Anantara Quy Nhon Villas is the latest 5-star resort in the charming city of Quy Nhon. Situated on the south coast of Vietnam halfway between Nha Trang and Hoi An, Quy Nhon has 42-kilometers of coastline with beautiful beaches that remain unspoilt and free from mass tourism.
Like the other properties in the Anantara Group, the resort is thoughtfully designed to provide a window into local culture and the character of the destination. Sitting in its own secluded bay, Anantara Quy Nhon blends seamlessly into the natural environment and focuses heavily on locally sourced materials, traditional craftsmanship, and local art.
With only 26 one and two-bedroom villas, Anantara guarantees a highly personalized and tailored stay. Each villa features a private infinity pool, panoramic views of the ocean, an oversized bath and even a customized wine cellar.
So Vietcetera sat down with Farah Jaber, The General Manager of Anantara Quy Nhon and AVANI Quy Nhon, to discuss the design and build of Quy Nhon’s newest property.
How was this particular location chosen as the site for Anantara Quy Nhon Villas?
As a company, Anantara has been in Vietnam for quite a while. So, we’ve come to know and understand the country very well. Our goal is to find amazing locations within amazing locations. And we always have our eyes on upcoming destinations that would match the philosophy of our company, and Quy Nhon was undoubtedly one of them.
Quy Nhon in itself has a lot of offer, but this particular location is easy for anyone to fall in love with. If you look around, I’m sure you’ll feel the same way we do. That’s why we chose this site.
Anantara Quy Nhon Villas is designed to blend seamlessly into the natural environment.What were some of the key considerations for the design of Anantara Quy Nhon Villas?
The main considerations for the design of Anantara Quy Nhon Villas was to respect the local culture and traditions. Quy Nhon is a major port city and the local traditions revolve a lot around fishing villages and fishermen. Fishing is highly anchored in the local culture here and we decided to pay homage to that in the design of Anantara Quy Nhon.
If you look around, you’ll see a lot of notes and reminders of fishing and the methods used by the local fishermen. In the lobby, the chandelier uses traditional fishing nets. The design on the wall reminds guests that the sea is on our doorstep. These design considerations also infuse the style of furniture around the hotel; all designed to remind us of boats or nets or coral reefs that you’ll find in the deep sea.
Every single villa provides an amazing view of the ocean and is a constant reminder of the beauty of this particular destination.
Incorporated into the the design are numerous reminders of fishing and the methods used by local fishermen.Besides referencing the local fishing industry, what other elements from the local culture and industries have been incorporated into the design?
We looked at what Quy Nhon is known for and at what is produced locally. Blue granite comes from this region and is made to a very high quality. In each villa, you will notice that a lot of blue granite is used in the bathrooms. Timber is also a prominent industry in Quy Nhon, so we’ve used a lot of timber around the property, harvested right here in Quy Nhon.
Local timber is a prominent material used in the design of Anantara Quy Nhon.What is one aspect of this project you’re most proud of?
I’m particularly proud of the fact that we managed to respect the pre-construction blueprint design and see it come to life in this property today. We wanted to ensure that the overall design respects the local environment, in terms of nature but also in terms of culture. I feel that not only has the design of the property incorporated elements of the local culture but it has also managed to blend completely into the local environment. For example, we didn’t have to take down any trees to build this property. On the contrary, we actually added more trees…
Additional trees have been added in the build of Anantara Quy Nhon and care has been taken to ensure the overall design respects the local environment.What has been the most difficult part of the construction process?
The major challenge when building this property was continuously ensuring that we were respecting the ecosystem of this site. We needed to ensure that every step of the process respected the heritage of the site, and that the design of the property was unintrusive. Maintaining that philosophy through the entire design and construction stages was a major concern and my job was to ensure that this was respected in all forms.
What has been the most enjoyable part of the process?
The most enjoyable part of the process was the recruitment of our people. Bringing in the people gave the property its soul. The entire process of recruiting and training our great team of staff has been very enjoyable. Similarly, it’s been great working with local contractors and the very competent project team from our company in Bangkok.
Another enjoyable part of the process has been choosing the colours and the art pieces for Anantara Quy Nhon. We’ve managed to bring a lot of Vietnam into the design by promoting local artists. If you look around the lobby, you’ll see a lot of Vietnamese art and craft pieces we’ve taken great pride in choosing and displaying.
Around the lobby, there are a lot of Vietnamese art and craft pieces that have been specially selected to promote local artists.What inspired the colour palette here?
The palette that was chosen was inspired by the different elements found within this destination. We tried to blend together different elements of nature and the resulting palette is actually the palette of life itself here—a mix of the sea, fire and the earth. We really wanted to ensure all of these elements describing the location were always present, everywhere you look. In fact, we even have a restaurant called “Sea.Fire.Salt.”
The resort’s signature restaurant “Sea.Fire.Salt” reflects the concept of blending together different elements of nature.There’s a focus at Anantara on creating personalized experiences. Can you elaborate on what this means for your guests?
Anantara is highly focused on creating personalized experiences. As a company, we have a tremendous amount of experience from our different properties worldwide and we aim to bloom wherever we are planted. If we decide to open a hotel in a specific location, we always deep dive into the region and the location we’re in to ensure that we meet the right people in the local community and craft the experiences that we know guests are looking for.
Through our experiences with our other properties, we have a good understanding of what our guests look for. Here in Quy Nhon, we are very fortunate to have an abundance of local experiences. This has helped us put together experiences like “The Quy Nhon Explorer” which introduces guests to the local community helping them to discover what Quy Nhon is really all about.
The Anantara Quy Nhon Villas is “an amazing location within an amazing location.”Those highly personalized experiences can also be found within the resort itself. By getting to know our guests from day one, we use this valuable information to provide them with highly personalised experiences and services. As the property was built around the different elements and senses, it all starts with ensuring that our guests have chosen the right scent, or the right soap, or even the right bottle of wine in their wine cellar.
We can propose a wide array of experiences and activities, but I think when you choose to stay with us, it’s to stay with us on your own terms. We’re here to advise, and we are also here to ensure our guests are 100% satisfied with their experience.
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