Nam Nghi Coral Peninsula Phu Quoc

I came looking for somewhere peaceful to relax, and chose this new-looking hotel because I thought it was away from construction sites and other hotels. I visited between holidays and the usual Asian vacation period. The resort turned out even better than I'd expected, with beautiful green grounds and cheerful staff who were always ready to help. My sea view villa was nicely furnished and set up for relaxing. The beach, pool, and main restaurant were all conveniently close. Breakfast was included in the room price, and both it and the lunch and dinner options were delicious, with a nice range of dishes. A couple of downsides: not all the staff spoke English, though that never became a problem because someone who did would always help. The fancy kayaks with transparent bottoms cost $30 per hour, which felt too high, though there were two free kayaks available. Thanks and greetings to Kevin, Chef Cook for resorts restaurants. We met on the drive from the airport, and he told me a lot about places to visit and dishes to try. I'd rate my visit 10/10.

The rooms were new and clean, which made the stay a bit more bearable, and the hotel has a lot of potential. The location is perfect and the facilities seem thoughtfully laid out. But the place feels run down and poorly maintained. There was rubbish everywhere, and the beach was terrible. Even if the pollution wasn't caused by the hotel, a property in this category should make sure the beach is kept clean. Check-in took 30 minutes despite booking ahead. English was another big problem: there seemed to be only one person in the whole area who spoke it halfway well. At the pool, restaurant, and reception, I couldn't understand why nobody who spoke English was available. Most of the promised hotel offerings weren't there. The restaurant seemed to be the only one, and its prices were seriously inflated: $8 for fries and cocktails well over $10 is too much. I've seen better five-star hotels with much fairer food prices. The hotel is currently presented as five-star, but it is nowhere near that standard. It's a shame, and management could have commented on these issues. I can't recommend staying overnight here right now.

We paid 170 EUR a night for a basic room, and it was awful value. After two days of complaining about just about everything, they moved us to a Sunset Villa and included food and drinks for the rest of our stay. The villa was an improvement, with a pleasant porch near the ocean and a nice view, but the complimentary meals didn’t help much. The food was so bad that we rented a scooter elsewhere and ate out most of the time. Our hotel couldn’t arrange one, despite offering that service. The resort had reopened in January 2023 after a covid hiatus, but it didn’t look like the photos apart from a few green spaces. It felt partly abandoned or under reconstruction, and neither the staff nor the rooms seemed ready to operate. The spa was closed. The gym door was open, but the air inside was bad. Tree House was the only restaurant operating. The restaurant menu had few choices and never changed. We enjoy Vietnamese food, but very little here tasted good. Steamed rice and Grissini were the only dishes that weren’t bad, while prices were similar to established island hotels such as Crowne Plaza and Intercontinental. Service was poor and unpredictable. Everything took at least 30 minutes, whatever we ordered, and we felt our presence was a nuisance to the restaurant staff. Restaurant employees spoke no English, and front office staff spoke very little. Some didn’t understand the word “water.” Check-in and checkout each took 30 minutes, and the lobby air was humid and sticky. Our first room was dirty, the sinks were blocked, and the toilet had no ventilation, so the smell lingered. The later villa was better. They also offered us a complimentary sunset cruise, which was a bad experience. Nobody mentioned there would be other guests, and a restaurant waiter we found incompetent plus a woman who may or may not have been hotel staff were on the boat too. We felt as much of an inconvenience to them as they were to us. There was soda and beer on board, but no water, which seemed typical of the thought put into their service.

The basic rooms are spacious and pretty, though the walls are thin. The rain shower wouldn’t stay on unless we wedged the switch with a clothes pin, and that was because the water pressure was too low. The staff were very friendly and helpful, even though their English wasn’t very good. My Vietnamese is nonexistent, so I’m grateful they tried hard. Still, this is a 5*-hotel. The place is nice, but more secluded than I like, though that is what you’re choosing when you book here. Food and services are seriously overpriced. It was the only place I visited in Vietnam where the menu price had another 10% VAT and 5% service charge added. I wouldn’t mind if that were normal in Vietnam, as it is in the US, but it isn’t.