Regent Phu Quoc

This might be a little unfair, because we booked a king suite, actually received an ocean view suite, and then paid up to get what might have been the most beautiful room on site: the King Terrace Villa. The room is perfection, just pure perfection. I challenge you to find a single spot in it that feels out of place or even boring. The room is littered with tasteful custom design elements throughout, yet feels spacious and clean. The size is much larger than you would expect — ours was roughly 165 sq m, way more space than we even knew what to do with. It is all top-notch, custom-made, with high-grade finishes. The fridge and drawers are filled with silverware, platters, or food that's refilled every day and completely complimentary. As standard, there is a coffee maker and a tea set in the kitchen.

From the door to the bedroom there's a clear path, with the living room set off to the side but easily accessible at any point. There's an easy path to the pool as well, with floor-to-ceiling windows letting in plenty of natural light and a beautiful view of the outside greenery. We had two garden-view suites below us and while they weren't occupied, I do think the soundproofing would have been fantastic either way.

Once again, pure perfection. I could just stare at this bathroom for ages, it's just beautiful. Double vanities on opposite sides of the bathroom give each partner their own space. Showers were beautiful and worked well, with no issues with drainage or hot water. The bathtub is huge (it can definitely fit two people) and they even provide a little headrest so you can put your head back and relax while you bathe. The toilet has an automatic bidet, and soundproofing was excellent.

My only gripes were that the headrest smelled a little used, and that the bathroom door was made of glass — by design, but it did not give me the privacy I want when I use the bathroom. Custom-made robes and slippers are provided for both guests and the personalization is phenomenal: they gave me a pair of larger men's slippers while my plus one received smaller slippers made for women. Lighting is also fantastic, with an option for bright or mood lighting. I preferred the mood lighting, since it accentuated the natural spa-like character of the bathroom.

No issues here. The sheets were super comfortable and gave us a great night's sleep. The duvet kept us warm without overheating — a rare combo. They also had a choice of pillows, a standard at luxury hotels; we stuck with the standard ones provided. There is also the option of blackout curtains or light-leakage curtains. I personally prefer light leakage since it helps me wake up early, though my plus one preferred blackout. It was nice to have both readily available at the touch of a button.

With this room I would say there are no real hallways, as the hallway only leads to our room. The other hallways outside lead to the two suites underneath, and there would never be foot traffic we could hear because of the layout. Temperature and humidity are very well controlled, considering Vietnam gets incredibly humid — especially when we went, during the rainy season.

Great integrations, with the curtains and blackout curtains tied to easy-to-find buttons. Lights are almost all hooked up to a master switch. There are USB chargers but no USB-C chargers, which unfortunately warrants a slight demerit in my book. Good entertainment in place: the TVs, while I didn't use them much, seemed to have an okay selection of channels. The Wi-Fi was perfect, no troubles with speed — my plus one even had a video meeting and connected flawlessly despite the other party being on the other side of the world. The keys are keyless, and I don't remember if there's app integration, but I think there's probably the option.

There is no shortage of pools, spas, saunas, beach access, or anything else you would need at this resort. If I'm not mistaken there are over 200 pools, which seems absurd until you're on property and realize that pretty much everywhere you look there's a pool — maybe two, maybe three. They're beautiful, mostly infinity pools or shallow tide pools you can dip your feet in if you just want the feeling of water at any time. The gym was probably one of the most beautiful I've ever seen: all the equipment you'd need, ellipticals and treadmills, and it even provided coconut water along with energy drinks and other snacks.

Above all else the star of the show, at least for us, was the Lounge, which we had access to because of my IHG Diamond membership (a tier selection bonus). It was probably one of the most beautiful rooms in the whole hotel — and that says something. The staff were as good as you can ask for, and the food was some of the best I've ever had, probably the best I'll ever have in a lounge. We opted out of the provided breakfast to eat at the lounge as much as we could. And did I mention the all-day champagne? Not just any champagne — we looked the bottle up and each one was worth upwards of $90-$100. Insane value. If you don't have status you can pay for daily entrance at $150 per person per day; it sounds like a lot, but considering they serve dishes featuring wagyu, truffles, and caviar, it may not be the worst deal. I've definitely paid more for less at all-inclusives.

We don't have kids, but we took a look at the kids' facility and I have to say, I wish I were a kid visiting this hotel. It was large, sprawling, and had everything you could ask for: gyms, swings, playgrounds, and even modern entertainment like video games.

The design philosophy is clear throughout, and the sense of place on Phu Quoc island could not be any better. This place really makes you feel like you are in Vietnam — just the luxurious side of Vietnam. There's natural lighting everywhere you go, and the artificial lighting sets a mood of serenity throughout the resort. There are speakers everywhere, even in places you don't expect, like back hallways where you'll hear tranquil music playing. The design is consistent and you clearly know what region you're in. Everywhere you look there's the regional symbol — and not just that, there's the resort's own Phu Quoc motif, which I thought was very neat, littered throughout the whole property and even in our bathroom. It's even in the chocolate bars.

