Six Senses Ninh Van Bay vs. Six Senses Con Dao: A Detailed Comparison

With a long coastline from North to South, Vietnam doesn’t lack nice beach resorts. Two of the most secluded high-end beach resorts in Vietnam are Six Senses Con Dao and Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. Though we enjoyed both greatly, we could see how each property could be more attractive to some people than the other. So here’s a detailed comparison to help you decide whether to have a vacation at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay or Con Dao.

It is definitely quicker and more comfortable to travel from Con Dao Airport to Six Senses Con Dao than from Cam Ranh Airport to Ninh Van Bay. Six Senses Con Dao is just 15 minutes away from Con Dao Airport on a pretty smooth road. On the contrary, to reach Ninh Van Bay from Cam Ranh Airport, you will need to spend an hour in the car and then take a 20-minute speed boat ride which can be quite rough depending on the wind and the sea conditions.

However, Cam Ranh Airport in Nha Trang is much more accessible from other cities than Con Dao Airport. You can fly to Cam Ranh Airport from all major cities in Vietnam as well as some international airports. Con Dao Airport can only be reached via Tan Son Nhat Airport (in Ho Chi Minh city) and Can Tho Airport (in Can Tho). For a short while, there were direct flights from Hanoi to Con Dao via Bamboo Airways, but these have been discontinued due to the airline’s financial struggles.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Booking.com Agoda.com

Six Senses Con Dao
Booking.com Agoda.com

Both resorts are secluded, facing the sea with the mountains in the background. At both places, I enjoyed the feeling of being able to reconnect with nature immensely.

From a visual standpoint, I find the setting at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay to be more dramatic. The resort is spread out along the bay’s coast with interesting rock formations everywhere. Villas are set on the hilltop, beachfront, over water or on the rocks with an architectural style that blends better with the island setting than at Six Senses Con Dao.

The setting at Six Senses Con Dao can feel a bit flat with two rows of villas along the beach. The paths inside the resort are quite linear, so we didn’t feel like walking around to explore as we did at Six Senses Ninh Van.

We have stayed at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay at different times of the year. Generally, Nha Trang weather is quite stable and rarely experiences storms, heavy rains, or hurricanes. Winter is pretty mild and pleasant. The only time we didn’t enjoy the weather was April – May. It was very hot, humid with almost no wind at the resort although it was quite windy in Nha Trang city. There was very little wind even at night. I think the mountains surrounding the bay probably prevented the sea breezes from penetrating inland. 

Our stay at Six Senses Con Dao was in the middle of August, and the weather was quite pleasant with a lot of sea breezes. Besides a quick shower on one day, it was sunny the rest of our stay. The staff told us that the weather on the island could sometimes be unpredictable. So I think it’s best to inquire about the weather at both places before you pick the dates for your trip.

We encountered quite a bit of bugs and mosquitoes in our villa at Con Dao while having no issues at Ninh Van Bay. It was kinda annoying, but the resort provides mosquito coils and repellants to help with that.

Both resorts have about 50 villas, all with private pools. The villas are designed with an eco-friendly approach in mind. Some people are wary of how rustic these Six Senses properties look on the websites. I personally don’t think so and I actually find the architecture at Ninh Van Bay sophisticated with quality construction materials.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay has more villa layouts and locations to choose from than its sister property in Con Dao. Villas at Ninh Van Bay are also more charming with better layouts though most require a fair amount of walking to reach. We highly recommend the rock pool villas, which offer complete privacy and are very close to the water. If you have mobility issues, beach front villas may be the most suitable options, however these villas don’t have direct ocean views and don’t feel as spacious.

Additionally, if you want utmost privacy, the villas at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay will satisfy your needs better. No one could see or hear you. I find the villas at Con Dao quite close to each other, and we could hear the neighbors talk or play music.

I will cast my vote for the food at Six Senses Con Dao with no hesitation, more delicious and reasonably priced. They use fresh seafood, fresh vegetables from their garden and mushrooms from their mushroom hut. We tried both onsite restaurants and were generally happy with our meals. Loved the mushroom pizza at their By The Beach restaurant.

The food at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay was quite lackluster. There were still some dishes we could enjoy such as grilled scallops with scallion oil and the breakfast spread. Often at night, you may have no choice but to opt for the dinner buffet at their onsite restaurants.

We have tried almost all activities offered at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, from sunset cruises, snorkeling, morning fishing to night squid fishing. None of them truly impressed us, though some were more fun than others. Please don’t waste your time and money on the afternoon tea experience. The sunset cruise can be a hit or miss since it’s often pretty cloudy late afternoon and you may not see a sunset.

At Six Senses Ninh Van Bay, just wandering around to explore the resort is quite interesting. For example, visiting the hilltop gym requires a fair amount of climbing steps, a mini exercise in its own rights. The resort can organize guided tours to Nha Trang city but I don’t recommend it. Nha Trang city is no longer what it once was thanks to mass tourism.

We were very lucky to be able to participate in a baby turtle release during our stay. Watching these tiny creatures crawling on the sand and making their ways to the ocean was a beautiful experience. If you want to witness the hatchling release, I think visiting between June and September is your best bet.

Service is about the same at both places. Staff are polite and friendly in general. They are always eager to help with any requests. However, for first-time visitors, the service might not feel particularly personal or special.

Over the years, having visited Six Senses Ninh Van Bay multiple times and occasionally staying for a week, we’ve developed a closer relationship with the staff and management. Each return visit feels increasingly familiar. It certainly helps that we always stay in the same villa, and the staff often help to ensure we get the villa we requested.

Choosing between Six Senses Con Dao and Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is a tough decision. Both places will give you wonderful getaway vacations, far from the hustle and bustle of big cities. I admit that we have returned to Six Senses Ninh Van Bay many times due to the plentiful flight availabilities.

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Booking.com Agoda.com

Six Senses Con Dao
Booking.com Agoda.com

I think it is worth visiting both places if time permits since each place has its own uniqueness. They are among the best resorts in Vietnam. If you only have time for one place, and a lovely beach for swimming is a must, I would recommend Six Senses Con Dao. If complete privacy and beautiful architecture are important to you, Six Senses Ninh Van Bay has the edge here.