HOMES + INTERIORS
INTERCONTINENTAL DANANG SUN PENINSULA RESORT This award-winning luxe central Vietnam resort opened in mid-2012 on 39 hectares of a purposely preserved mountainside in the Son Tra Peninsula Nature Reserve overlooking Bai Bac Bay, the resort’s exclusive 700-meter golden sand beach. Bangkok-based American architect Bill Bensley designed the indoor and outdoor spaces, creating a signature fusion of Vietnamese architecture, bold high-contrast décor, and whimsical, storied touches. The result is a fantastical realm spread across four levels— Heaven, Sky, Earth, and Sea—taking advantage of the incredible vistas from wherever you are within the resort. Large white maisons with shuttered windows and black-tiled roofs, giant citrus-colored silk chandeliers, hand-carved stone elephants, gardens overflowing with enormous scented blooms, and a quaint boat-shaped funicular transporting guests between beach and hilltop. 92 | UPSCALE LIVING MAGAZINE |
A wealth of French and Vietnamese-inspired furniture, ornately crafted fixtures, and original artwork surprises and delights. Guest rooms are awash with chic modern Vietnamese style and traditionally crafted touches. Think cut-out silhouettes reminiscent of paper lanterns, carved panels of merawan wood, richly embroidered silks, custommade ceramic tiles, and arched walls framing the endless views. All are decorated with the same flair as the public spaces, using black and white as a backdrop to four-poster beds, dark wood furnishings upholstered in pops of color, and eye-catching artworks. Bathrooms are hedonistic, with huge slipper tubs, rain showers, and a stock of Haarn amenities. The resort’s all-day Vietnamese restaurant Citron showcases outdoor dining booths shaped like an inverted nón-lá, the iconic Vietnamese conical hat, and the ultimate in dining with a view. La Maison 1888 features
AUG/SEPT 2023
Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire and resides in a re-creation of a colonial Indochine mansion, and the beachfront L_O_N_G Bar with giant and rustic swinging chairs is playful and inviting. The elegant and eye-popping black-and-white colonial design is striking, with details like electric-powered “punkah fans” adding to the exotic feel. Whimsical luxury has a new expression in Vietnam. https://www.danang.intercontinental.com/
