Where to Stay on Con Dao: The Four Resorts and the Town Hotels
Con Dao is a small island with a small number of rooms. There are four places you could fairly call a resort, and they sit in four different parts of the island. Nearly everything else is in town. Where you stay changes your day here more than it would elsewhere, so this runs through the resorts, the town hotels and what each location means.
| Where the rooms are | Almost all of them are in town, within walking distance of the prison sites and the market. |
|---|---|
| Proper resorts | Four, and each one is in a different part of the island. |
| The best known | Six Senses, on Dat Doc beach. Rooms are villas with their own pools. |
| Town hotels | Small and plentiful. Cheaper, and you can walk everywhere. |
| When to book | Weekends and holidays fill quickly, simply because there are so few rooms. |
| What to check | The airport and the ferry port are at opposite ends of the island. |
1. What you should know first
2. The four resorts
3. Six Senses Con Dao
4. Poulo Condor
5. The Secret Con Dao
6. Orson Hotel and Resort
7. The hotels in town
8. Cheap rooms
9. Where you stay changes the day
10. Travelling with children or older relatives
11. Staying longer
12. Booking: when and how
13. Which site to book on
14. What the hotel will do for you
15. Practical things while you are there
1. What you should know first
Con Dao does not have many rooms. The island is small and few people live here, so the total inventory is limited.
Nearly all of it sits in townMap. Open a map on any booking site and the pins cluster into a single blob, with only a handful outside it.
There are very few proper resorts
Search the island and you get photographs of pool villas, but there are only four places at that level. Everything else is a small hotel in town.
That makes the choice fairly simple. Decide between a resort and the town first, and the rest narrows quickly.
Prices run above the mainland
Everything arrives by boat or plane, so the same standard costs more here. The small town hotels are still cheap; the resorts sit at mainland resort prices or a little above.
Rooms go before flights do
Tet, Vietnamese public holidays and any weekend fill up. So do the dates when large numbers of pilgrims come.
Once your dates are set, book the room alongside the flight rather than after it.
2. The four resorts
Four places on this island count as resorts, and they are spread far apart.
| Name | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Six Senses Con Dao | Dat Doc beachMap | The top end. Villas with private pools |
| Poulo Condor | Near the airport | A small resort in French-style buildings |
| The Secret Con Dao | The town beachMap | Resort standard, but you can walk into town |
| Orson Hotel & Resort | Toward Ben DamMap | Quiet, and close to the ferry port |
They are in four different places
One sits on the beach north of town, one up by the airport, one inside town, one over by the port.
So choosing a resort decides your movements. If you plan to go back and forth to the prison sites, the far ones are awkward. If you came to rest, the opposite is true.
Below that, the word means something else
Other places use the word resort, and they are really mid-range town hotels. Saigon Con Dao Resort and Con Dao Resort are the two you will see most.
That is not a complaint, just a matter of expectations. Both front the beach and both are close to town.
3. Six Senses Con Dao
This is the best known place on the island. It has Dat Doc beachMap to itself, a few minutes by road from town.
Every room is its own building
You book a villa, not a room. Some look out over the sea, some sit directly on the sand, and each one has a pool.
There are larger houses with two to four bedrooms as well, which is what groups and families tend to take.
They sometimes include the flight
Stay three nights or more and the rate has, at times, included return flights from Ho Chi Minh City. The airfare is the biggest single cost of a trip here, so that changes the arithmetic.
The terms move around, so check before you book.
You get into the water from the property
Snorkelling off the beach and boat trips out to the smaller islands can be arranged on site. It is national park water, so some days the boats go and some days they do not.
Getting into town needs a car
It is not a walk. Every trip to the sites or the market means calling for a car, which the resort provides.
For a resting trip that is fine. If you plan several runs into town, factor it in.
4. Poulo Condor
A small resort up near the airport, built in a French style with Vietnamese detailing.
It is small on purpose
There are only around three dozen rooms spread across a large plot, so it never feels crowded.
If quiet is what you are after, this works. If you want a resort with a lot of facilities, it will feel thin.
Close to the airport
Being at the north end means you are at the property quickly after landing, which suits people who want to start resting straight away.
Town and the prison sites are far from here. The drive is over twenty minutes.
The beach is empty
Hardly anyone is on the sand in front. It is not a swimming beach through the rougher months, though.
5. The Secret Con Dao
Resort standard, but inside town. It sits on the town beachMap, so the prison sites and the market are a walk away.
That combination is rare here
Resort-level places on this island are usually well outside town. This one suits you if you want to rest and still get around on foot.
