Fusion Maia

Rooms

The hotel is arranged around an impressive central reception and restaurant, surrounded by a modern moat and a beautiful stretch of water leading down to the pool and beach. Either side of this are a series of bungalows divided into rooms with private gardens and pools, which are the 87 'villas'.

Almost all of them are Pool Villas (there are also Spa Villas and Beach Villas for groups, plus 1 Deluxe Beach Villa with 2 huge rooms; see below). Generous in size, they are arranged and decorated identically, so no stresses over choosing the best room. They have an L-shaped layout, with a small sitting room and desk at one end, then a bedroom that's semi-divided from the large bathroom at the other end. The toilet and shower are both boxed in with glass, and there's a black granite sunken bath and twin sinks. It’s all very modern - clean-cut and sleek. A large plasma screen can be swung round to watch from your bubble bath or the very comfortable bed, and bamboo-fronted cupboards and a dark wooden bed give a hint of the Eastern.

Floor-to-ceiling windows slide back so you can step into your walled mini-garden, which has a shaded seating area, a patch of insanely perfect grass, 2 sun loungers and a black granite plunge pool just big enough to drift from one end to the other without any effort. All rooms have air-con and with the windows closed you won’t hear a thing from outside. With the windows open it depends who’s in the next-door villa and whether they’re making a noise in their garden.

There are a handful of larger villas that are well suited to families or friends. The essential design is the same but Spa Villas have 2 bedrooms (kingsize and twin) plus a kitchenette. The pool is larger too, stretching the length of the garden. Beach Villas have 2-3 double bedrooms and an even larger pool, and are next to the beach so you get a great ocean view.

The Deluxe Beach Villa is probably better suited to 2 couples, since both its huge rooms come with Jacuzzi baths and his and hers toiletries. The private pool for this villa also boasts an ocean view.

Features include:

• Air conditioning
• Minibar/fridge
• WiFi

Eating

There are 4 restaurants: the larger and smarter main restaurant, Five; the poolside restaurant, Fresh, which will also serve food to your sun or beach lounger, Tonic, primarily a bar, and Fusion Café in Hoi An. Fresh's menu is extensive; slightly generic but the burgers are great.

We highly recommend kicking off your evening with a cocktail at Tonic Bar - the passion fruit and grapefruit daiquiri is sublime. The wine list is long and impressive, too. Food-wise, they also serve Asian style Tapas. Fusion has taken great care to create an interesting menu for Five with some real winners like rice noodle open ravioli with crispy duck, banana blossom salad and tempura pumpkin flowers, or black bean scallops and smoked pancetta. There's also a new Natural Cleanse Programme focused on raw Vietnamese food to aid detoxification and improve wellbeing; dishes include salads, soups, juices and desserts with fresh local ingredients such as green papaya, dragon fruit, coconut, rice paddy herb and pomegranate. Everything we ate was very tasty, and we enjoyed sitting on the balcony that runs around the perimeter of the restaurant.

Breakfast is taken very seriously at Fusion Maia, and served until 10.30am in Five. It’s a real spread; rows of fruit sushi, just-baked pastries, meats, yoghurts, and freshly squeezed carrot, beetroot and cucumber juices. You can also choose eggs. If you fancy being private, you can order breakfast from a more basic, but still delicious, menu, anywhere at any time. So if you’d rather eat a full English breakfast on the beach at teatime, you can do just that.

For a change of scene, head into Hoi An (there's a complimentary shuttle service from the hotel). The Fusion Café, next to the river, provides a haven from the hustle and bustle of the busy lanes. It serves gourmet breakfast (which are included in your room rate) as well as pastries, Asian-inspired fusion food, Western café comfort food, and cocktails.

While in Hoi An, you can't pass up the chance to be adventurous and visit at least one of the numerous little riverside eateries serving traditional Vietnamese fare; ask at reception or in Fusion Café if you'd like a recommendation or just wander 'til something takes your fancy. Miss Ly was a favourite of ours. There are also various restaurants in Danang (a 15-minute walk); again, ask reception for recommendations.

Features include:

• Minibar/fridge
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby

Activities

• Get seriously pampered in the Maia Spa, set in its own gardens with an adults-only pool plus a waterfall, Jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. All treatments are included in your room rate - at least 2 per day per guest; more if there are free slots. Choose from scrubs, wraps, reflexology, massages and beauty treatments
  
  
• Drop little girls off at the Mini Maia spa where they can enjoy manicures, pedicures, foot or head massages, alongside some fun activities from hair plaiting to cookie decorating through to Vietnamese hat decorating and laughing yoga
  
  
• Sign up for the Natural Living Programme, a 7-day course designed to help you rebalance your life. It includes healing massages, yoga, breathing workshops, meditation, mood boarding and spa workshops
  
  
• Walk along the unspoilt beach, swim in the sea or take the complimentary surfboards for a paddle (though beware the rip tides)
  
  
• Have a yoga lesson in the garden, in the studio or on the beach
  
  
• Lose yourself in the 16th-century town of Hoi An - the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service to and from and guests can borrow bikes from the Fusion Café. Roam through evocative and beautiful streets, lit by hundreds of lanterns at night, visit the old merchants' houses and bustling fish market, or take a boat trip
  
  
• Hoi An is best known for its fantastic tailoring; there are 400+ shops and pop-up stalls, all with a vast range of Western clothing catalogues to inspire you. We were delighted with our handmade shoes and got a couple of shirts made up at Hugo II. Splash out on a bespoke suit, get a copy of a red-carpet dress, or treat yourself to silk boxer shorts!
  
  
• Take a day trip to the World Heritage site of My Son (69km). Once the ancient capital of the Cham Kingdom, it is a majestic complex of temples and towers. We'd strongly recommend a guided tour or hike through the ruins; ask at reception
  
  
• Explore local villages and walk past lush paddy fields and along the edge of the river; it's a good way to see local life
  
  
• Take a cooking lesson at Fusion Maia: choices include spring roll lessons, claypot cooking and Vietnamese master cooking
  
  
• Play beach volleyball with guests and hotel staff, or ask reception about snorkelling and scuba-diving trips

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cooking classes
• Cycling
• Golf
• Hiking
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Surfing
• Yoga

Kids

Children are welcome - they are not a focal point but families are more than accommodated. Extra beds and baby cots are available, as is babysitting, and staff can lay on special cooking lessons for kids. The main pool is very child-friendly, and when we stayed the guests were approx 50/50 couples/families (although it was over school holidays). Each villa has a private plunge pool, too.

The kids spa & activity centre aims to give parents time to relax in the spa while the younger visitors get creative with Vietnamese hat or lantern decoration, enjoy exercise classes and mini treatments such as pedicures and head massages.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

All villas can accommodate 1 baby cot and 1 rollaway bed. Spa Villas have 2 bedrooms (1 kingsize, 1 twin) plus a kitchenette; Grand Beach Villas have 3 bedrooms (1 kingsize, 2 doubles)

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 10 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Fusion Maia is set on China beach near Danang, halfway up Vietnam's east coast. It's 22km from Hoi An and 120km from Hué.

By Air:
Easiest is to fly into Danang International (9km away). You can also fly into Hué (120km away). If you're coming from Europe, you'll probably fly into Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. From these airports you can either transfer onto an internal flight, or travel overland if you're planning a longer trip. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
The hotel offers transfers from either airport, or you can take a taxi - approx US$10 from Danang and US$100 from Hué in 2012.

By Train:
Vietnam is well served by trains. Take the Reunification Express train to Danang, which operates along the coast from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. See Seat 61 for more details.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.

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