More about Life Heritage Resort
Life Resort is an oasis in Hoi An!
by TripAdvisor Member Sega10028
I stayed at Life Resort in August 2006 with two friends. I wish I could return tomorrow! When you enter the gates from the quaint old town of Hoi An, you don't expect such an oasis of calm and beauty as the Life Resort is. I particularly loved our bathroom -- the tub looked like it was made from poured concrete and one of its walls was glass so that natural sunlight poured in. Plenty of counter space in the bathroom for 2 women too. The room setup feels like a suite, with separate lounging, sleeping and bathing areas. The service was wonderful -- everyone was very friendly and helpful, and they even always take their shoes off when they enter your room. Poolside, you are taken care of from drinks to lunch. We also had spa services (reflexology, massage) outside in the spa by the pool, and that was a great experience.
The only cons I can see to the hotel are: (and you'll see they're not really cons)
(1) It is a 5-minute taxi ride to the beach, which is a few miles away. They do have a hotel boat that can take you there, which is how we did it and gives you a different vantage point. Unfortunately it was low tide so we almost had to wade there! If you choose a hotel at the beach, though, you'll miss the ability to take two steps outside the hotel and be in lovely Hoi An.
(2) The set up of the rooms compromises privacy a little, but it's not a big deal. This is because they have windows on the front of them that face rooms across the courtyard. There are shutters you can close.
(3) The pool is small and beautiful, but not very deep (about 5 feet at the center and a few feet at the edges), so it's not the place to get exercise.
In town, we ate at several great restaurants. Brothers Cafe, which is steps from the hotel. Cafe des Amis, where you choose between meat or seafood and they bring several courses to you (and it costs about $5). Sakura had a fine lunch. We also pre-ordered the seafood plate at Senses in the hotel -- we could have split a 2-person platter 3 ways it was so huge but delicious.
We also had clothes made at a tailor in Hoi An, A Dong. We loved the service but our clothes were hit or miss. Seems like we got the best results when we actually brought them something to copy rather than showing them a photo out of a catalog. The turnaround time is unbelievable -- overall it took about 2 days, but some items were actually done hours after we first got fitted!
We really enjoyed our time in Hoi An and would recommend it to anyone traveling to Vietnam.
Luxury
by TripAdvisor Member nedhop
Most rooms are on four levels: a small outside sitting area, a somewhat larger sitting room inside, bedroom with closet space, and bathroom (shower in tub). In a way rooms at the Life Resort are like Vietnamese houses -- narrow and deep -- and they are beautifully furnished.
Three eateries were open when I stayed there, for five days, in February 2006: a deli that served pastries, snacks, and drinks; a bar with billiards table that served drinks and sandwiches; and the main restaurant which served an elaborate breakfast and something approaching haute cuisine meals at other times of the day.
Life Resort's location is ideal: many rooms face the river and it's only a short walk to the main market and all the most interesting temples and other sights in the city.
a charming hotel
by TripAdvisor Member moonlit
We stayed at the Life Resort for 4 days. It was a charming, small to medium sized hotel with less than 100 rooms. It was the week just after the typhoon which was the biggest in years. The service recovery in the hotel was amazing. The staff were cheerful, helpful and resourceful. The food at breakfast was great, with choices for oriental and western and lots of fruits. The dinner at the Senses Restaurant, which had to be re-located to the main hall due to damage to the restaurant by the typhoon, was very good.
Our rooms or suites were spacious, with big bathrooms and saperate seating areas indoors and outdoors. We were just by the river, it was idyllic although the motors of the boats gave us a wakeup call as early as 6.00 am.
The location is also very convenient, about a 15 minute walk downtown.
Tranquil, great location
by A TripAdvisor Member
We booked two rooms as we have three small children. The rooms were reasonably well appointed, elegant and suitable for our needs as they had a connecting door. The staff at the hotel were very nice and extremely helpful. The breakfast was excellent but we felt the restaurants at night did not really cater for kids. No matter as the location for the hotel was excellent and very close to a number of terrific restaurants. The swimming pool, which was a necessity for us as it was summer and 35degrees Celsius most days, was square, mostly shallow and the water quite hot. So perhaps not as refreshing or practical as we would have liked. Overall it was OK though. HoiAn is quite a hectic town and the resort was very much a welcome respite after a hot day wandering around. The hotel is a 'spa'/wellness resort but we did not use any of these facilities and hence won't comment on these. I would certainly recommend the hotel.
