Mango Home Riverside

The garden and hotel are beautiful, and the staff are kind. There’s also a games room, though most of the games were incomplete. The kids still had fun. The restaurant was the real downside: we ate there twice, and the food was poor and very expensive, around three times the normal local price. Fries were stale and burnt, the sandwich was dry with only a slice of plain cheese and ham, and the fish came with three cucumber slices and no seasoning. The fried rice had no flavor and contained chicken bones. The restaurant staff were grumpy. When I raised it with reception, I was given a lecture about how sustainable the place was and that the people were supporting their families.

The day ended with lunch at our lovely suite at Mango Home, followed by a 30-minute cooking lesson and dinner at Mango Restaurant featuring the dishes we’d made. Earlier, a private car had picked us up at our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, and we took a private boat to several stops. We learned about the coconut industry, tasted fresh coconut and rice alcohol, watched a family make bricks from river clay as they have for over 100 years, and tried making rice paper. Our guide Vy was pleasant and took time with our questions. Bao, our other guide, and chef Loan were kind and explained more about Vietnamese cooking. We booked the 3 night/2 day package and loved it. A full day, but a special one. Mango Home packages make for a lovely experience, and we highly recommend it.

We were surprised how many people stayed just one night, because that really isn’t enough. We spent four nights at Mango Lodge and loved the riverside setting, with lots of little places to sit and enjoy the space. The free bikes were a great way to explore, and people waved as we rode past. Rooms were spotless and well cared for. Food was good, though the menu was smaller than at our other stays and fairly pricey. If you’re up for cycling out, there are local restaurants along the road that are cheap and tasty. We also took the hotel’s foodie tour, which I’d recommend for an enjoyable evening and stories about local life from Hoai, Diep, Duy and son. Staff were always friendly and helpful.

We had a fun, unusual day tour: two boat rides, a bike ride, coconut water and candy, a visit to a coconut factory, rice paper snacks made at someone’s home, and a taste of “happy water.” We also joined a cooking demonstration with Chef Hieu and assistant and translator Hoai, who were both very sweet. The resort is gorgeous and the service was excellent. Prices were higher than for other things we did in Vietnam, but we really enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and our time there.