Our few days at Jungle Beach were fantastic! We found such a gem ! We wanted to stay for a few weeks, not days! With frequent stops, it took us about 2 hours to get to the place from Nha Trang. But it was a pleasant drive—through small villages, beautiful scenery, and nice weather. We met friendly locals along the way, adorable kids, and cute puppies!!! The motorbike drive was well worth it, and so worth it to go at our own pace and explore. Finding the place was relatively simple and we arrived midday to find literally a jungle—small bamboo bungalows tucked into a dense jungle of vegetation steps from a pristine and completely empty beach. There were mountains behind us and coastline in front. The rooms were simple huts, ranging from a ‘hut’ where you slept outside (you had a plastic canopy in case of rain and 2 walls but otherwise open to the surroundings) to ‘deluxe’ huts sporting 2 floors, a balcony, and their own private bathroom. I felt like we were on a remote Polynesian island! Amazing! And it felt like you were back to nature—swim in the ocean, lay on the beach, stroll through the jungle, sleep outside, relax on a hammock……..paradise!
The owner told us to just show up and pick which hut we wanted, they were completely flexible. We decided to spend the first night in the outdoor hut ‘stargazing’ and the second night (my birthday night) in the ‘deluxe’ hut, closer to the beach and with a view of the beach. They ranged $25-$35/night/person. This is included 3 meals a day. We liked the place from the moment we laid eyes on it, and you immediately felt welcome and calm in the atmosphere of the place. I could have lingered there forever. The meals were homemade Vietnamese dishes and they were great! We didn’t actually plan anything for my birthday, it was just nice that we hit such a home run with this place! I was happy to do NOTHING the whole day!
That first day we just lounged at the beach. We pretty much sat in the water because it was so hot. We had the whole beach to ourselves (well technically us and 5 other guests) ! The water was crystal clear and warm. The views were stunning and the surroundings were peaceful. Our only companion on the beach was one of the dogs at the resort, a white lab? , we called him Frankie. He liked to sit with us on the beach, under the bamboo umbrella. We met our other hotel guests too- a couple from the UK, another guy from the UK, and a guy from South Africa. The first night in the outdoor hut was great. There was a large bed with a canopy, 2 lounge chairs, and a table in this small open room. Electricity and lighting was also wired to the hut, so that was all available. And wifi! An open hut in the middle of nowhere had wifi and some of the best hotels in India that we stayed at didn’t even have wifi! Hilarious! It was a cloudy sky that night so our ‘stargazing’ was not very successful, but the coolness of the night made it a perfect environment to sleep in J
The next day (my birthday), even though I said I wanted to do NOTHING, we actually were more active. We still chilled on the beach, but we also decided to check out a local waterfall up the street. It was a bit of a climb, but rewarding at the top with cool water and a nice view. We also took our motorbike to the nearby isolated village just to people watch. We got a few weird and confused stares (I don’t think they see foreigners often), but also lots of ‘hellos’ and waves from cute Vietnamese kids ---hands down, cutest kids on the planet!--However, I heard Phillipino kids rival them :P The short ride to the village provided some stunning views of the coastline. We got one more swim in before the sun went down. We had bought some small snacks at the village and were planning to drink some rum for my birthday—
SIDE NOTE--to be honest, we have barely drank at all this entire trip !! We have practically abstained from alcohol during this whole trip (after Europe anyways). I didn’t even notice it because you find yourself so busy with planning and executing your plans. We barely touched alcohol in Tanzania or India, a little in Australia (the occasional wine bottle mostly) and very little in southeast asia too. I don’t really care for it much—its nicer to have a good, interesting meal, and I much prefer to get up early in the AM to explore than drink and go to bed late. It has been a refreshing change from the usual ‘need a drink after work’ mentality….
Anyways, all I was expecting that evening was a few glasses of rum, a few snacks, and a good Vietnamese dinner. So you can imagine my surprise (genuine surprise!) when all of a sudden one of the Vietnamese staff brought out a cake with candles and everyone started singing happy birthday at the dinner table!!! It was amazing! I was so happy I was holding back tears!!! The cake was beautiful and everyone was so sweet!!! The only thing missing were our family and friends which I just had to imagine there with us! Tom had asked the owner about getting a cake for me and someone in the local village made it for me—obviously I didn’t know about any of this! They spelled my name wrong on the cake “Magdtalena” which made it funny and unique! But I must say, the cake was DELICIOUS! One of the best cakes I have ever had- seriously! It was half vanilla, half chocolate, and with beautiful frosting decorations of flowers on top. The whole cake was just amazing, and the frosting was all natural- no preservatives and it tasted delicious because it wasn’t too sweet, it actually tasted like fresh whipped cream- heaven! I had 3 massive pieces! And with the 7 of us at the table it was gone within about 40 minutes! Mmmmmmm
It was a great night with such a pleasant surprise! Was not expecting it! After dinner, we all wanted to take a dip in the sea before heading to sleep. Considering this place was very secluded, the beach was pitch black when we got to it. We actually set up a small light so that we could see something! That made it so much more wonderful—completely dark, with twinkling stars and the twinkling lights of the town across the bay. Another fun surprise was in the water—glowing plankton!!! Amazing! They lit up the water like little stars! A highlight moment of this entire trip and an amazing way to end my birthday night! J We hung out on the balcony of our ‘deluxe’ room for a bit before going to bed. Funny enough, we preferred sleeping in the open hut more because it was a nicer breeze! We got up for the sunrise the next morning (530AM) but it was obscured by clouds so we went back to bed. We left Jungle Beach after breakfast, since we needed to get to Nha Trang for our afternoon train. We VOWED to return, hoping we could bring some friends and family next time!!! What a perfect birthday !!!!
When we drove into Nha Trang that morning, our plan was to check out the Mud Baths and Hot springs for a few hours before giving the motorbike back and heading to the train station. We heard they were fun—you sit in a warm mud bath and then you rinse off and hang out at some man-made hot springs to refresh. The whole thing couldn’t rival anything we did in Costa Rica, but the mud bath was weird and fun (and cheap). It was a nice relax session before the train ride up the coast….
Our bags were safely sitting at the hotel when we got there and we returned our motorbike (or ‘piki piki’ as we like to call it) in one piece. Tom is really getting the hang of the piki piki and he absolutely loves driving it around—he looks hilarious on the much too small motorbike next to all the small Vietnamese people!!! He’s the awkward big guy in the crowd! Adorable!
**The actual transport we have done in each place we have been has been one of my favourite things. The motorbike is the most fun and gives you the most freedom (albeit maybe not the safest mode of transportation and obviously can’t be used for too long of distances) but the trains and buses have been interesting too. It is a great way to see a country—through a lens or with the wind in your face. I can’t describe the feeling of being on a motorbike, driving through remote villages, seeing a different world, and enjoying it all in warm weather and the comfort of the open road. We plan to motorbike every southeast asian country we are in because it is simply the best and the cheapest way to get around. And, it is the most common way to get around so you really feel like a local!
We got to the train station and headed for Da Nang/Hoi An….
