Panorama Nha Trang

These are apartments, not hotel rooms, and that difference decides who should stay here. The 39-storey block sits at 02 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai on the corner of Tran Phu, under fifty metres from the sand. Each unit has its own kitchen and dining area, so a family on a longer stay can make breakfast and snacks rather than eating out three times a day.

Position is the expensive thing in Nha Trang and this has it: the beach, the inland restaurants and Dam market are all on foot. No vehicle is needed for most of a trip. The building is tall enough that a sea-facing unit takes in the whole shoreline, while a city-facing one costs less and looks towards the hills.

The building has a pool, a poolside bar and a spa. One thing to know about this format, though: the units belong to different owners and are let through different agents, so furnishing and housekeeping are not consistent between units the way they are in a hotel. Look at photographs of the exact unit you are booking, not just of the building.

It suits a family or a group staying four or five nights and up, and anyone who wants to be central but cook. If you are here two nights and out all day, the kitchen is something you pay for and never use. An ordinary city hotel makes more sense.

Other places to stay in the Trần Phú strip: Masova Hotel Nha Trang, The Signature Hotel Nha Trang, XAVIA Hotel Nha Trang. Trần Phú beach is across the road, and the cafés around here are on the tourist-quarter page.