We left Nha Trang for the Mia Resort on December 30, 2014. The drive took about 30 minutes and was all along the coastline with stunning views of the mountains meeting the sea. We turned into the resort and were immediately prompted to drop our bags and go to the bar for a welcome drink…and to take in this view:

Ah, paradise. After enjoying our sugarcane drink, we were driven by golf cart to our room, which was set up for honeymooners. There was a swan decoration made from towels on the bed that was covered with flowers right from the resort grounds, a basket of fresh and local fruits, and sparkling wine. Lovely!

We had a garden view, which had us overlooking the lush, tropical grounds and the blue sea beyond. The bathroom had an enormous soaker tub accompanied with bath salts and every toiletry imaginable, it seemed.

We were close to the restaurant, pool and beach so headed down there for dinner and stumbled onto a wine tasting! We tried all the different wines that the resort offered on its menu and each selected a glass to enjoy on the outdoor lounge. The waves were huge and the sounds of them crashing were both soothing and romantic.

For dinner we had an appetizer sampler that included spring rolls and for the main course I had an amazing Vietnamese sour soup called “canh ca thi la” with tomatoes, onion and loads of fresh dill in a broth that gently poached chunks of sea bass. I could not get enough of the soups in Vietnam – they were all amazing.

After dinner, we took a bottle of bubbly back to the room and watched a movie. Perfection.

We woke up on NYE and went down to the restaurant for breakfast. The buffet had everything – a crepe station, a pho station, hot selections, cheese and charcuterie, fruits, fresh pressed juices, pastries…we were in heaven! They also had an a la carte menu that we could order off of and still get the buffet. Whoa, food! 

After our decadent meal, we went up to the spa for our complimentary massages. We used the sauna first, then enjoyed our couples massage with sweeping views of the mountainside and ocean, as the spa was perched on the cliff. I had a manicure and pedicure after the massage and then met Sean back at the room. We headed down to the beach for some sun, a walk, lunch and yummy cocktails. It was a glorious day. Extremely windy with waves making it too dangerous to swim, but glorious nonetheless.

After our relaxing day, we decided to take a nap before the NYE festivities began. The resort had a huge buffet dinner with tons of local seafood – oysters, lobster, clams, scallops, shrimp, sushi – as well as hot foods and huge dessert bar. After dinner, there was a dragon dance and drum performance which was so fun.

Then we headed up the cliffside to the main bar for more drinks, belly dancers and the countdown to 2015. Sean and I sat outside, me with wine and him with a Bia Saigon, as we watched the staff hang the letters on the sign. We wondered why they were waiting until 30 minutes before to do this and why they hadn’t done it sooner to test that the lights would work. Then, we smelled the gas and Sean realized that the reason they hadn’t tested the lights was because the lights were going to be fire. The letters were being doused to kerosene to be set ablaze at midnight. Yet another example of things that would never be done in the US because it would be too “dangerous.” It was the highlight of the night for us and something we will never forget!

New Year’s Day was bright and sunny. We had another delicious breakfast overlooking the ocean and then walked around the resort before the start of our cooking class. We couldn’t get enough of these killer views!

We realized we had eaten breakfast too close to the time of the class, as we were too full to eat much of what we made! The staff was very nice and had everything prepped for us. We made spring rolls, bun thit nuong (shredded pork over vermicelli noodles), and fish in a clay pot with pork belly. We loved everything – especially the fish. It was cooked in a sauce that included caramel and chilies so it cooked down to a sweet, slightly spicy glaze that was rich and yummy. 

We ate the fish, but had the staff take the bun thit nuong and spring rolls back to our room to eat later. We had a blast learning to make these three traditional Vietnamese dishes.

We took the shuttle back to Nha Trang in the afternoon. The views along the drive were beautiful.

We walked the wide boulevard along the beach before heading into the city to find a tailor. Sean had three shirts made and I found lovely material for a scarf. The local shop had a friendly owner with a great sense of humor that we immediately connected with. She offered to take measurements for pants for Sean in case he wanted to order some later, and then said we could leave our luggage in her shop the next night when we came into town to wait for our overnight train back to Saigon. So nice!

We did a bit of shopping, then went on a mission to find a little brewery that we had passed earlier in the week. After a few wrong turns, we arrived and enjoyed a craft beer on their patio.

And how could we pass up another chance to imbibe at Patrick Wine Bar? We could not. We had some bubbles to toast the new year and got a photo with Patrick himself. 

Friday, January 2nd was our last full day in Vietnam. It was cloudy, windy and cool in the morning which meant even bigger waves than the previous days. We lingered in the restaurant after breakfast, taking it all in.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the resort. We relaxed and read by the pool, strolled the grounds, had lunch, visited the spa to enjoy the sauna and had an early evening coffee and tea at the bar. We took the shuttle back to Nha Trang in the evening and picked up Sean’s shirts and my scarf from the tailor. We had sushi for dinner – it was pretty good and cost about a quarter of what it would have in the U.S. We loved Nha Trang – the slower pace, smaller size of the city, fresh food, and friendliness of the people was amazing. We were definitely sad to have to leave.

We took the overnight train back to Saigon. I didn’t sleep well but didn’t get motion-sick, either. We went straight to the airport from the train station and said our goodbyes to Vietnam and our honeymoon. It was a long journey home and not without its stresses, but the adventures we had and memories we created will be what will always stay with us. What an incredible trip!