At Turquoise we love anywhere that connects our guests with the environment. There is nothing quite like seeing Mother Nature’s miracles at work to put a very special seal on a holiday and create unique memories that transform a lovely trip into the stand-out experience of a lifetime.
Learn more about holidays in Vietnam
I, for one, will always remember the first time I witnessed the discovery of a turtle nest on a beach on a remote Caribbean island. It was the extraordinary result of hours of digging by an exhausted female turtle after her long nocturnal journey up the beach to lay her eggs (which look like ping pong balls) in a secret location, before returning to the ocean before dawn. Two months later, the hatchlings would fight their way to the surface and make their way to the sea to begin their hazardous new life. So secret was this location that even now I am not allowed to name it, lest it brings poachers hunting.
It is this natural wonder that happens every year at Con Dao in Vietnam. Whereas we had to hastily cover up the turtle tracks, here there is no risk to the eggs, thanks to the superb community engagement work that the enlightened staff at Six Senses Con Dao have worked hard to secure through offering safe access to these remarkable beaches. Passionate about supporting and protecting the environment, Six Senses Con Dao has strict social and environmental responsibility policies, and through its commitment to sustainability the resort has been widely acknowledged as one of the world’s top eco lodges.
Six Senses Con Dao
The resort is on the island of Con Son, just 45 minutes from Saigon on the Con Dao Archipelago. It has 44 plant species and three animal species endemic to the island which can be seen by guests on daily guided tours. It is one of just four marine protected areas in Vietnam. It is also the only place in Vietnam to provide a protected habitat to the endangered Dugong, and where Green and Hawksbill turtles are offered full national park protection. It is no surprise, then, that turtle season – May to September – is an especially fantastic time to stay at the Six Senses Con Dao. This year the luxury resort which, with 50 pool villas and a stunning backdrop of the Lo Voi Mountains, is a firm favourite of our Asia team at Turquoise, is giving our guests an array of offers during their stay to mark Turtle Season. The highlight of course is that all guests are given a guided tour to the main nesting beach, and even the opportunity to release a hatchling from the sanctuary into the ocean. But as we all know, a few little treats and luxuries to reward the good work don’t go amiss either!
The pool villas at Six Senses Con Dao, ranging in size from one to four bedrooms, are also perfect for families. As well as providing spacious, luxury accommodation with private pools just a hop skip and jump from the beach, all children under six years old eat free of charge, and those from seven to 11 are only charged 50%.
Perhaps the ultimate deal clincher, apart from the hatchling turtles of course, is that children get free ice cream throughout their stay – just what is needed after a hard day’s work protecting baby turtles!
