The Reverie Saigon
Everyone deserves to visit a place that amazes them, that surrounds them with beauty and craftsmanship at every turn; everyone deserves to visit The Reverie Saigon at least once in their life.
To put it simply, this place is like a living art gallery where every inch has been a designer’s playground, a place where their design concepts have become a reality.
It’s not subtle but it doesn’t claim to be; the main reception area is silver plated, the sofa is one of only two in the world (the other being in Michael Jackson’s former home), chandeliers hang from every ceiling, ornate mirrors and art cover every wall. Floors are not just for walking on, they are a space for elaborate hand tiled mosaics; walls give the opportunity to display the finest wallpapers and clocks are definitely not just for telling the time.
In some ways the facilities are what you expect; state of the art gym, huge outdoor pool and a spa offering to pamper you to within an inch of your life. But this is The Reverie Saigon and one thing they do is offer you something that is beyond what’s expected.
The pool, controlled by microchip, is pumped full of extra oxygen to help you swim faster; put your head under the water and you can hear soothing music. The spa has treatment rooms designed to match your chosen therapy; pick a Thai massage treatment and you’ll relax in the rooms where the interiors are inspired by traditional Thai decor.
Service is attentive; champagne glasses are kept topped up, doors are opened, everyone knows you by name and make the effort to remember the things that you like (something especially important as a vegan guest).
As we’re on a Vegan Food Quest to find, eat and write about the best vegan food in the world, it only seemed fitting that we checked in to see whether one of the finest hotels in the world, could produce vegan food to match it.
The Vegan Food
We opted to take breakfast in Café Cardinal, The Reverie Saigon marble clad all day dining venue where we ordered from the a la carte menu and also sampled dishes that the chef created on request. The outstanding feature of everything we ate was the quality; take the finest quality produce, add just the perfect amount of seasoning and serve fresh, delicious food where the flavours of the ingredients seemed to speak for themselves.
Platters of irresistible asparagus on sautéed spinach with handmade herbed hash browns, griddled tomatoes and pan-fried mushrooms scattered with pink peppercorns gave us our western style breakfast fix. For a more Asian flavour to start our day we ate crispy fried tofu on fresh wok fried vegetables with fried rice and a soy chilli dipping sauce.
Served with freshly brewed coffee and freshly squeezed juices or ice blended smoothies; breakfast was an indulgent affair each day and as you look around at the vast marble and mosaic pillars or out of the huge glass windows with their every changing cityscape views, it’s hard not to be impressed.
As we had access to The Reverie Lounge (we highly recommended you select this option too) we could enjoy afternoon tea with fresh avocado filled Vietnamese hand rolls and vegan scones with jam. Perfecting the art of vegan baking is no easy feat but those scones were deliciously light and moist and served fresh from the oven making them a wonderful treat.
In the evening we were served vegan canapés that were just as beautiful as the art on the walls, sipping vegan Möet et Chandon Champagne and watching the city lights at night from the floor to ceiling windows.
For dinner we didn’t need to venture far from the interior of the main hotel, heading downstairs to The Reverie’s R&J Italian Lounge and Restaurant; you can read more about our vegan Italian meal here but in short, the food is stunning and a visit to this restaurant should definitely be on your agenda whilst in Ho Chi Minh City.
With a staff team that is clearly striving to offer a high quality, bespoke service to their guests, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they were able to accommodate our needs as vegans and exceed our expectations at every opportunity.
The Vegan Essentials
Amenities are from luxury brands Acqua di Parma, Chopard and Hermes all made in Europe and so not tested on animals; we’re still waiting to hear from the companies about the ingredients used.
The vast and supremely comfortable bed (if you can bear to close your eyes and miss a minute of enjoying The Reverie luxury) was easy to veganise by calling housekeeping to opt for feather free bedding.
Vegan spa lovers will be excited by the products available with two vegan brands to chose from; products from Voya and Ila, two companies who’s ethical credentials match their top quality, natural and organic luxury spa products.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
Check-in to The Reverie Saigon for some vegan luxury that is off the scale when it comes to opulence, service and wow factor. Eat delicious vegan food made from the finest, freshest ingredients and feel free to relax in the safe hands of the staff who will make it their mission to meet your every desire.
More vegan champagne anyone?
Don’t forget to make a reservation at R&J Italian Lounge and Restaurant, trust us, it’s one dinner date you won’t want to miss while you’re in town.
We were guests of The Reverie Saigon but please rest assured that their generosity in hosting us didn’t influence our views
The Reverie Saigon
22-36 Nguyen Hue Boulevard
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam
Telephone: +84 8 3823 6688
Email: info@thereveriesaigon.com
Cost From: £280 / $420 per night (Sept 2015)