Our Reviews

Some resorts are about the beach. Others are about the room, the restaurant, or the spa. At InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, it is difficult to separate one from the other because everything has been designed as part of the landscape.
The resort occupies 39 hectares of protected mountainside on Vietnam's Son Tra Peninsula, overlooking Bai Bac Bay and a secluded 700-metre stretch of beach. It opened in 2012 and was designed by architect Bill Bensley, whose imagination is everywhere, from the bold colours and Vietnamese details to the unusual way the resort climbs the hillside in four distinct levels: Heaven, Sky, Earth and Sea.
It is dramatic, certainly, but it never feels as though the setting has been pushed aside to make room for the hotel. Quite the opposite. The rainforest, sea and architecture are the experience.

The Location

InterContinental Danang sits on the Son Tra Peninsula, around 20 kilometres from Danang International Airport and about 13 kilometres from the city centre. The resort is deliberately removed from the urban bustle, yet Danang and the cultural sights of Central Vietnam remain accessible.

The peninsula itself is the attraction.

Dense jungle surrounds the resort, and the landscape is home to distinctive wildlife and flora. Guests can explore with the resort's nature team, including guided wildlife expeditions and walks through the surrounding forest.

Beyond Danang, this part of Vietnam gives you access to some of the country's great cultural destinations. Hoi An, Hue and My Son are all within reach, making the resort a particularly good choice for travellers who want a beach escape without giving up the opportunity to explore Central Vietnam.

First Impressions

The arrival is part of the story.

Rather than building across a flat piece of land, the resort follows the contours of the peninsula. Its four levels create the sensation of moving through different worlds as you travel down towards the sea.

The design is unmistakably Bensley. There are rich colours, ornate details, oversized architectural gestures and playful touches that reward a second look. Yet underneath all that theatre is a strong sense of Vietnamese identity, expressed through materials, patterns, furniture and references to local culture.

Then the rainforest opens up and you see Bai Bac Bay below.

That is usually the moment when you realise this is not going to feel like an ordinary beach holiday.

Rooms and Suites

There are 189 accommodations across the resort, ranging from 70-square-metre guest rooms to villas and residences reaching around 500 square metres. Every accommodation has views towards the rainforest, sea or lagoon and generous outdoor areas for relaxing and dining.

Even the entry-level rooms are designed to make the surroundings part of the experience.

The Resort Classic Room Oceanview, for example, is around 70 square metres and combines contemporary comfort with Vietnamese-inspired décor. Panoramic rooms open the views further, while the suites add more indoor and outdoor living space.

But it is the villas and residences that take the resort's concept to another level.

Private pools, large terraces, outdoor showers and individual living spaces make them feel closer to private homes than hotel rooms. Many also come with dedicated resort hosts known as Người Dẫn Lối, who can arrange the details of your stay.

The three-bedroom Sun Peninsula Residence is a particularly spectacular example. Spread across 1,000 square metres, it has three bedrooms, two infinity pools, private gardens and terraces, outdoor showers and its own staircase down to the beach.

For families or groups, it is almost a destination within the destination.

Dining at InterContinental Danang

The dining programme is one of the resort's strongest features.

La Maison 1888 is the headline. Set high above the resort, the restaurant brings French fine dining into the rainforest, with Michelin-starred chef Christian Le Squer overseeing the cuisine. It was the first Michelin-starred restaurant in Danang and remains the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Central Vietnam.

The setting is as theatrical as the food. You move from tropical forest into an elegant dining room filled with French and Vietnamese references, with the resort's playful design continuing indoors.

For something distinctly Vietnamese, Citron is the place to go. Its menu travels through the country's northern, central and southern cuisines, giving guests an opportunity to explore Vietnam through food without leaving the resort.

Tingara takes things in another direction with contemporary Japanese cooking and teppanyaki, while Terra Mare brings dining closer to the beach with a more relaxed approach.

Then there is L_O_N_G Bar, which stretches for 50 metres and is made for long afternoons that gradually become evenings. Cocktails, wine and light bites are the order of the day.

For something more traditional, the resort's afternoon tea is another lovely ritual, while private dining can be arranged on terraces or beneath the stars.

Mi Sol Spa

The spa takes its cues from the surrounding nature rather than trying to compete with it.

Mi Sol Spa is designed as a place to slow down, with treatments incorporating sound and vibration alongside more traditional therapies. The setting within the forest makes the experience feel particularly removed from everyday life.

The resort also offers wellness and fitness facilities, while the surrounding landscape provides another form of exercise entirely. A morning walk through the peninsula can be just as restorative as an hour in the gym.

For guests staying in the Spa Lagoon Villa, the experience becomes even more private. The villa comes with its own lagoon-style setting and additional benefits including a 60-minute spa treatment for two on stays of at least three nights, along with a dedicated Villa Host.

The Beach and Pools

The private beach stretches for around 700 metres along Bai Bac Bay.

It is wonderfully secluded, backed by the forested peninsula rather than a row of neighbouring hotels. That sense of separation is one of the resort's greatest assets.

There are also three pools throughout the property, giving you several ways to spend an afternoon without necessarily going down to the beach.

For villa guests, private infinity pools add another option. The best ones make the most of the steep landscape, with the sea appearing almost directly below the terrace.

Exploring Son Tra and Central Vietnam

It would be easy to spend an entire week without leaving the resort.

But the surroundings deserve some attention.

The Son Tra Peninsula is rich in wildlife, and the resort's nature programme offers guided walks and wildlife expeditions. The landscape itself is a good reminder that this is not simply a beach development. It is a resort built into a living forest.

For culture, Danang makes a good base for exploring Central Vietnam.

Hoi An is an obvious choice for an evening of old streets and lanterns. My Son offers a very different experience among the remains of the ancient Champa civilisation, while Hue opens up the imperial history of Vietnam.

The concierge can arrange transport, guides and other experiences, so you can balance days of exploration with days when the only plan is the beach.

What Sets InterContinental Danang Apart?

It is the sheer personality of the place.

Many high-end resorts rely on simplicity. InterContinental Danang does the opposite. It is colourful, eccentric, theatrical and full of details.

Yet it never feels disconnected from its surroundings.

The architecture follows the mountain. The rooms open towards the sea and forest. The restaurants tell different parts of the Vietnamese culinary story. Even the spa uses the natural setting as part of the experience.

And because the resort occupies such a large private site, there is a genuine feeling of discovery. One moment you are walking through lush gardens, the next you are descending towards the beach or arriving at a restaurant with a completely different view.