Nha Trang, Vietnam- Low Key & Relaxing

This is part 2 of our baby moon to Vietnam….you can read about part 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, by clicking here. Happy reading!

David’s afternoon beer

My afternoon ginger tea- yum!

Where do I even begin? Typically the whole goal of a baby moon is to relax and enjoy some time alone before baby comes and changes your life (for the better I might add)! And since we couldn’t fly into Nha Trang direct and thus spent 2 days exploring the crazy sidewalks of Ho Chi Minh City, we were sooooo ready for some R&R at the beach.

The Mia Resort

Via Agoda (my go-to hotel booking website in Asia), we found the most popular & highly ranked place to stay at in Nha Trang (also voted #1 on TripAdvisor), the stunning Mia Resort. We had seen this place before online when we were looking at going to Vietnam back in December, but it was fully booked out. I don’t even know where to start with this place, so let me first start with giving you a bit of an idea of what Nha Trang as a whole is like.

Nha Trang is a coastal city of the south/central coast of Vietnam.  It sits along the South China Sea and is home to under 500,000 inhabitants- although it seems like it should be big, its actually quite small! Its popular for both tourist as well as local beach getaways and attracts couples, families, backpackers, and more. Nha Trang is most known throughout Vietnam as the #1 place for scuba diving in the country. There are some gorgeous smaller islands with reefs to check out and although we weren’t able to experience it firsthand, we hear its phenomenal. Nha Trang is also home to some spectacular golf courses, if thats the type of holiday you are looking for. The beaches of Nha Trang are touted as being the best in all of Vietnam and I can see why. Its lined inland with rolling lush green hills and has carved out some great “bays” of white sandy beaches and warm, clear waters. The town itself is small and consists of a main tourist block….which is literally 1 square block of shops & restaurants, locals’ homes, various markets, historical landmarks, and of course hotels- big & small. We easily saw the basics of Nha Trang in a couple hours, that is, without going to all the historical landmarks and such, which we weren’t interested in this time around due to being in a “laid-back” frame of mind.

Lanterns restaurant and cooking class

The 1 activity we did outside of the resort was a Vietnamese cooking class at Lanterns, a popular local restaurant that offers cooking classes. Since we both love Vietnamese food, we figured that we had to learn how to make some favorites at home. Lanterns fit the bill perfectly. The best thing about Lanterns is that they work hard to support the local community, which is what had initially drawn me to them. They offer lunch to the needy (free of charge) once a week and along with that, they bring food & supplies with some of the money they make to areas of the community who most need it. They also sell fabulous artwork made by Vietnamese artists…and we bought 3 of said pieces!

Our cooking “school”

View from our class out to the restaurant

Anyway, back to the cooking (and please disregard the super shiny faces….it was hotter than all get out that day!!). It started bright and early with a little bike ride to the local wet market where we picked up everything we needed to cook for the day. The class was small (only 3 of us) and our chef (Nam) was the perfect blend of funny, talented, and humorous. In fact, when she introduced herself, (all 4 ft. of her), she said her name was “Nam, you know, like Vietnam”. Dying laughing. On the menu was the famous fresh veggie & shrimp spring rolls, seafood & chicken hot pot, and fruit flambé.

Our chef- “Nam”. She’s so tiny compared to us!

The market was a lot like Malaysian markets, but for some reason, still felt different, I think its the warmth and kindness of the Vietnamese people (not that Malaysians aren’t….just different). We bought our fruit & veggies, seafood & shellfish, chicken & pork, rice paper, sauces, and had some snacks along the way, then back to the funky little restaurant for our class. Here are some awesome action shots taken by a helper. Such a fun way to spend the morning, plus home cooked lunch to top it off. Highly recommend The Lanterns Cooking Class!

Beyond the cooking class & a little walk around town, we literally vegged out at the resort the rest of the time. The Mia Resort is simply a must-do! There are only 50 rooms, 90% of them being private villas, along with 1 huge house to rent and a handful of scattered condo-like rooms. You would think it would be super expensive & 5 -star but its actually quite affordable for what you get, a 4-star, and its not necessarily the most posh place in Nha Trang, but it should be. Its amazing. It sits along a perfect little private stretch of beach about 20 minutes outside of town. The owners took a minimalistic and environmentally friend approach, and from the streets above it, you would hardly even notice its there! The landscaping is truly an art form, in fact they even have grass growing on the rooftops of all the villas! There is a beautiful pool that sits alongside the small beach, the spa is top notch (& quite affordable I might add) and the food was perfect! Both Vietnamese, other Asian dishes, and Western dishes cooked to perfection! They offer yoga classes, water activities, and free shuttles into town throughout the day. They whisk you around the resort in a golf cart if needed (yes please for the swollen pregger lady!) and treat you with amazing respect, something you can’t get easily at larger resorts where you are just a number. Anyway, here are some pics of us enjoying our time at Mia.

Our garden villa

We never showered inside. Love the outdoor shower

Partial beach view from our room!

As you can see, a ton of NOTHING was done in Nha Trang for our baby moon…..just the way we wanted it. We can’t wait to go back- both the try out the scuba, some golf, as well as Mia again…..and for sure throw in more cooking classes and vietnamese cuisine. Thank you Vietnam for a truly memorable baby moon!

31 weeks along!

Until next time, safe & happy baby moon travels~

Kimbra