Da Nang, Vietnam

Da Nang actually isn’t that spectacular history wise. Most people will know the city from China Beach, where the Americans landed and the Vietnamese war began.

However, Da Nang has beautiful beaches which makes it perfect to stay with kids. The city is developing fast and becoming one of the most popular resort towns especially amongst the Vietnamese locals. With not only wonderful stretches of beach, but also good restaurants and some spectacular resorts.

The city is located in between two very popular cities amongst western tourists, to the north is Hue and a short drive to the south is Hoi An.

We specifically chose to stay in Da Nang and not in one of the two other cities because in Da Nang we could both relax and enjoy the beautiful beaches, while being in the perfect location to visit the two other towns. So our main focus during our stay was relaxing in a beautiful resort and visiting Hoi An a couple of times to have some dresses made and to taste the authentic atmosphere of this historic town.

Here are some awesome things to do in Da Nang /Hoi An with kids. If you follow this list you will for sure see all the major highlights of this wonderful city. Use it as a check-list. It works really well.

Hoi An bridge

• Relax at the many beautiful beaches Da Nang has to offer;
• Visit the popular city of Hoi An and while there:
  • Wander the streets of Hoi An;
  • Have clothes made at one of the many tailors (we were very satisfied with Yaly couture, where we had matching dresses made for me and the girls);
  • Participate in a cooking class, the best known is Red Bridge cooking school but it’s certainly not the only one, there are many cooking schools in Hoi An;
  • Make a Vietnamese lantern at the Backstreet academy (for kids age 6 and up);
  • Make a wish by lighting a lantern at the riverside at nighttime;
  • Visit the market in Hoi An;
  • Eat at one of the many fantastic restaurants the town has to offer.
• Visit the historic city of Hue (by train);
• Drive on, or walk past, the Dragon bridge and see how beautifully it is lit at night;
• Climb the Marble mountains and enjoy the fantastic view;
• Go to the Cham Museum where you’ll find the largest collection of Cham art and sculptures.

the Beach at the Intercontinental DA Nang

Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

Son Tra Peninsula, Da Nang,
Vietnam
+(84) 236 393 8888
www.ihg.com

Price range

$$$$

Location

The Intercontinental Danang is located on the Son Tra Peninsula, a little outside the town of Da Nang in the heart of the Son Tra Nature Reserve.

Accommodation

We had a Club Terrace Suite Ocean View and a Club Intercontinental Room Ocean View connected via a central hallway leading to the two rooms. The rooms are extremely nice. Designed by famous hotel architect Bill Bensley. The Club Intercontinental Room offers two very large double beds, perfect for 2 (younger) kids to share. While we had a beautiful corner room with King size terrace.

The bathrooms are fantastic with large walkin showers and a bath overlooking the sea. It was real heaven.

Dining

The hotel has several restaurants, all with their own theme. Citron, the hotel’s main restaurant, where breakfast is also served, offers fantastic inverted non-la seating booths, overlooking the resort premises and bay. Make sure to reserve the booths, because they are very popular for breakfast. But you’ll have to sit there at least once during your stay. I think it’s up there with the 5 the best breakfast spots I ever had!

We also spent many afternoons at the long bar. A gorgeously designed bar on the beach, which serves simple meals at night as well. The great thing here for kids is that they have a Kids’ Bar adjacent to the Long Bar and close to the Kids’ pool where the younger guests can enjoy such things as ice cream, popcorn and specially created mocktails for kids. How fun is that!?

Barefoot is the perfect place for chic and casual dining at one of the fishing boat tables by an ocean breeze. We ate here many times and the kids loved playing on the beach while we could talk about the day.

Services and amenities for kids

The Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula resort has the “Travel in Style with Kids” label.  For an overview of the services and amenities for kids at this hotel click here. Amenities provided by the hotel in green.

Extra info

Beautiful architecture

We love this hotel! Especially the kids. They still call it one of their favorite hotels ever. The hotel is big, but still there are many cosy corners to just relax so you won’t get the feeling that it’s so massive.

The design by architect Bill Bensley is just out of the world. Like his other work, everything is thought out in detail and which such creative imagination and fantasy. We are a huge fan of his work.

There is so much to do for children. A super cool kids club for children age 4-12, sports lessons, a movie theatre, lantern  and non-la making lessons, private karaoke and family tv rooms in various themes, a kids pool, a kids bar. At Heaven level there is a pool table, marble chess and Wii games always available. And a library full of books for lazy afternoons.

Cargo Club