Trang Thuong Villa Phu Quoc

Housekeeping is available, and the swimming pool is clean and beautiful.

We spent 10 days at Trang Thuong Villa, and for much of that time we were the only guests. The staff stayed very friendly. Breakfast was a buffet with 4-5 different dishes each day, but there was no breakfast coffee, only instant coffee in the room. The pool was superb, very clean and didn't have too much chlorine. Our kids spent hours in it. The two-bedroom villa was pretty good, and the rooms didn't disturb each other too much. The main drawback is the location, since you need to Grab pretty much everywhere. Still, being out in An Thoi worked well for snorkelling tours: we were picked up last and brought back first. A few okay local shops and even a pharmacy are within walking distance, though they don't take cards. The closest affordable place to eat that we found was Waterfront Night Market.

The location was disappointing, with mostly construction sites and a few local shops nearby. The resort looked somewhat like the online pictures, but it was far from clean and didn't meet Western standards. The bed sheets, towels and room were dirty. The cheap breakfast buffet left me feeling unwell. I had booked through Agoda a month ahead, encouraged by the price, pictures and reviews. When we arrived, the receptionist said they couldn't find our reservation, despite full payment. After two hours of going back and forth, we were told the booked room wasn't available. They offered a completely different room for another $22 a night, and it looked nothing like what we'd reserved. Since it was late, we reluctantly accepted and spent hours trying to sort it out with Agoda. Agoda refunded our original payment, and we moved to a five-star resort the next day. The staff didn't even apologize. My assumption is that the villa deliberately overbooks through different platforms, then gives guests who paid less substandard rooms. If you're on a very tight budget, it might be an option, but for a little more you can find much better accommodation elsewhere.

The garden looks good but has no maintenance. It's far from tourist attractions, so a taxi could cost more than the rent. If insects and lizards bother you, this place may not suit you. The nearest beach is a blessing, near intercontinntal, and there are a mini market, restaurants and coffee.