I have been to Six Senses Con Dao resort twice this year. The first time to celebrate my 40^th birthday with seven of my best friends. The second time alone as I need time to relax and recharge. Two very different trips. Read on for my review of Six Senses Con Dao resort.

The resort is situated on the southern shore of the Con Dao Island and has direct access to the most secluded part of the coastline. Let’s see what made my stay there memorable and enjoyable.

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How to get there

Con Son Island is a 40-minute flight to Co Ong Airport from Ho Chi Min, then a 10-minute transfer to the resort. The flights, operated by VASCO are cheap but often full so it is recommended to book them a few weeks in advance if possible.

Also, worth noting that even though we booked the flight on Vietnam airline, they refused to recognize the star alliance status so we had to pay for extra luggage.

The airport in Ho Chi Min was very chaotic so make sure you allow ample time for check-ins.

Vasco has a bad reputation for canceling flights and it cost me dearly on my second trip. I was scheduled to fly out of Con Dao on Thursday morning with their 7 am flight but they canceled the flight. Thankfully, Six Senses checked the flight and warned me that my flight was canceled. Vietnam Airline or Vasco did not even bother to let me know about the flight cancelation

The only way for me to make it on time for my international flight was to leave Con Dao the day before. Which means that I lost a night that I had booked at Six Senses.

 

TIP: If you have an international connection, it might be better to plan for a night in Ho Chi Min or at least make sure there are a few flights you can take as a backup plan after your flight is canceled

 

Check-in at Six Senses Con Dao

The check-in process was very smooth. We ordered the transfer from the hotel. It was three or four times the price of taking a local taxi from the airport, but we felt pampered. From the moment of our arrival, cold drinks and towels from the resort were waiting for us at the airport at the luggage carousel. We got into the car, and on the way there, our driver pointed out a few of the tourist attractions on the island.

Our group arrived at the Six Senses Con Dao resort reception, and more drinks were waiting for us. We were quickly taken to a room, but we stopped on the way for a complimentary, ice cream which was a very nice touch from the Sixth Sense resort.

Review of the rooms at Six Senses Con Dao

The Six Senses Con Dao resort has more than 50 pools, which means that each villa has its own pool.

During my first trip, we were lucky to have a four-bedroom villa with a sea view. Our villa even had two private pools. The villas are very spacious, and the raw wood finishing gives them a bit of a Robinson Crusoe feel.  The general décor feels welcoming and warm, which is more than enough to take away all of the tiredness from long flights and traveling.

On my second trip, I had a three-bedroom seafront villa. The villa layout of the sea view and seafront villas are the same. But the seafront villa is right on the beach. What a luxury to be able to walk down a few steps and be right on one of the nicest beaches in the world

TIP: Seafront villas are even more special so I recommend paying the small extra fee to get a seafront villa.

The villas have a secluded feeling so that the people who are tired of all the socialization and want a private getaway can relax. The rooms are made completely of wood, so they have a classy look. The sofas have bright colored cushions, and the towel stands are made of rope. This has a strong resemblance to the Vietnamese villages in the vicinity.

While most resort reviews are not about sleep quality, the kind of environment set for sleeping in Six Senses resort is worth discussing. Their plush handmade mattresses and pillows are the best that I’ve ever slept on. This feature alone makes the resort a must-stay for the people who need a relaxing holiday.

I got a bit carried away by the pillow menu. It had many, many options, and I ended up trying seven of them. So, make sure you stay long enough if you want to sample all of their pillows!

The room has all of the standard amenities you would expect from such a resort. Including sparkling and still drinking water and tea and coffee making facilities. It’s also worth noting that they order some of their teas from the best tea house in Ho Chi Min, which I visited on my stopover.

The room ( and the whole resort) have a lot of mosquito’s I knew it for my second trip so I came prepared. I had 2 mosquito’s plugin machine. I also asked the hotel to swap their pretty mosquito net for a bigger one that would actually wrap around the bed and not let any mosquito’s in.

 

 

Bathrooms are also super comfortable with a large bathtub ( slow to fil 🙁  ) and outdoor showers

 

The food at Six Senses Con Dao

Food is the most significant part of a vacation, particularly when it is mouth-watering and delicious. Am I right?

There are two restaurants at the Six Senses Con Dao resort: the first one is on the beach and serves continental and Asian food, and the second one is in the Village area and serves Vietnamese food.

Since I stayed at the Six Senses Con Dao two times 7 days, I  got to try both of those restaurants several times, and the food was really good. The food at the resort was also a great option for a relaxed night in the resort and compares very well in price and quality with most of the high-end resorts. But like most high-end resorts, it felt overpriced compared to local restaurants in Con Dao or Ho Chi Min. They had new chefs starting out during my first week there. The quality of the food has improved significantly since my last trip. Both the continental restaurants and the Vietnamese restaurant were delicious

 

 

 

 

 

Breakfast was fantastic with a wide selection of dishes and some of the best-smoked salmon I have had in Asia. A few mornings, we even made use of the “make your own Bloody Mary or Mimosa” stations. It was the perfect way to start a lazy day.

