Few resorts in Asia can boast their own private waterfall as a backdrop for private dinners and intimate parties.
Welcome to Avana Retreat, a 36-villa property in Vietnam’s Mai Chai
Province, a 3.5-hour drive from Hanoi, which is gearing up for
international visitors after trading quietly through the Covid pandemic.
The private waterfall, which inspired the resort’s development when
discovered by the founders a decade ago, is enjoyed from a terraced deck
overlooking the cascade.
“It’s one thing to build a resort near the wonders of nature but to
build in the midst of all this natural splendour, with a footprint as
light and retractable as we have, makes for an immersive experience that
can be overwhelming,” said Vu Huy, founder of Avana Retreat.
Set among terraces of rice fields and a jungled mountainside, the
15-hectare resort showcases a spa and yoga studio built on a stream and
architecture that leverages local Hmong and Thai building techniques and
aesthetics.
Photo Credit: Senna Hilltop Pool Villa
The roofs of the bungalow villas are thatched like the local stilt
houses, and the walls are made of earth as is common with Hmong homes.
The rattan ceilings are made using a Thai weaving technique, while
the wood interiors feature local arts and crafts, including hand-drawn
beeswax paintings of intricate ethnic patterns.
The property features four heated infinity pools with views of the
sunset or cloud ceiling. An all-day dining restaurant, Green Chili,
offers a selection of dishes from pho and Australian wagyu beef to a
line-up of vegetarian and vegan options.
“We want as much of the experience of accommodation here to be as
singular to this part of Mai Chau as possible, from the sights you see,
to the food you eat, to the people you meet,” said Huy.
Avana is a plastic-free retreat. Trash bags are made from corn
starch, organic materials are composted, and it has its own Avana bottle
plant to produce purified drinking water.