around the edges.

There are three main levels of room, and the ones on the Starwood Preferred Guest floor (the middle level of room) offered a high standard, it was spacious and luxurious with all the nice touches you expect plus a few more, we liked the open bathroom with privacy screen, which means you can enjoy great ocean views while having a bath. Access to the beach is across a busy road, but staff usher you across safely. During the day a small section of the beach across from the hotel is sectioned off and has loungers, towels and someone on hand to get you a drink or some food.

The big benefit of the location is that guests are not cut off from the rest of Nha Trang and local restaurants and shops are just a short stroll away. It is worth exploring a little as some of the local restaurants provide great offerings at amazingly low prices. Venture a little further and you can sample ‘street food’ and see a little more of the resort. People have been coming to Nha Trang for many years and it caters for all budgets and travel styles. The more expensive hotels are a more recent addition, but there are plenty of mid-range and backpacker options. The negative part of the location is that the main road is very busy and there is lots of building work going on in this part of Nha Trang. The sound of horns and building work can be heard from the pool area and when the balcony doors of your room are open. The ocean view is lovely, but look along the road and you see lots of building work. Although this is a well established resort, it is undergoing a lot of change mainly in the form of large hotels and plush apartments. This is particularly the case on the stretch of the road next to the Sheraton.

The prices at the hotel are on a par with those for similar types of hotel anywhere in the world. In some respects that is fine, but it seems so much more when you compare the price of food and drink at local restaurants. A slight annoyance was those little extras which were added onto the bill and were not immediately apparent at the time of booking.

All things considered the Sheraton in Nha Trang is a great base and most of the negatives are as much to do with the annoyances of staying in a resort which is undergoing change as they are to do with the hotel or the staff.