If you plan several runs to the sites and the cemetery, this is the one of the four to take. You will barely need to call a car.
Where it is
On Ton Duc Thang, the road along the water. The middle of town is a short walk.
6. Orson Hotel and Resort
Out toward Ben DamMap, on Bai Dai beach. A bit over ten minutes by road from town.
Easy if you come by sea
If you are arriving and leaving by ferry, the port is close. If you are flying both ways, you cross the island twice.
Nothing else around it
There is almost no other lodging nearby, and nowhere to walk out to for dinner. You will eat at the hotel.
Which one
| If your trip is | Take |
|---|---|
| Several runs to the sites and the cemetery | The Secret |
| In and out by ferry | Orson |
| Purely about resting | Six Senses or Poulo Condor |
7. The hotels in town
Most of the island’s rooms are in townMap, in small hotels and guesthouses packed into a few blocks.
Everything is walkable
From town you walk to the prison sites, the museum, Hang Duong cemeteryMap, the market and Lo Voi beachMap.
You manage fine without transport. A motorbike is only for the far beaches and the airport.
What is there
Names that come up repeatedly: The Mystery, Nam Hai, Nereus, Con Dao House, Tuan Ninh, Velar. Most have around twenty rooms.
Saigon Con Dao Resort and Con Dao Resort are the larger ones with beach frontage, slightly outside the centre but still walkable.
The streets are a little different from each other
Within town, you can guess a lot from the street name in the address.
| Street | What it is like |
|---|---|
| Nguyen Hue | The middle of town, with most of the restaurants and cafes |
| Ton Duc Thang | The seafront road. More rooms with a sea view |
| Vo Thi Sau | Runs toward the cemetery. Good for walking up in the evening |
| Tran Phu | Further back. Quieter and a little cheaper |
Nothing is more than ten minutes on foot, so the difference is small. If you want quiet at night, pick a block back from the main road.
What to check
Look at the state of the building and whether breakfast is included. At similar prices that is where they differ.
Many buildings have no lift. If you have heavy bags or stairs are hard work, ask before booking.
Air conditioning is close to universal. It is a hot island.
Sea-view rooms
The sea is right in front of town, so plenty of rooms face it. Most of those also face the road, so do not expect them to be quiet.
8. Cheap rooms
There are inexpensive rooms here. Around thirty dollars a night gets you a small hotel in town.
What to look for
Hotel de Condor and the Maya hotels sit in that band. The rooms are plain but have air conditioning and hot water.
There are guesthouses and family-run places too, all in town, so the location is good.
Worth knowing
Photographs and reality sometimes diverge. Read a few reviews and look at the recent ones.
The cheaper the place, the less likely it takes cards. Bring cash.
Holiday prices
Over a holiday a thirty-dollar room can nearly double. That is what happens when the supply is this small.
Roughly what things cost
| Type of place | Price level |
|---|---|
| Small hotels and guesthouses in town | Low |
| Beachfront hotels in town | Mid |
| The Secret, Orson, Poulo Condor | High |
| Six Senses | Highest |
Over a long weekend every row moves up about one step.
9. Where you stay changes the day
The airport and the ferry port are at opposite ends of this island, which makes the location of your room matter more than you would expect.
How the island is laid out
Town is in the south, the airportMap in the north, Ben DamMap out west. Airport to port is a half-hour drive across the island.
What each location means
| Location | What it means |
|---|---|
| Town | Sites, market and restaurants on foot. Most of the rooms are here |
| Dat Doc beach | Quiet. Call a car to go into town |
| Near the airport | Easy flights. Town is far |
| Toward Ben Dam | Easy ferries. Town is over ten minutes by road |
Journey times
From town the airport is just under twenty minutes north and Ben Dam about fifteen minutes west. Dat Doc beach is five minutes or so.
Stay up by the airport and town is over twenty minutes each way, and that goes on every trip to the sites.
If you arrive and leave differently
Coming in by sea and out by air, or the reverse, means crossing the island once. Staying in town keeps you in the middle of both.
Choosing
If the prison sites are why you came, stay in town. There is nothing to weigh up.
If you came to rest, take a beach resort, knowing that dinner means calling for a car.
10. Travelling with children or older relatives
The island works with children, but a few things affect which room you take.
Stairs and lifts
Small town hotels often have no lift. With a pushchair, or if stairs are difficult, ask first.
The resorts are mostly low-rise on flat ground, so this comes up less.
Swimming
Not many places have a pool. If a child needs water to play in, choose somewhere that has one.
There are no lifeguards on the beaches. On a day with surf, stay out.
Meals
Outside town, every dinner means calling a car, which gets tiresome with children.
