travel
the night market, restaurants and beach
clubs. A 20 minute drive to the south
of the island, you’ll find more beaches
and the Hon Thom cable car. The cable
car to Pineapple Island had impressive
views, and priced at VND150.000 per
adult, it’s very reasonable. There is not
much to do once you reach Pineapple
Island except for a walk around and
then enjoy the trip back.
The Best Western is quite a big hotel
with a kids club, kids pool and lazy river.
The beach is nice and offers plenty of
shade from the hot sun. The rooms are
basic but clean and offer ample space
for a family of four. I, of course, had
to try out the Thala spa, which was a
lovely treat. The spa itself is quite small,
but the knowledgeable staff spoke
very good English and the treatments
were relaxing. Both nights during our
stay we enjoyed drinks and sunset
views at the rooftop CView bar whilst
our two year old danced to some live
rock-n-roll music. The hotel also offered
complimentary round trip transport to
the night market where you can find
fresh seafood and an opportunity to
shop for souvenirs.
One morning we explored the Sunset
Sanato Beach Club, a short 10 minute
drive from our hotel. There was a small
entry fee to access the beach which had
a bar and restaurant. I had seen many
Instagram pictures from this location
and was intrigued to see it myself. We
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chose to go earlier in the day to avoid
the crowds and so were the only ones
there. The morning was incredibly hot
and the sand was scorching. Both my
kids were great sports, indulging me
in my picture-taking requests and now
we have some amazing photos to look
back on. The club itself was deserted
so it didn’t quite live up to the image I
had in mind, however, we were visiting
during off-peak season.
When the sun set on our short family
break, we left with mixed feelings. I
was a little underwhelmed by the food
choices on offer but the tourism market
is only just expanding in Phú Quốc.
There was a definite communication
barrier but the locals were gracious and
friendly and you can see there is more
development underway. Phú Quốc
still has some way to go before it’s an
unforgettable destination like Hoi An
and Danang for us, but it is a decent
destination for a short break away from
Hong Kong, offering plenty of sun, rest
and complete relaxation.
Vietjet has introduced a new
international route between Phú Quốc
and Hong Kong. The new 2 hour
45 minute route will operate return
flights with a frequency of four flights
per week.