Michèle S.
Google
A beautiful resort, but some letdowns for this price range
We spent two nights at The Island Lodge and paid over $200 per night – extremely expensive by Vietnamese standards. The resort is beautiful: clean, well-maintained, issues (like a flickering pool light) were fixed within a day, breakfast was fabulous, live music in the evenings and the staff kind and attentive.
Still, personally I cannot give 5 stars due to several issues – especially for a luxury price tag.
Biggest letdown: We had asked if we could book a scenic transfer from Saigon with a few stops. This was confirmed in advance, justifying the $70 price. But the driver didn’t speak a word of English and just drove us straight to the resort. No added value. With Grab, we’d have paid half the price.
Also disappointing: bicycle rental was not included – unlike in every single (much cheaper!) place we stayed across Vietnam. On top of that, one bike had technical issues. Charging for bikes in a luxury eco-resort felt petty.
Dinner: Since there are no alternatives nearby, we ate at the resort twice. The fish my mom had was great both times. But vegetarian options were truly underwhelming. Just 5 dishes – mostly Western (pizza, pasta) or boring basics like fried rice with egg. I chose the tofu with tomato sauce: it was bland, barely seasoned, and not Vietnamese-style. The second day i ordered the veggie noodles they were also very unseasoned and boring and they came with probably imported broccoli and dehydrated and then not properly hydrated again mushrooms – a sad attempt at fusion cuisine. Ironically, I had far better veg food at humble local eateries. Here, I felt completely overlooked as a vegetarian.
Bright side: the 7 bridges bike tour with Khai was fantastic – he speaks fluent English, explained everything about local life, coconut farming, and Mekong culture. A highlight of our trip!
Cleanliness: The room looked clean, but crumbs kept appearing, and the bath mat turned brown when wiping water from the floor. So at least the floor wasn’t properly cleaned.
Nice detail: in-room natural cosmetics. But then again – the bathroom has an open window without glass, making it impossible to cool efficiently (bad for the environment). And the mosquito spray provided was a toxic chemical bomb – very contradictory for a seemingly eco-conscious resort.
Finally, my personal frustration: a spray my mom brought me espcially from Switzerland went missing shortly after check-in. I asked at reception, was promised a follow-up – but got no response and never saw it again.
Also other times I asked for something from the staff it just got forgotten and I needed to ask again...
Conclusion:
The Island Lodge is tranquil and beautifully designed. But for this price, service should be much more consistent. The food, communication, and small but meaningful details need attention. If you eat fish & meat and just want to relax, you probably will enjoy it anyway.