Avana Retreat

Culture and nature intersect at Avana Retreat, a mountain hideaway in Vietnam‘s iridescent green Mai Chau Valley. Here, you sleep in forest-shrouded thatch roof bungalows and fill days with village visits, artisan craft workshops, and jungle treks. Home to organic gardens and an on-site farm where hens cluck and goats bleat, Avana guests are treated to a culinary program that emphasizes locally sourced, seasonal dining.  

Tucked into verdant woods that cascade down the mountainside, Avana Retreat’s 36 bungalows are both plush and lush. Rooms are adorned in rattan and dark wood, with picture windows that look up on sweeping vistas of rice paddies, overgrown forests, or hazy mountains. Take a dip in the private pool of your pool villa to make the view that much sweeter. Bungalows are well-spaced to ensure each unit enjoys stunning scenery. Soaking tubs and cloud-like beds ensure the inside is as enchanting as the outdoors.  

Come late October into winter, thick white clouds can envelop Mai Chau, and the heated, outdoor cloud pool—which has a tiered design inspired by terraced rice paddies—is the dreamiest spot to admire this natural phenomenon.  

During cloud hunting season, when chilly weather may entice you to stay indoors, Avana Retreat has you covered with its cultural programs and activities. Meditate above a waterfall, learn to weave rattan, and discover the cultures of the local Thai, H’mong, and Muong groups at the on-site Stilt House Museum. Follow a set of suspended footbridges through a bamboo forest to arrive at the Orchid Spa. In an open-air pavilion built atop a small waterfall, unwind under the warm pressure of mountain stones.  

When the weather is pleasant, plenty of outdoor pursuits beckon. Hike across fields of rice paddies on half or full-day excursions or trek through misty forests. For a memorable, romantic meal, dine next to the waterfall, backlit by flickering lanterns.