Need to know
Rooms
36, including 31 suites and villas.
Check–Out
11am, but flexible, subject to availability and a charge of 50% of the room rate if checking out between noon and 6pm. Earliest check-in, 2pm.
More details
Rates include breakfast, fresh fruit in your villa and afternoon snacks at the Cloud Pool Bar.
Also
The winding walkways and hillside setting make this stay unsuitable for guests with mobility issues.
At the hotel
Lush gardens and terraced paddies; stilted-house museum; spring-fed lagoon; waterfall; spa with a herbal room and koi pond; yoga and meditation pavilion; fitness centre; open-air cinema (in season); boutique; chicken farm; fishing pond; kids’ club; charged laundry service; and free WiFi. In rooms: iPad (for room service, buggies, the concierge and more); minibar; coffee- and tea-making kit; and air-conditioning.
Our favourite rooms
This corner of Mai Chau has very few – if any – bad angles it seems, so whether your hideaway’s set on-high or tucked away into the trees, you’re guaranteed a soul-stirring slice of greenery, mountainside, trickling stream, or a valley overhung with a heavenly under-lit layer of cloud (if you’re visiting in autumn). The Senna Villas are the stand-outs for having the handful of the property’s private pools. There are two-bedroom hideaways for families and groups, too.
Poolside
Built to resemble the terraced rice fields it overlooks, the three-tiered Cloud Pool might offer the most spectacular swim you ever take, with far-reaching views across Mai Chau valley from all aspects. Water is filtered in from the waterfall. The top two decks are for lazy soaking and gentle paddles, and the 50-metre lower deck is for athletic laps. While you dry off, order drinks from the bar and admire the scenery from a lounger. And, while you can’t frolic in the waterfall, you can enjoy more intimate swims at the Hidden Spring Lagoon.
Spa
Forget plinky-plonky muzak and token houseplants – at Avana Retreat’s Orchid Spa you get the real deal, with streams burbling tranquilly by, the distant rush of the waterfall, chatty birds, and profuse plant life springing up around the stilted thatched huts of its tucked-away enclave arranged around a koi pond you can meditate beside. Therapists have a knack for herbology and traditional healing methods, and fragrant natural oils are prepared in the dedicated herbal room; all this comes together in detoxifying scrubs and wraps, brightening facials, soothing massages and signature journeys mixing and matching all – or a rose-scattered couple’s treatment. And, for some mind and soul massaging, with singing-bowl meditation, daily hatha and yin yoga morning sessions, breathwork, and sound baths, the Hmong Cottage is a pavilion hidden in the trees. (Meditation sessions must be booked two hours in advance, yoga 10 hours and private classes 24 hours.) A fitness centre has motivating leafy views, too.
Packing tips
Bring yoga gear and shoes that won’t get shredded while trekking. But otherwise, save room for pieu scarves, brocade and batik hangings, rattan baskets, scented candles and local silverware (which is highly symbolic and said to have protective properties), made either by a local village person or by you onsite.
Also
Avana Retreat’s uniforms are inspired by the costumes of the Blue Hmong – an ethnic minority residing in Mai Chau – with ornamental blue batik fabrics, which are embellished with appliqué, cross-stitching and patchwork.
Children
Younger guests will feel like they’ve been plonked into The Jungle Book with all the run-wild fun involved; a free kids’ club offers local arts and crafts and movie nights, and there’s a dedicated menu in the restaurant.
Best for
Avana Retreat’s kids’ club is for ages three to 12, which is a good indicator of who’ll make the most of their stay here.
Recommended rooms
All rooms can fit at least two adults and two kids (charges apply for over-sixes); bigger broods should bag one of the two-bedroom villas (the Senna category has a private pool, too).
Activities
The colourful free kids’ club is a hub of fun – and some learning (under-fours must be accompanied by an adult), from 7am to 10pm each day. Here they’ll try their hand at local crafts (rattan weaving, kite-making, clay sculpting, origami) and eco-friendly play, such as turning trash into souvenirs. Treasure hunts are arranged on the property too and each day ends in a movie night.
Swimming pool
Little ones are welcome to splash about in the Cloud Pool, but there's no lifeguard so keep an eye on fledgling swimmers.
Meals
The kids’ menu sticks with the classics: chicken fingers, burgers, bolognese, pizza, grilled cheese… But, there’s also sea-bass and chips or rice soup if they want a gentle intro to local cuisine.
Babysitting
Babysitting must be booked four hours in advance, and costs VND150,000 an hour per child from 6am to 6pm (increasing to VND200,000 from 6pm to 6am).
No need to pack
If you’re bringing a babe in arms, pack any essential kit, and don’t forget the carrier – prams may not fare too well over the wild, sloped terrain.
Sustainability efforts
Nature played a large part in designing Avana Retreat, where raised wooden pathways twist and turn harmlessly through trees, past waterfalls and over streams and lagoons; 25 acres of woodland have been planted; and buildings use the traditional rammed-earth construction method of the Hmong and Thai peoples, which requires no machinery – they’re then accentuated with bamboo window-frames and rattan-lined palm-thatch roofs. Farmers from the region’s indigenous tribes live near the site and farm the terraced paddies, and 90 per cent of hires are local people who provide insightful tours and visits to neighbouring villages. Staff are provided with English and hospitality training and are offered fair wages and health benefits. Water is purified onsite, and powers the hotel’s turbines; single-use plastics have been banned; and there are LED bulbs and light-sensors throughout.