Our stay at Namia River Retreat could not have come at a better time. For context, my partner Adam and I are travelling around Asia for six months. By the time we turned up in Hoi An, we were very much ready for a break from greasy street food, burning the candle at every which end, and easy, but not entirely healthy, choices. Actually, just a break full stop. So what better place to relax refresh, rejuvenate, and focus on recharging ourselves, than at a wellness resort.
Specifically, Namia River Retreat bills itself as a "Wellness Inclusive Resort", championing traditional Vietnamese herbal therapies. What a wellness inclusive resort entails, I wasn't entirely sure, but I was very ready to find out. Or at the very least, take a couple of days off to read my book by the pool.
We spent two nights at Namia River Retreat, resting up, occasionally dipping into the chaos of Hoi An, and working on our wellness (does one work on one's wellness? It's not a topic I consider myself well versed in...). I've put together this Namia River Retreat review as a little diary of our short but sweet time there, sharing a look inside the facilities, dining, and overall stay experience.
Namia River Retreat Location
Namia River Retreat is located in the picturesque Central Vietnamese city of Hoi An. It's around a ten minute drive to the edge of the Old Town, or to An Bang beach in the opposite direction. You can get a Grab, cycle, or take one of the free shuttle services offered by the resort. The spot it occupies, on a private islet sandwiched between the Thu Bon River and a tributary, is the perfect, well, retreat, from the city itself. It may be personal preference, but I was very glad to be staying away from the crowds of the Old Town, yet close enough to easily be in the thick of it within minutes.
If anything, I rather wish Namia River Retreat was at the edge of a rather less picturesque city. Hoi An is very charming, particularly the old town, however I found it extremely difficult to summon the motivation to drag myself away from the resort. The beach, we never made it to at all. Alas, perhaps next time?
Design & Character
Namia River Retreat has been designed with the ethos of wellness very much at heart. Muted, warm tones of beige and brown with occasional pops of orange make up much of the furnishings, and decoration is kept minimal. Natural accents against a backdrop of dense green foliage cement the feeling of being remarkably at one with nature, considering the city location. A dramatic bamboo bridge mimicking an organic formation weaves it's way across the river, connecting the main lobby to the narrow stretch of villas. The Fishermoon poolside restaurant hosts a rare pop of colour (that isn't from the orange end of the colour spectrum, at least) with a mosaic of blue tiled fish gazing placidly out over the diners.
It's the kind of interior design that can all too often fall a bit flat or, even worse, feel boring. But at Namia, it's wonderfully calming, serving only to compliment the location and provide a sense of serenity. And it's successfully soothing, particularly on my frayed, 3 months into travel, nerves.
Rooms and Suites
The resort is comprised entirely of private pool villas, 60 to be precise. These sprawl out along the length of the islet, either facing the Thu Bon River, or the Nipa palm forest. Most are open plan one bedrooms, but there are also a small number of family two bedroom villas. For a true moment of luxury (although a pool villa is already very luxurious), there is also the honeymoon villa.
We checked in to one of the Nipa pool villas, looking out over a small tributary river and the palms beyond. The villa itself is palatial, more than enough room for the two of us to comfortably settle in. Half the room is taken over for leisure, with a seating area, tv, and complimentary mini bar. I'll admit, I never spent much time here, as the tub overlooking the view beyond became my seat of choice. The bed is king size, the kind of large, inviting bed your instinct is to flop onto, sink into, and burrow in amongst the covers. Or at least, that was my first instinct!
As beautiful as the interior is, the standout of the villa is undeniably the pool. Often pool villas come with what is arguably a glorified hot tub, but our pool was fairly vast. It's an excellent space that feels thoughtfully designed with functionality in mind, rather than just an afterthought.
The room is very well stocked, with the aforementioned non-alcoholic mini bar, complimentary snacks of little biscuits and dried mango, as well as a percolator for coffee and a teapot. The bathroom (again, an ample space) has a hairdryer, but also amenities like shaving and sewing kits. At evening turndown, we'd often be left little treats, such as a herbal tea to aid sleep.
We had grand plans for all sort of activities and things we wanted to do, both at the resort and further afield. But alas, our villa ended up being such a luxury that we barely left. In fact, it’s a joke between us that we so rarely end up actually enjoying the pools at the hotels we stay at. We may shoot them, sure, but we rarely get a chance to go in. At Namia, we took every chance we could to luxuriate in our pool, taking in the views of the river beyond. Likewise, I am not much of a bath person generally, but I kept finding excuses to fill up the tub “for photos” (and then plonk myself in with a book and a tea for a little rest).
