InterContinental Nha Trang

InterContinental sits at 32–34 Tran Phu, on the most central stretch of the seafront. It has 277 rooms and suites, and its biggest asset is the location: you can walk to the beach, walk to the food, and won't need a car for most of what you'd do.

It's the sensible pick if you want five-star standards but still want to eat on the street and explore on foot, rather than being locked into a resort out of town.

To be specific about the location: 32–34 Tran Phu sits next door to the Sheraton at 26–28, on the most central stretch of the beachfront. From here the beach, the restaurants inland and the island-tour desks are all on foot. No vehicle needed for most of a trip. That is exactly what no Bai Dai resort can offer.

On price: room rates in Nha Trang swing hard with the domestic calendar: Tet, the 30 April–1 May holiday and the June-to-August school break are the dearest and fill earliest, while October to December is wet and cheapest. Figures on this page are a guide, not a quoted rate. The trade-off for being central is that the beach out front is the public Tran Phu strand: busy, with hawkers, unlike the private beaches at Amiana or on Bai Dai.

Other places to stay in the Trần Phú strip: Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa, Montana Hotel, Hyatt Regency Nha Trang. Trần Phú beach is across the road, and the cafés around here are on the tourist-quarter page.