Vietnam Part 3: Beach-side Pampering at Fusion Maia Resort, Danang

The first thing I did when we arrived to our room at Fusion Maia Resort in Danang, was 1) strip off 2) put all my "train" clothes in a "quarantine" plastic bag at the bottom of my travel pack, never to be used again 3) shower - twice. I washed my hair three times as I was so anxious about contracting lice on the train, I definitely thought that more was better. I smelled so bad and was so thirsty upon our arrival, that I made sure to sit at least 2 feet away from the poor girl who was checking us in at reception, all while chugging down the fresh plum juice we were offered as if it was my lifeline. I'm not being dramatic here, y'all - I'm just being real. I stank.

Memories of the roach-infested train soon faded into the background as I realized we had signed up (or rather, John had signed us up) for four days of luxury at the hotel. "Don't you think the train ride made this seem even better?" John smiled widely, as he swept his hand across the room. I scowled at him and applied ointment to the mysterious bites up my leg that I had acquired during the journey (remember the whole, "What I can't see, can't crawl on me?" mantra I repeated to myself? Clearly, something I couldn't see, definitely crawled on me. And had breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

Tantrum over, I took this in:

... and sank into the four-poster bed, nearly crying with joy at the sight and smell of truly clean sheets, fluffy pillows, a generously sized shower and bath, plus my favorite part - a pool to ourselves. This was more like it.

We headed straight for the private beach (as pictured in the first photo above) and promptly ordered a grilled pork banh mi, but not before scheduling massages for the evening, as - yes, it's true - two treatments per day, per guest, are included in the room price. Ingenious, right? The spa menu included everything from your usual mani/pedi to luxurious deep tissue massages and facials. After a while, the pampering became a little ... well ... onerous (I'm joking here, in case you can't tell). "Our massages are in 10 minutes," John and I apologetically told our friends, who had stopped by the resort for a drink. "We wish the timing wasn't so rushed, but ... you know." "I need time for my nails to dry after the manicure," I added, eyes rolling. Someone should have just poked my eyes out then and there. How quickly one can lose perspective!

But in all seriousness, the spa treatments were heavenly and totally blissful. Yoga classes were held in a beautiful studio within the spa complex at 8 am each morning. John joined in for one class, then I went to another on my own.

In the afternoons and evenings, we took the hotel's shuttle bus to Hoi An, a popular and well-preserved fishing village located about 30 minutes from Danang. Full of souvenir shops and tailors who can easily whip up a dress from a page torn from Vogue, Hoi An was a village rich in history and terrific food. The shuttle deposited us in front of the hotel's satellite location in Hoi An, Fusion Lounge, which - not only served you your included breakfast, if you so wished to dine there - but featured a mini-spa upstairs, where a number of express treatment options were available. I had a manicure upstairs and enjoyed a drink while John had a neck and shoulder massage after a long day of sight-seeing.

Breakfasts at the Fusion Lounge included "bento" boxes with a theme of your choice - I usually went for the "Fusion Bento" above, which included an adorable box of fresh pastries as well (not pictured).

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we decided to stay an extra day (or rather, I convinced John that an extra night at the hotel on one of the sunniest and hottest days of our trip would have been preferable to seeing the imperial opulence at Hue).

And when it was time to go, I was really, really sad to say goodbye. I can't imagine any other time when I'll be scheduling in two massages into my day, plus a yoga session against a backdrop of crashing waves. Spoiled. Rotten.