Azerai La Residence, Hue

Azerai La Residence, Hue sits on a two and a half hectare site beside the Perfume River, with 122 rooms and suites. Its heart is a colonial mansion built in the 1930s as part of the residence of the French Resident Superieure, with the long horizontal lines and nautical flourishes of streamline moderne art deco. Two wings added in 2005 are contemporary in design, echo that style and open onto a tropical garden. It suits couples and travellers who enjoy history, architecture and a calm setting beside the river.

Rooms are furnished in an art deco style, with terrazzo tiles and wooden or dark hardwood floors. Superior rooms open onto a balcony, with a choice of garden view or river view, while Deluxe rooms add a private sitting area with a sofa and open onto a sun terrace or balcony. Suites sit in the original governor mansion, with a veranda onto the tropical garden, a working area and a sitting area. A baby cot is available on request.

Days can be spent beside the pool, in the fitness centre or at Le Spa. Further afield, the resort arranges experiences that include exploring Hue by bicycle, a sunset on Tam Giang Lagoon, a day at Bach Ma National Park and a private boat cruise on the Perfume River.

The salt-water pool stretches 40 metres along the far side of the garden, parallel to the river, with shaded sun loungers along its edge. Le Spa is a winner of several World Luxury Spa Awards, including Best Luxury Boutique Spa in Vietnam, and covers 545 square metres with six treatment rooms, two double and four single, each with a private dressing area, vanity and shower. Signature treatments draw on traditional remedies, among them the Azerai Signature Treatment, Herbal Poultice Treatment, Vietnamese traditional cupping, Bamboo Leg Therapy and a Traditional Hair Wash. The fitness centre has TechnoGym treadmills, exercise bikes, an elliptical trainer and strength equipment, plus a rubber-floored area for free weights.

Two venues serve the resort. Le Parfum is the brasserie, with Vietnamese and Western dishes and al fresco dining on the external terrace, where the views run to the river and beyond. Le Gouverneur Bar opens from 8 a.m. to midnight just off the lobby lounge in the mansion, seats eight at the bar and two dozen more in lounge seating, and pours cocktails, wines, liqueurs, beer and several local brews. Dining experiences include a cooking class, a colonial dinner, an imperial feast and a poolside barbecue.

The resort stands in Hue, so the old capital is close at hand. Cultural experiences include the Ancient Capital Pilgrimage half day tour, a cyclo tour, craft villages around Hue, the garden houses of Hue and a day cycling to ancient tombs. Longer days run to Hoi An or the DMZ, or to the Thanh Toan Bridge and Phuoc Tich Village. Phu Bai International Airport is about 16 kilometres away, around 22 minutes by road.