3 star hotel at 5 star prices
by TripAdvisor Member kimmy1
My husband and I stayed at this hotel upon the recommendation of our travel agent and were quite disappointed. We stayed in a river view junior suite and felt that it lacked value for money. The bed was extremely hard, and the river view balcony was useless since it is a pathway for the staff who cannot help but stare inside. I was keen to sample the spa and booked in for a facial and pedicure. While the staff were extremely friendly, the facility was entirely lacking in ambience. There were 3 staff members in the room with me who chatted frequently. During my treatment, I heard another person enter the room who, when I looked up from my facial, I recognised as a male manager of the hotel! Immediately I felt uncomfortable as he laid down in the bed beside me and proceeded to have a facial!! When the staff realised my discomfort they pulled the curtain up so I couldn't see him but it didn't matter, my relaxation was over. I found the front desk staff to be friendly but lacking proficiency in English as well as being unable to "think outside the box". The pool was small and crowded and the the staff working at the pool were not attentive, taking 20 minutes to deliver a cocktail. Given our disappointment at what we were being charged to stay there, we checked out early. If you do stay here, don't expect it to be a place to relax and unwind. Definitely don't pay extra for the suite, I'm not really sure what the difference is.
Loved our stay
by TripAdvisor Member david.rathjen
The hotel was really enjoyable but expensive. The rooms were spacious and the facilities in the hotel above most for hotels in Vietnam. The swimming pool was the best pool I have swum in.
The hotel has a cafe that serves good coffee and sandwiches during the day. After being in Vietnam for 2 weeks it was great to have a fresh sandwich. Breakfasts are excellent as are dinners except for the some of the desserts which were horrible.
Massages offerred by the hotel were good but not worth the money charged.
The hotel is on the river and is an easy walk into town. We would definitely come back.
Fragrant, tranquil Life
by TripAdvisor Member EternalTraveller
We stayed here for 4 nights in July 2006, and it was perhaps the highlight of our trip to Vietnam. The resort is small and beautifully arranged. There was something about walking through the fragrant courtyard with its blossoming gardenia trees and wild lilies that made Life seem perfect. I read here some suggestion to upgrade to the suite, but we had the standard room and thought it was a great size, and perfectly comfortable.
One piece of advice - if you want privacy, stay off of the ground floor, since the windows face right on to the courtyard, and people will be walking by all the time – you'll either have to keep your shutters closed or be constantly waved at! Our room was on the top floor, towards the pool facing back over the courtyard, and we found it very quiet.
The location is fantastic as you are a short walk away from the vibrant centre of Hoi An, with its lovely shops and restaurants. If you want to go to the beach you can take a quick cab ride, or bike, or the resort has a boat that goes by the river to the beach, (although I think that takes quite a while). Overall: food was good, service great, location great, rooms lovely, grounds amazing!
What a Hotel!
by TripAdvisor Member Tashasam
This is a stunning place. Warm welcome and such friendly staff. Great pool with a wonderful poolside bar. Lovely coffee shop and great friendly bar. Massages available poolside too. Rooms are amazing - wonderful balconies you walk through to get to the room. Great comfortable beds, bathroom lovely - great powerful shower and loads of freebies. Rooms a little slow to be serviced but great service when it arrived. Everyone, absolutely everyone, is just so so friendly.
Perfect!
by TripAdvisor Member AussieRambler
This is a beautiful hotel, with perfect location. Unlike many of the other resort type hotels in Hoi An, this one is right next to the old town. Service is superb: friendly, smiling, and competent. The rooms are very special, with little outdoor sitting areas for the suites that are a great place for relaxing. The only very slight complaint is the lack of Vietnames tea and coffee at breakfast: Lipton tea and Nescafe! Why?
Forum Posts
Victoria or Life Resort Hoi An?
by janetf
We are spending 3 days in Hoi An in June. We like the idea of the beach at the Victoria, but it also is appealing to be so close to the town at the Life Resort. Considering how hot it will be then, which would be the best option, ie. is it going to be too hot to sit on the beach?
Re: Victoria or Life Resort Hoi An?
by tere1
I am going mto Vietnam for the 1st time in 2 weeks and tried to book the Life resort but it was full. I would stay at the Life resort, it's got better views from past customers. They usually have transport to the beach.
Have a nice trip:)
Teresa
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