Somewhere that includes breakfast makes the mornings much easier.
If you are here to pay respects
If the cemetery is the reason for the trip, stay in town. You can walk up in the evening.
With older relatives, a place on the street that runs toward the cemetery helps.
11. Staying longer
For more than a few nights, different things matter.
Laundry
Some places take it in and there are shops in town. Resort laundry costs a good deal more than the town.
Internet
Wi-Fi works in town and at the resorts, though the speed varies.
If you need to work, check the signal in the actual room. Interior rooms can be weak.
Rates
Some places discount several nights together, and outside the busy months asking directly often brings the price down.
In season it does not, because there are simply not enough rooms.
Eating
Almost nowhere has a kitchen, so you will be eating out however long you stay.
Being in town makes that easy — the market and the restaurants are right there.
12. Booking: when and how
Book the room first and fit the rest around it. On some dates the rooms go before the flights do.
The busy dates
Tet and the Vietnamese public holidays fill the island, as do the memorial dates that bring pilgrims.
Weekends cost more than weekdays. If you can move your dates, midweek is considerably cheaper.
The calm season
From spring through early autumn the sea settles, so swimming and boat trips work and a beach resort earns its price.
In the rough months you can be at a beach resort and still not get in the water. If you are coming then, town and the heritage sites make more sense.
Read the cancellation terms
Weather grounds flights and stops ferries here, so people do get prevented from arriving. Check what happens to the booking if that is you.
If your dates could slip, a free-cancellation rate is worth the small premium.
13. Which site to book on
The sites show noticeably different sets of properties, which matters on an island with this few rooms.
One site is not enough
Search the same dates and one site shows close to a hundred places while another shows about thirty. The small hotels and guesthouses are only listed in some of them.
So open two or three. A place showing as full on one can still have rooms on another.
The resorts are everywhere
Somewhere like Six Senses appears on all of them, so it is purely a price comparison.
The small town hotels are the ones whose listings shift from site to site.
Booking direct
Plenty of people book the small hotels by phone or messaging app, and outside the busy months that can come out cheaper.
It needs a shared language, and cancelling is harder. On a first visit the booking sites are less trouble.
14. What the hotel will do for you
Hotels here double as the travel agent, because there are not many taxis or agencies.
Airport and port pickups
Most places will send a car. Give them the arrival details when you book and they will meet it.
The price varies and some include it. Ask.
Trips
Boat trips out to the smaller islands and the turtle watch can be arranged through the hotel, which books the same places the national park office does.
Say so the day before. Boats follow the tide and many leave early.
Motorbikes
The hotel either rents them or knows who does. That is easier than finding one on the street, and easier to sort out if something goes wrong.
Dinner
Outside town, dinner is a question. Ask whether the property serves it.
In town you just walk out, so it never comes up.
15. Practical things while you are there
A few things work differently because it is a small island.
Paying
Resorts and larger hotels take cards. Small hotels and guesthouses are often cash only.
There are very few ATMs, so change money before you arrive.
Power and water
Both cut out occasionally. Never for long, but it is inconvenient when it happens.
Meals
Breakfast is usually included. Outside town there is nowhere handy for dinner, so check whether the property serves it.
Restaurants in town start clearing up around nine in the evening.
What to do on the island
With the room settled, the rest is the itinerary. Entry slots at the prison sites, sailing times, beaches and forest trails are all in our Con Dao guide.
🎡Things to Do21
🍜Food2
🏨Where to Stay5
🚇Getting Around3
🧭Travel Tips6
🧭Vietnam-wide essentials114
Staying on Con Dao: common questions
Not many. Booking sites list somewhere between thirty and a hundred depending which one you use, and only four of them are proper resorts. The rest are small hotels in town.
If you came for the prison sites and the cemetery, stay in town — everything is walkable. If you came to rest, take a beach resort, but you will be calling for a car every time you go into town.
It is the top-end property, on Dat Doc beach. You book a villa rather than a room and each has its own pool. Stays of three nights or more have at times included return flights from Ho Chi Minh City.
No. The prison sites, the museum, the cemetery, the market and a beach are all within walking distance. You only need a motorbike for the far beaches and the airport.
A small hotel in town starts around thirty dollars a night. The resorts sit at mainland resort prices or a little above. Everything rises over the holidays.
As soon as your dates are fixed. There are so few rooms that weekends and holidays fill fast. Check the cancellation terms too, since weather can stop the flights and the ferry.
Most places send a car, so ask when you book. A taxi runs 250,000 to 300,000 dong. The airport is at the north end and town at the south, just under twenty minutes apart.