I'm loathe to do anything but spew superlatives at our villa, it looked after us so well. However there were a couple of minor inconveniences that I feel obliged to mention. The water pressure was occasionally inconsistent - in fact Adam ended up showering in a drizzle at one point. I found myself brought back from the brink of sleep a couple of times by the sensor activated floor lights coming on at random. I have no idea what was setting them off, but it was a bit spooky. There's nothing going to lurch you awake quite like the fear that someone has crept inside the room with you... However these may just be teething issues, or perhaps human error - in hindsight, we'd likely put something in front of the sensor without realising!
Service and Amenities
The resort hosts two pools, a large infinity pool overlooking the river, and a smaller kids' pool nearby. These, unsurprisingly given the private pools, remained largely empty. But, should you wish to do laps, or are simply looking for a change of scenery, the option is there. The gym is fairly compact with a small range of equipment, but does the trick.
The spa, on the other hand, is expansive, as is befitting a wellness resort. We obligingly booked in for our complimentary 90 minutes of wellness, and were greeted with a range of spa activities to choose from. I decided to break mine up with a hammam experience and facial, followed by a Vietnamese massage. With a focus on traditional herbal ingredients and techniques, it was a pleasant way to discover Vietnamese holistic therapies, and wind down after a day of dodging tour groups on the streets of Hoi An.
There is a laundry list of daily activities, from morning yoga to bamboo boats and even a sunset cruise. For this reason I would strongly recommend booking at least three nights - two felt woefully inadequate for getting the most out of the stay.
I packed Adam off to try the morning yoga offering - “for research purposes”, I muttered into my morning coffee, still half asleep amongst the covers (I am largely non-functional before 9am). It was fairly quiet when we stayed, and he ended up having a one on one session with the instructor (I imagine everyone else was still tucked up with their morning coffee like me). Thanks to this the session was dedicated to his skill level, allowing him to move at his own pace with the aid of a helpful instructor. There'd been some grumbling when the morning alarm went off, but he came back in good spirits!
Dining at Namia River Retreat
The buffet breakfast is a joy. I write this, in real time, tucking into a selection of fresh salads and fruit, spurred on by a frothy morning latte. It’s not the hugest spread I’ve ever seen, but it is nonetheless comprehensive. There are ingredients I haven't seen in many months, some since leaving London. The artichoke at the salad bar in particular had me excited, and Adam was practically swooning over the cheese selection. There are also local dishes available from an a la carte menu, including Cao Lau (traditional Hoi An noodles with char sui pork) and Banh Cuon (steamed rice paper rolls). I chose a Banh Mi - less overflowing than those picked up on the streets of Hoi An, in fact suitably light to start the morning with.
We also tried lunch at The Fisherman restaurant, and dinner at The Merchant. The former is a relaxed poolside experience with a focus on seafood, the latter a modern interpretation of traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Everything felt very fresh and light, a welcome antidote to the delicious but rather greasy street eats we'd gotten used to. Standouts included the Namia River Duck, an artful, elevated dish, and the Tra Que Tomatoes, a simple yet flavoursome tomato and cheese salad.
Namia River Retreat Review: The Final Word
If you've gotten this far, you've probably gotten the gist - Namia River Retreat is really rather nice. Yes, it's beautiful. And it's certainly peaceful. But what really makes it worthwhile, is that it is a thoughtful stay. The tea to aid sleep, left in our room at turndown. The leaving snacks (which I polished off on the train to Da Nang). There are so many little touches that make one feel properly looked after.
The "wellness" of it all is done perfectly. I say this as someone who doesn't pay much attention to what they eat, who likes a beer, and who sleeps through the morning exercise alarm more often than she makes it to the gym. You can take part in wellness activities as little or as much as you'd like. There's yoga, there's mindful walks and cycles - or just lounge by the pool and catch up on your reading. And the food is so good, it makes healthy choices feel easy.
My one bug bear with Namia Retreat? Being so utterly tranquil that braving the troupes of tour groups and chorus of vendors that line the streets of the Old Town just suddenly isn’t all that appealing anymore. In fact, I’d highly recommend doing what we did and getting the obligatory sightseeing in Hoi An out of the way for a couple of nights first, before you retreat to Namia for some well earned “do nothing” time. Except maybe book in for a little pampering at the spa, of course.
If you're considering a stay, I hope this Namia River Retreat review has been helpful - and do feel free to pop any questions in the comments!
