This resort set a new standard across the region when it opened in 2010 – and not just in Vietnam. The Six Senses on Con Dao Island rivals the very best resorts to be found on the beaches of Thailand, Bali or the Maldives. With this property Six Senses have created the most perfect resort – expansive villas with private swimming pools, set on one of the world’s most beautiful stretches of beach on a remote paradise island.

The 50 teak panelled villas are spread along a mile of curved sand, sheltered by a lush and green mountainous backdrop. They are built with natural, sustainable materials and use colours that blend seamlessly into the overtly au natural terrain. However, this is not a ‘back to nature’ experience – each villa comes with flat screen TV, DVD player, iPod dock, espresso machine, minibar, wine fridge and Six Senses bath products. Your comfort is further catered to  by a personal butler. Keeping you entertained are bikes which you can borrow to explore the island, but once you set your eyes on your private infinity pool it is likely that you will choose not to venture far!

There are several excellent dining options: ‘By the Beach’ (the name says it all!) is the relaxed main restaurant, with tables set up either on the deck or in an open-air dining room which suits families and lovebirds equally well. There’s also ‘Vietnamese by the Market’, where the open shop fronts mimic a traditional Vietnamese restaurant, with the kitchen at the back and baskets overflowing with weird and wonderful produce out front. Then there is ‘Deli-cious’, the Tuscan-style deli serving light lunches, salads, sandwiches and snacks.

As one would expect from an international resort of such repute there is a gym, tennis courts, water sports facilities and a much-admired, whisper-quiet Six Sense’s Spa. The Six Senses Can Dao is barefoot luxury at its very best. It comes with a price tag, but then again it is, without any doubt, one of the best resorts in all of Indochina.