Fleewinter

In a city that is completely congested with traffic we cannot think of a better place to stay. Despite being located down the river in a different province, you can reach the centre of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in just 20 minutes by speedboat - missing all the traffic and seeing a completely different side of the city on the river.

The resort is a gem of a find. Once the home of resort owner Mr Lam, it is not surprising that it has attracted plenty of celebrity guests including Raymond Blanc. Overlooking the river, An Lam has a superb riverside open air restaurant, bar and terrace, pretty swimming pool and gorgeous spa. While the rest of Saigon offers big international-named chain hotels, this little resort is a complete charmer with just 17 completely unique rooms.

To say there is not a bad room in the resort is a big understatement. Each room is completely unique with its own shape, size, design and character. Every room has an over-sized bath tub in handsome bathrooms and all the latest mod-cons including flat screen TVs with movies, air conditioning and wi-fi.

The An Lam Suites, which are the entry-level rooms here, have delightfully high wooden-beamed ceilings with a spacious sitting area, huge dressing room and storage area and wonderful bathrooms. One of the suites has two bedrooms so is ideal for families. If you upgrade to an Pool Suite you will get even more space and a private plunge pool - the Executive Penthouse is our favourite in this collection of rooms as it has a huge terrace with great views.

The resort then has four wonderful villas, one of which is two-bedroom with the other three having one-bedroom. These are the rooms of choice if you want upmost privacy and complete escapism. All have private pools. The one-bed Spa Villa is set over two levels and has a lovely garden area which is completely private with your own gate and fence, but the Song Villa (one-bed) and Sunset Villa (two-bed) are our villas of choice as they are right on the river with huge terraces offering superb views. However, some guests may find these villas a little bit noisy, especially in the morning, when the large engines of the river traffic gets going.

Expect to eat well here, An Lam specialises in great Vietnamese food while also offering an extensive western menu. Thierry, the French general manager of the resort, also runs an exceptional French restaurant in District 2 of Saigon.

The hotel runs a free speedboat shuttle service into town and back three times daily at 10.30am, 3pm and 6.30pm. But please check with the hotel for updated times upon check-in. If you wish to return later in the evening or at another time the resort is accessible by road - a taxi will take you about 40 minutes.