Resort The Shells Resort & Spa Phu Quoc Hotel

It’s such a shame, because the resort has nice rooms, a private pool and beach, and the potential to be lovely. But staff and maintenance let it down badly. We went for a relaxing anniversary break and came home angry and unrested, with my partner needing time off work because of an injury from the hotel. In our first hour there, we used the pool and my partner suddenly felt pain. He pulled his foot out and had three deep cuts, with a frightening amount of blood. A large jar, not even glass, had smashed at the bottom of the pool. We alerted staff, but he was left by the pool bleeding while nobody seemed in a hurry to help. The first-aid kit had only plasters and bandages, and no one seemed trained to clean the wound. We got no proper medical care or follow-up. They wouldn’t close the pool to prevent anyone else getting hurt. Children and other guests were still swimming, including people who hadn’t seen what happened. Another guest got angry on our behalf. Nobody checked on us that evening or asked if we needed medical help. The resort is far from everything, and with my partner unable to walk, we felt completely neglected and devastated. The booking problem made an already awful situation worse. We had booked and paid for two nights and had clear confirmation, but the hotel said we’d booked only one. At first we weren’t too bothered and understood mistakes happen. We planned to contact Agoda, who could help. Agoda told us they had sent the correct information again, but nobody at the hotel was responding to them. The Shells hotel manager tried to get us to pay for another night even though Agoda had confirmed the hotel would receive full payment. It was an issue between the hotel and booking agency, not us. The manager first claimed they’d received nothing, which we knew wasn’t true from our proof. After arguing, raising voices and getting sassy with me, he admitted they had it but wanted the money right away. They claimed the hotel was fully booked and we couldn’t stay unless we paid, but that wasn’t true either. Agoda found somewhere else for us that night. I was nearly in tears after arguing with the manager, who immediately picked a fight and told us to go. We spent half the holiday at reception dealing with this. Agoda helped a lot, and Kim was the only staff member who helped us, so we’re very grateful to her. Otherwise it was disappointment after disappointment. I’d never book or recommend this place again. I’ve never been spoken to so badly by hotel staff in my life.

The private beach was great for watching the sunsets, and the private pool and room were both very well maintained. My sisters and I spent two nights here and had a really good stay. The location, food, beach and service were all amazing. It was a pleasant, comfortable and relaxing staycation, and I’d definitely recommend it.

We spent three nights at the shells resort and spa and had an excellent stay. The location was superb for sunsets, especially with a view from the room, and the place itself is awesome. Rooms are spacious, though the bathrooms could use more cleaning, I’d give them 5/10. The buffet breakfast was nice, but had very few vegetarian options. Everything else was great. 😊

The secluded setting is a real plus, and the pools, beaches, staff and service were excellent. It’s around a 20 minute drive to downtown and about five minutes from any civilization, so bring snacks if you don’t want to buy everything there. I’d still recommend 3-4 nights. I even got engaged on the beach, an experience for a lifetime. I would have given it five stars, but the food brought my rating down. Breakfast didn’t have enough variety, and frankly none of the meals were very tasty. It didn’t feel like food at a “5 star resort”.