Flanked by pristine mountainous forest and rugged South China, Banyan Tree Lang Co's location is a total escape from the civilization. The resort is owned and operated by Laguna Lang Co as a part of an integrated resort complex comprising serviced apartments, family resort, luxury pool villa resort, and a golf course. And yes, Banyan Tree Lang Co is the flagship property of the resort company that provides villa-only rooms with their own private pools, even from the most basic room the resort has to offer.

To reach the property, an hour drive from the town, deep to a certain tip of a peninsula should be traversed. A long straight road was built by Laguna Lang Co as the only access to the resort. Thankfully, complimentary airport shuttles from Da Nang International Airport are provided.

Some of you may ask, why bother to stay at a remote, isolated resort while Da Nang has a lot to offer and the hotels are easier to be reached without all the hassle. Well, in my opinion, Da Nang, even though has all kinds of luxury resorts, could not offer the secludedness as they all share the same stretch of beach. Personally, I like smaller beach rather than a long endless sandy beach like the one in Da Nang. And on top of that, there are literally no traffics in Banyan Tree Lang Co to make any sound pollution. All we could hear is the sound of nature. How cool is that?

With all the remoteness, my expectation of being amazed by the hotel setting and service was set high before reaching the property. Right from our arrival at the airport, we were greeted by the Laguna Lang Co staffs, waiting to transport us to our 'home' in Lang Co for the next few days. My excitement was built up more than ever when we got deeper and nearer to the resort location as we passed scenic plains and forests.

The promised amazement was true. Truly an idyllic resort, we were greeted by the mountainous setting before some of the staffs welcomed us with their brightest smiles. As an all-villa resort, we were not directed to the lobby as most of the usual resort did, but immediately to our villa using a golf car. Mi, our villa host in Banyan Tree Lang Co let us enter the villa through the wooden door and guided us as we walked on the pathway beside the villa before we reached a spacious terrace. Here, with a daybed and outdoor dining set, the check-in was done thoroughly as Mi explained everything we needed to know about the villa and the resort.

As Mi left us with our own villa, all I remembered was being amazed by our room setting. Facing the oversized private terrace was the sight of a lush forest that climbed up to the hill at the far-end and beautiful pond as the foreground. And directly in front of the terrace, a lap pool with a couple of sun loungers was waiting to be plunged into.

The indoor area of the villa was separated by glass sliding doors. Inside, an ultra-luxe interior of a modern hotel room proved to be the hotel no-compromise facilities for the guests despite its remoteness. Adorned with wooden finish and a locally-inspired huge lantern lamp, the room provided us with the sense of being in Vietnam. I would really give all my thumbs up to the interior design as to this date, I still could not find any air-conditioning unit visible inside the room! Even though subtle, a small detail like this elevates the whole room experience.

The room layout was pretty nice with a king-sized bed at the heart of the room. Behind the bed, a long working desk was provided in case there were businesses to be taken care of. At both ends of the desk, a couple of doors led us to the bathroom. Showered with natural lights through the floor-to-ceiling windows, an oversized bathtub sat face to face with a double vanity. Shower area and toilet were also placed separately with their own cubicles. I especially loved the shower room with its rainshower head and pretty good water pressure. Bear in mind that the toiletries here are provided with their own soap dispenser and all the personal care have their own bags which could be bought in their souvenir shop.

  

  

Stored neatly in the bathroom closet, a couple of fluffy towels were calling us to have a quick dip in the lap pool in front of our villa. Oh boy! It is such a convenient and a pleasant luxury to have your own swimming pool with a beautiful natural view like this! I could gaze far to the hilly forest and relax inside the pool for hours if only the water was heated.

Swimming and relaxing at our own terrace were not the only things we could do in our villa. Every 

afternoon, if guests are present in the villa, a set of afternoon tea with sweet and savoury bites will be sent right to our doorstep. Interestingly, the staff bringing the afternoon tea will dress traditionally and prepare the refreshment from a huge bamboo basket.

If you have had enough with your own villa (which we could not, as we only stayed here for three nights), the whole resort is an extensive area waiting to be explored. In front of our villa, a couple of bicycles were provided for easier exploration of the resort. As I chose and requested our villa position beforehand, we had the comfort to easily access the beach straight from our villa via a traditionally-designed bridge. But before accessing the bridge, I had the chance to find a beautiful pathway next to our villa to a wooden platform facing the same pond all of the Lagoon Villas are facing. Without any swimming pool, this platform offers a more serene and natural spot to enjoy the scenic view and surroundings.

Walking to the beach, even though was a straight path from our villa, was quite tiring since the starting point of the sandy area of the beach to the water body was quite far away. A more rugged beach compared to what they have in Da Nang, and I did not see anyone tried to swim as the waves were quite rough. Actually, this is not my perfect beach as what I have experienced in The Andaman in Langkawi. The only saving grace of this beach was the cliff area at the end of the beach where the Hill Villas resided.

From the beach, we could easily spot the main building of Banyan Tree Lang Co that houses the restaurants, lounge, and reception area. There is a huge swimming pool that is rarely used here but a nice element to balance the massive building of the resort. At the centre of the main building, an oriental, grandeur red door leads us the main corridor, providing access to the Water Court Restaurant and upper floor via stair.

On the upper floor, a water courtyard is surrounded by the lounge, reception, and gift shop. Tranquil might be a word that suits the ambience felt when I was here. With the soothing sound of water pouring from the courtyard's centrepiece, lush hilly background, open space design, and calming breeze, it was such an unforgettable multi-sensory experience to be here. Exiting the building from another end, I reached the bridge that crosses a canal used by the hotel to transport guests to the other hotel or restaurants within the complex—the same canal I crossed earlier in front of our villa.

The bridge directs us to the main entrance where we initially arrived and later shuttled back to the airport. In between, we frequently accessed this area to wait for the buses that transported us to Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue, which were complimentary except for Da Nang. So, if you would like to explore some part of Central Vietnam, Banyan Tree Lang Co will get your back. The resort also prepares an endless amount of activity every day to make sure that the guests don't get bored.

After daily activities in or our the resort, going back to our own room was indeed very rewarding. There would always be gifts sitting on the plush bed, whether local greeting cards, souvenir or a delicate bowl of biscuits. Despite the uber-comfortable bed that always tried to prevent me from getting up, I managed to wake up early to see if there was a sunrise worth watching. Sadly, during my whole stay, the mornings were cloudy. But at the least, I could take some pictures of the main building while it was quiet and serene.

Breakfast in Banyan Tree Lang Co was a great experience. There are numerous cooked-to-order menus to make sure that they were served to taste best. I really love their pho to the point that I ordered it each morning and never get bored! The banh mi was good even though I have tasted better when we were in Hoi An. Selections of fresh juices, cold cuts, nuts, salad, Western, and Asian foods are overflowing, and better yet, most of them tasted consistently good! For those pork lovers, fear not as they provide several dishes to satisfy our daily intake of this heavenly meat.

Excellent food, breathtaking views, amazing service, endless number of activities, Banyan Tree Lang Co has made it to my personal top list of best luxury resort stay. Just by looking at the photos that show the view from our terrace would vividly bring back those unforgettable experience of being there. The Laguna Lang Co efforts to realize this resort, along with the meticulous hospitality of every staff there are why Banyan Tree Lang Co a perfect getaway. A highly recommended resort for those visiting Vietnam!

BANYAN TREE LANG CO VIETNAM