It is also very easy to leave the Six Senses Con Dao resort to go eat in town. We did that a few nights. The resort can call a taxi for you, and it takes about 10 minutes to drive to the town. The two restaurants we enjoyed the most were Thu Ba for local seafood and Bar 200 for pizza. Their pizza was nicer than the resort pizza. Both restaurants were very casual.

 

 

 

The resort and activities at Six Senses Con Dao resort

 

The spa at Six Senses Con Dao resort is one of the things that they are most proud of.
It is fantastic and beautifully decorated, and the therapists are high-end. The spa menu is diverse and attractive. The salt baths and massages in aromatic surroundings are luxurious and comforting. The massage I did was one of the best I have done. So if you are in Con Dao and the weather doesn’t allow you to go outside. Check out the spa. you won’t be disappointed.

 

There are also complementary activities at the Six Senses Con Dao spa throughout the week to teach skills like giving a massage or making coconut oil.

 

The water activities were a bit of a letdown. We were looking forward to sailing, windsurfing, or stand-up paddleboarding. But during our stay, most activities were unavailable most of the days. We understood that the government does not allow Six Senses Con Dao resort to have sailing boats anymore. The weather was also too rough while we were there. We were not allowed to use a stand-up paddleboard five days out of seven.

We were also very excited about their stars observatory as we were there during the moon eclipse, but unfortunately, it was also down for “maintenance” during our stay.

I tried their morning cycling and it was great but challenging. The road goes up and down a lot. I did struggle to make it to the top of a cliff but the view over the Six Senses Con Dao bay was worthwhile. It was also well organized and lead.

I also did their morning yoga most morning. It is at 7:30 so expect to wake up early. It is a quick and easy class as it would usually last 30-ro minutes only. I would complement that with a morning walk on the beach

 

The beach is amazing and probably one of the nicest ones in Vietnam, and we spent our days between the beach and our private pool. We enjoyed it so much that we barely left the hotel.

TIP: Towards the end of the beach, after the villa’s, there are steps going up the cliff. If you go up, you will be rewarded with an amazing viewpoint of the Six Senses Con Dao beach. You can even go down the other side and end up on a totally private and secluded beach. See some pictures from the viewpoint below. For some reason, I only discovered this on the last day of my second weeklong stay.

 

Check my post on what to do in Con Dao for more information about exploring Con Dao Island. Worth noting that the Six Senses beach is, in my opinion, the nicest beach in Con Dao. So it might not be worth your time to go and explore the other beaches.

I rented a motorbike from the hotel and went on to explore the island for 4 hours. I drove around, visited the historic town of Con Son and visited the famous prisons

 

The diving in Con Dao island

Con Dao markets itself as the best diving destination in Vietnam, so we were keen to try it.

What a disappointment! At 180 US dollars for 1 dive, it was the most expensive and worst dive that I have ever done in my 20 years of diving. Even though the dive company was very friendly and professional, visibility was about 2 meters, and we didn’t see anything really. They also take snorkellers on the boat from other hotels which makes it feel cramped. We went there in July, which is supposed to be the best season for diving. However, the winds and choppy water reduced visibility to almost nothing. If this is the best diving in Vietnam and you want to dive, pick the Philippines or Indonesia! Check out my dive reviews with posts on Alor, Komodo, Maumere, East Timor or Kupang

 

Six Senses Con Dao is a Green resort

 

 

 

 

What feels really good about staying at Six Senses is that there a commitment to sustainability. There is no plastic within the resort. They monitor their carbon footprint. They try to protect the bay in front of the hotel so that Dugong and Turtles can keep their habitat. It didn’t seem to work for us as in a week, we have not seen any. They also have a nesting area where they collect turtles eggs. It is located behind the water sports activity center so you can go and see it. You might be lucky to be there when the turtle hatch and help release the babies into the sea.

Six senses also had a wastewater management program and treat all of the resorts’ water. They recycle most of their waste and use LED lights to reduce energy consumption.

 

When to go to Con Dao, Vietnam

Seasons are very important in Con Dao. The best time if you want a quiet sea, no rain and sunshine is in March and April.

The rainy season is from May until November. I was there in July for my first trip and it was OK. We did get a bit of rain but most of the time was nice

December and January are when the big winds hit the island. I was there for the second week of December and it was the worst weather I have ever experienced on vacation.

In a whole week, I got about 3 hours of sun… And most of the time was too windy to even be outside. Not so great for a beach vacation. I was told that they even had to evacuate the hotel on Christmas Day on 2017 due to the strong wind. So please read this and book your holiday to Six Senses Con Dao at the right time.

Conclusion

I had a great time at Six Senses Con Dao resort. The availability of large villas makes it the perfect choice for a large group or family who has something to celebrate. This resort is best catered to people who need to chill. It has some of the most amazing beaches in the world, which you will have all to yourself.  Amazing accommodations and high-end service await.

For information about prices and availability, click here:

 

 

Other hotels to consider in Vietnam that I have reviewed are the Four Seasons Nah Hai. If you are looking for a paradise island and are willing to go basic, do consider Alor in Indonesia. It is also a very luxurious place in its own way but totally different from the Six Senses. For me definition of Luxury travel, read here

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Have you ever experienced Six Senses Con Dao resort? I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a comment or review below.