Anantara Hoi An Unveils New Riverfront Suites
Hoi An remains one of the easiest Vietnamese towns to fall for, a lantern-lit UNESCO old quarter that Malaysian travellers keep returning to. Along the Thu Bon River that runs through it, Anantara Hoi An Resort has finished its biggest transformation since it opened in 2013, with a new set of riverfront suites, a redesigned pool and a rebuilt restaurant and bar.
The work centres on the river. Eight new Thu Bon River Suites have been added, ten Premium River Suites completely renovated, and the resort's signature suite converted into a new Anantara Two-Bedroom River Suite for families and groups. All 19 suites have been refreshed with interiors that blend French colonial character with Asian influences, split-level layouts, private terraces or balconies, and uninterrupted views over the water.
What a stay now includes
Guests in the enhanced suites get a dedicated room host, in-suite check-in and check-out, one complimentary 60-minute spa treatment per person per stay, and access to the private steam room at Anantara Spa. The larger Two-Bedroom River Suite and Garden Suite categories add a welcome bottle of wine and a private wine fridge, along with luxury beach bags, bath salts and premium teas.
The pool area has been rebuilt as a tropical garden on the banks of the Thu Bon, with cabanas, oversized loungers and landscaped planting, kept open to the river view for morning swims and sunset drinks by the water.
A restaurant built around a terrace
The resort's dining venue, Art Space Restaurant and Bar, has been redesigned around a tropical terrace, serving signature cocktails and tapas-style plates alongside wood-fired pizzas. A sit-up bar anchors the room, a performance stage now hosts regular live music, and the walls carry original work from local and Vietnam-based artists, so the space doubles as a small gallery. Beyond the new suites, pool and restaurant, the resort keeps its Deluxe Balcony Rooms, Deluxe Garden Suites, Anantara Spa and four meeting spaces.
"This is the most exciting evolution of the resort since opening more than a decade ago," said Ross Sanders, Area General Manager for Vietnam, pointing to the new river suites, the pool and the reworked restaurant.
Worth the detour from Malaysia
Getting there is the easy part. Budget carriers run direct routes between Malaysia and Vietnam, and there are regular fare sales on the Kuala Lumpur to Vietnam legs worth watching if Hoi An is on the list. Da Nang International Airport is the nearest gateway, about 45 minutes up the coast from the old town.
Anantara is a Minor Hotels brand with a heavy presence across the region, including in Malaysia, where its Desaru Coast resort on the Johor shore plays a similar role for a beach weekend. For a slower few days in central Vietnam, the Hoi An property now puts the river at the centre of the stay, which is the whole reason to be in the town in the first place.
Cover photo: Omar David Sandoval Sida, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
