Nguyen Shack Retreat

We planned to stay there for 2-3 nights and ended up staying for almost two weeks. This is one of these rare places that make your travelling experience magical! The place is super clean, the food is amazing and they adopt each dish to your personal taste. We ended up eating most meals there. The price is not far from alternative places, but it’s huge and spacious. We stayed in a 90m two floor room perfect for a family, with a full view to a lake. Most places on the main streets are quite crowded and don’t have that’s space. Maxim and Theo are what you call a super host! They both make sure that have everything you need and go above and beyond. They even went to the town to check on shipping prices to help with a package we wanted to send. They also make sure to explain about all the activities around and sort the transport (they have bicycle, motorbikes and taxis. They are truly amazing. If we are ever back in Vietnam, they will be the first place we will come to. Oh! They have a cute pig that goes around and says hello:)

This retreat is perfect for somebody who wants to be a little bit off the beaten track. It's a tranquil Paradise. They have options below $15 and below $25. It's worth the splurge to get the better rooms. The Wi-Fi is available even in the remote rooms. They have free yoga classes at 7:00 a.m. as well as 5:00 p.m.

I am a Yoga teacher from Australia and i was thinking of travelling through Phong Nha and found this beautiful retreat. The owners are very helpful and kind and we got speaking about my passion for Yoga and how we could share ideas about Yoga, Classes, retreat centres. After seeing my enthusiasm they offered me to take few classes and teach what I am passionate about such as meditation and breath work and really give me the freedom to express my own style of teaching which I really am grateful for. This is more than just a retreat centre, nestled away from the business of the town, you can find your solace here, from watching the sun rise from the mountains and waking up to natural sounds of birds and animals will always remain the highlight of my visit to Nguyen Shack Retreat. Family run and great staff who are always there to serve with a smile and looking out for the best interests of the guests. I would definitely be back and highly recommend anyone to come and check out this place and find their peace like i have found here.

The place is very well kept, they have a restaurant, pool beds to sleep in if you arrive early, clean pool, and good bathrooms. The location is great, about 5 min by scooter from the main *****, and it's very quiet at night. The owners, Maxime and his wife are amazing. They are super nice and try to help with anything that could come up for travellers. Maxime also knows everywhere in Vietnam really well and makes excellent food and drinks. The rooms are clean and modern, and provided everything we needed. Would definitely stay here again and spend more time.

This was the best stay in Vietnam. We enjoyed amazing food and a great way to socialise. The room was very big and comfortable. Bicycle and motorbike hire was great. Location still close enough to walk into the town for food (~20 minutes). The host really went above and beyond - even picking us up from the bus stop in town at 3am and we could relax in the hammock to rest until morning.

Everything was so lovely. It was a big room, our family like it. We enjoyed the atmosphere, food was good, fresh, specially people there. Thank you so much. Lovely spot. High recommended!!! I love the wonderful view. Value for money. Truly recommended!

Stayed here the second time during my Vietnam trip because this place is so peaceful and beautiful. Just perfect to have a rest in the middle of busy Vietnam. The bungalows are spaceous and have a big balcony while at the same time they are built in a way that gives you maximum privacy. The staff is unbelievable friendly and helping and food is always good with a fair price. I love this place and highly recommend it!

The images on the website don't do justice to the panoramic hill scape view you get to enjoy from the room and the restaurant. This property is a bit away from the city centre and it's bustle. It is perfect for a quiet getaway, to just relax and unwind. They have a limited menu to choose from, but all of this dishes were really tasty, in fact we never found the need to leave our resort and go explore other restaurants. We were very happy with the food here. If I ever visit Phong Nha again, there is no doubt that i will stay here. The only thing we missed was the swimming pool, it was shut for maintenance, or we sure would have enjoyed a swim overlooking the river and the hills. It was a perfect 3 days here!

The resort is isolated; lost between rice paddies, mountains, and a lake. That means it is perfect if you are looking for peace and intimacy, but it also means there is no option at walkable distance for food or pharmacy or party. There is a restaurant onsite. The menu and prices seem to have changed since the pandemic. We were not impressed by the size of the breakfast plates, nor the price of beer, but the dinner we had was good, a big portion, and reasonably priced. There is a huge pool shaped like a sailboat. The water was not the cleanest I have seen in my life, but it was clean enough. If I had kids, I would let them play in the water without being worried. We enjoyed cooling down there after a long day of cave hunting and moppet riding under the sun. We took the bicycles and went to town to buy stuff and to find food. Getting to town on a bicycle takes about 15 minutes (don't take the highway), and the views on the road are impressive. The bikes looked like they had not been used in a while, but the pool guy cleaned them up and inflated the tires for us between our two outings. The staff was welcoming and helpful. They helped us with our bags. They lended us a motorbike which was in good shape. They booked the bus tickets for our next destination, and organized the transport to get to the bus station. They were flexible with the check-out time. The room we had (#104) was one of the 2 floors concrete cottages with the big windows. The floors were a little dusty when we arrived, but someone came to clean the room mid-stay and everything was fine after that. The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was clean and the shower pressure and water heater worked well. The A/C and ceiling fans worked well. The Wifi worked well. There was a nice little indoor living room, and a big outdoor patio / lounge upstairs. The view from inside and outside was fantastic. Phong Nha is a nice little village, and the caves and mountains are worth the detour. I recommend staying at Nguyen Shack if you are looking for a unique experience in a very special location, but you should be prepared to take a bike or a scooter if you want to visit the attractions in the area.