La Phan Phu Quoc Hillside Apartment

We paid for breakfast, but when we showed up at the restaurant, they had no record that we were meant to eat there. It took around 40 minutes to sort out. Communication was very difficult because the hotel replied in Vietnamese rather than English, which added to the confusion. The room was dirty when we arrived. The toilet smelled strongly of urine, the shower smelled of mold, and the floors and counters were sticky. We disinfected everything ourselves. The dishes were also dirty and sticky, so we didn’t feel safe using them. The “sea view room” came with a washing machine, but after two high-temperature cycles it gave off such a strong mold smell that we couldn’t use it. For five nights, we got just two small trash bags, no dish soap or extra bags, a broom falling apart, and no directions for disposing of trash. We had one roll of toilet paper and one towel per person for the whole stay, with no replacements or housekeeping. The location description was misleading too. It’s practically inside an entertainment park, and nearby shops have snacks and drinks but no basic groceries. There was also a payment dispute. The booking said Visa was accepted, but the property first insisted on cash. After a long discussion they took a card, then added an undisclosed 5% fee. Staff wouldn’t give us a receipt, and we could only take a photo of the terminal screen showing a higher charge. Our first day went to arguing about payment, cleaning and disinfecting the room, and sorting out issues that shouldn’t have happened. The poor organization, lack of transparency and services far below what was advertised made this a very disappointing stay. I wouldn’t recommend it if you want a stress-free start to your trip.

We missed our planned visit to Sun City and the Kiss of the Sea and Symphony of the Sea shows because check-in was so delayed and chaotic, even though we’d already bought tickets. The whole ordeal caused stress, inconvenience, financial loss and embarrassment while traveling with family and children. We arrived around 2:00 PM, ahead of our confirmed 3:00 PM check-in, but nobody from the property responded until 5:00 PM, despite our WhatsApp messages and calls to several people. A staff member eventually arrived and arrogantly said they could provide only five rooms instead of the six confirmed, split across three apartment buildings. The rooms weren’t cleaned, but they still collected full payment. They also charged an extra 3% for card payment without telling us beforehand. Room allocation wasn’t finished until about 7:30 PM. Even after cleaning, two rooms smelled so bad they couldn’t be used. My children couldn’t use one of them for our entire two-day stay. This was far below an acceptable standard of hospitality.

I booked through Agoda for a New Year Eve stay in a two-bedroom apartment. It was a good place otherwise, but our 3pm check-in turned into a long wait. The agent for the “room seller” arrived about an hour later and said the apartment hadn’t been cleaned. Then we were told our towels and water had been forgotten. The agent said she’d bring them, but at 7:30pm I had to chase it up and was told to collect them from reception. The receptionist couldn’t assist non-residents, so we waited again. The apartment should have been ready and stocked for the stated check-in time. I also hadn’t realized we needed local money to pay for the room. Paying by credit card meant another 3% surcharge, and in Phu Quoc there are additional taxes and fees on accommodation, so the Agoda price isn’t what you end up paying. Be prepared for extra costs. It seems to be a common issue for tourists who don’t know about the inflated prices.

We spent three nights here and had an amazing stay. The room was beautiful and well equipped, and its location and view were the best parts. I’d strongly recommend the property for couples and families.