Visit far-flung Con Dao islands in Vietnam

Escape to Vietnam’s Con Dao islands with InsideVietnam Tours

Specialist operator features recently-opened Poulo Condor Resort in new itinerary

Until now the far-flung Con Dao islands have rarely been visited by the UK traveller.  This year a new, stylish – but affordable – destination has opened its doors in this stunning location, off the south coast of Vietnam, the Poulo Condor Resort.

Now part of a new itinerary from specialist tour operator InsideVietnam Tours, the Poulo Condor Resort comprises 16 suites and 20 villas.  With simple, elegant interiors evocative of the French colonial period (Poulo Condor is the 18th century name for the islands), the resort has a low-key luxury feel.   It’s ideally situated on an immaculate stretch of private white-sand beach, backed by the foothills of Lo Voi Mountain.

Suites are generously proportioned at 83 sq m, with separate living areas, while the villas range from 107 sq m for a double-bedroomed Colonial Suite Villa to the expansiveness of the 251 sq m of the four-bedroomed Poulo Condor Pool Villas.  Villas have all the facilities of the suites, as well as private terraces, outdoor showers and oversized beds within airy, spacious bedrooms.

The Con Dao islands are a cluster of 16 islets in the South China Sea, 155 miles – or one hour’s plane journey – from Ho Chi Minh City. Only the main island, Con Son, is inhabited, though the other islands can be visited by boat. The Con Daos are blissfully tranquil, with ravishing sandy bays, rainforests and healthy coral reefs to explore.  With quaint, colonial-era seaside promenades and manicured hedgerows, Con Son seems to have withstood the passing of time, but its history is gripping – until 1970 the islands were the location of a prison camp operated on brutal lines, first by the French and then by the Americans.  Today, the Poulo Condor Resort is the calm antithesis to this unhappy past and provides the perfect coastal retreat after a wider trip that takes in the other iconic Vietnamese must-sees.

InsideVietnam Tours includes the Poulo Condor Resort in its ‘The Delta: Culture and Islands’ itinerary.  This 13-night holiday takes in well-known and fascinating cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, alongside Hoi An, a graceful, historic coastal town where travellers can take part in a local cookery course, and splendid Halong Bay, where the itinerary features a cruise amongst the bay’s impressive limestone islets.  The trip ends with four nights’ relaxation at Poulo Condor Resort in a suite.  The itinerary starts at £1880 pp (two sharing) and includes internal transfers and flights, B&B accommodation, five tours or experiences, but not international flights.

For further information visit www.insideasiatours.com or, to talk to an expert, call 0117 370 9758.