Radisson Blu Resort, Cam Ranh

Radisson Blu is at D12 Slot A on Nguyen Tat Thanh in Cam Hai Dong, on the Bai Dai strip. Two numbers decide everything about staying here: seven kilometres to Cam Ranh airport and thirty-five into central Nha Trang.

The first makes it a sensible first or last night: land and be checked in within about fifteen minutes, instead of an hour in a car after a late flight. The second is the price. Every dinner in town is a round trip.

Accommodation runs from rooms and suites up to beachfront pool villas, with the two-bedroom villa carrying Executive Lounge access. There are three restaurants, several outdoor pools, a kids' club and a long white-sand beach, far emptier than the public strand in town.

The real Bai Dai trade is not the quality of the resort but the eating: you will eat on site nearly every meal. Before booking, price a meal package against ordering à la carte. Across four or five days the difference adds up to a real number.

Other places to stay in Bãi Dài and Cam Ranh: Fusion Resort Cam Ranh, The Westin Resort & Spa Cam Ranh, The Arena Cam Ranh. The beach for this whole strip is Bãi Dài; on the way back to the city, Từ Vân pagoda.