SAVOUR THE REFINED SIDE OF A STAY
EXPERIENCES
Beyond the bedrooms, Royal Ha Long Hotel keeps four separate spaces for rest and exercise: the gym, Renata Spa, an indoor pool and an outdoor pool.
Three of the four sit together on the third floor and never close — a five o’clock swim and a midnight run are both possible. The outdoor pool lies in the grounds of Royal Villas and opens from 5:00 to 22:00 daily.
All four are inside the hotel grounds at Bai Chay, so there is no need to leave: your room and the water are a short lift ride apart.
FITNESS CENTER
The gym takes the full glazed side of the third floor. The treadmills and bikes face the windows, so the morning run happens in front of the bay rather than a wall.
Further in is the weights area: a squat rack, a bench, dumbbell racks and a long mirrored wall — enough for a heavy session. Stability balls wait in the corner.
It is open 24/7 and free for in-house guests, so jet lag or a night flight need not cost you a session.
RENATA SPA
Renata Spa shares the third floor with the gym. You arrive at a pale stone desk set against dark wood panelling, plants on either side and shelves of green-glazed bottles — dim enough and quiet enough to slow you down at the door.
Treatment rooms come as singles and as twins with two beds side by side for guests travelling together. Folded white towels and fresh flowers are laid on each bed before every guest.
The spa runs 24/7, so a late treatment after a long journey is still possible.
INDOOR SWIMMING POOL
The pool sits under a glazed roof: by day the light falls straight onto the water and nothing needs switching on.
The water is held at a temperature matched to the body, so a swim in January is the same as a swim in July. At the shallow end there are steps with a stainless handrail.
Rattan tables and chairs line the deck — somewhere to order food and drinks and to stay a while after swimming.
OUTDOOR SWIMMING POOL
The pool lies in the grounds of Royal Villas, between tall palms and a white balustrade, with a three-storey white villa in front of it.
By day it is a place to lie in the sun: loungers and parasols stand along the edge. Late in the afternoon the water takes the whole of the city’s sunset.
After dark the terrace around it becomes a venue for night parties and outdoor weddings. The pool opens from 5:00 to 22:00 daily.
Two more spaces in the Royal Ha Long grounds
The gym, Renata Spa and both pools sit inside the hotel grounds at Bai Chay.
