Set in the rural highlands outside of Dalat, the Ana Mandara Villas are a collection of 17 exquisitely restored French colonial villas from the 1920s and 30s, with all care having been taken to preserve the original design, décor and charm. Indeed, the villas are a striking relic of Dalat’s time as a French colonial hill station, capturing the character of their former owners. Each comprises of three to five en-suite rooms with a central lounge area, dining room, bar and wine cellar as well as an outdoor terrace. In total there are 70 rooms of wildly variable sizes. The cheapest ‘petit’ rooms are indeed small and if you’re better off spending a little more for a ‘villa’ room. Room decor is simple with a cosy rustic twist – the central fireplaces in the lounge add a welcome communal feel.

Not all of the villas have been divided in to rooms – one houses both a European-inspired restaurant and also a fine-dining restaurant, serving delicious Vietnamese fusion fare with a walk-in wine cellar stocking a large selection of wines from both the new and old world. The spa is once again contained within a single restored villa. Most unusually for Dalat, The Ana Mandara also has an outdoor swimming pool – a rare thing on account of the significantly cooler climate.