While the resort is not brand new, the maintenance and upkeep is fantastic. I'm particularly sensitive to signs of aging in furniture, unclean hallways, and scuffs, and honestly I didn't notice any. One of the elevators was down during our stay and there were times when pools were closed when they maybe shouldn't have been — I might attribute that to it being the wet season. It was very, very windy when we first arrived, so I think it was more of a safety thing. Pretty much everywhere you go there's someone cleaning and picking up leaves, not just on the road but under the shrubs as well, where you normally wouldn't notice unless you looked very closely. That really goes to show the attention to detail involved.

If this hotel were in Hawaii, it would go for $1,500-2,000 a night — it's that good. But of course it is not in Hawaii, and that becomes painfully clear when you decide to go exploring. This hotel is almost singlehandedly brought down by the inescapable reality that Phu Quoc is just not a great destination. I'm sorry, it's true. The beach the Regent sits on is beautiful, I agree, and the views from just about anywhere in the hotel are beautiful too. It manages to offer seclusion from the rest of the island.

But what is it surrounded by? Empty, near-abandoned buildings whose pastel pink and blue colors are nothing but eyesores. Then take a trip to nearby Sunset Town, a short 20-25 minute taxi away. It's the closest thing I can find to the dystopian feel of 2010s China (where I lived for a decade). The town was quite clearly built unnaturally and gives off an eerie vibe of inauthenticity, stemming from the fact that they built the infrastructure before the demand. No one is living in these buildings. It feels like a declining amusement park, where only the shop is open but the rest of the building is dark, empty, and lifeless.

The check-in experience was as good as anywhere I've ever been. From the minute you arrive, a chauffeur takes your luggage and you won't think about it again until you get to your room, where it has already arrived and been set very neatly just past the door. Your "butler," whom you've been in contact with before arriving, greets you warmly as you step out of the car and shows you to either the lobby or, in our case, the lounge, where we were offered refreshments and even food while check-in was completed away from us.

The room was ready when we arrived, but they wanted us to see the other rooms available, even for a paid upgrade. We're happy we did, because we chose the King Terrace Villa for a small upgrade of about $250 a night and it was well worth it — one of the greatest rooms we've ever stayed in. When we got to the room, our luggage was neatly set near the entrance and they took the time to explain everything in detail: where the thermostat was, how to control the blinds and lights, which kitchen appliances were available. We truly felt welcome. The whole check-in experience was easy, warm, efficient, and just fantastic.

Of everything we'd seen up to this point — the stunning rooms, the flawless design philosophy, the feeling of place — none of it had my plus one and me gushing more than the level of service we experienced at this facility. Perhaps it was because we went during the off-season, where the staff-to-guest ratio is more manageable, but whatever it was, I'm here for it. We went to the Park Hyatt Saigon just after this resort — a property well known for its service, where the best concierges from across Vietnam travel to train — and it didn't come anywhere close to the level of service we found at the Regent Phu Quoc.

If a worker saw you, they would immediately drop what they were doing to smile and wave. Every staff member was professional, warm, remembered your name, and had a sense of anticipation, knowing almost exactly what you'd want at all times. Every department was consistent. They were very responsive — you'd get WhatsApp access directly to the concierge and could text them whenever you wanted anything. They didn't always respond instantly, but almost always within 30 minutes to an hour, and when they did, they fulfilled the request as soon as they could. Housekeeping came twice a day and was honestly amazing: they'd rearrange and clean top to bottom, leave small chocolates each time, and bundle up any electronic cords.

The staff seemed genuinely happy to work there and had nothing but good things to say about IHG and the system they work in. Some of our best service came at the lounge, where we were greeted every day — someone would come to open the doors whenever they saw us approaching from a distance. As for champagne, any time you got close to finishing your glass, someone would come by to refill it without you even having to ask. The concierge was genuinely useful: they helped us book a show in Sunset Town, gave good advice on taxis and what to do, and helped us exchange money before we set off. I had my sights set on the luxury yacht/catamaran and told a concierge I wanted to book it as soon as I arrived. He actually advised against it given the season and weather (overcast, windy) — I didn't listen, booked it anyway, and he was right; it wasn't the greatest experience and was very expensive. Props to him for trying to steer me away. I'd love to give service a perfect score, but there were a few moments — occasionally at breakfast they weren't the most responsive, and at certain facilities some staff were just trying to get their job done — where there was a little room to improve.

Most of my sentiment on the service is in the previous section, but this hotel really does its best to go over the top to make sure you have a great time. Any time we had a request, I knew I could speak to any staff member, who would either immediately seek to fulfil it or direct me to the most appropriate person. Their use of WhatsApp for direct communication has the potential to be a dud, but in this case it gave us on-demand access to their exceptional service.

Operations here are perfection. There are staff everywhere, trained to do every little thing to ensure the guest experience is perfect — from picking fallen leaves out of the shrubbery, to trimming each and every bush and tree, to running nets through the ponds to keep their surfaces clear and serene. Walking through the grounds is almost a spectacle in how they keep operations so smooth at the scale they run.

They also give us access to a WhatsApp line where we can reach them directly for one-off requests. I'm not sure who takes the texts, since it seems to change daily, but they respond and execute tasks anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Altogether, I am still in awe of how they keep operations so tight. Kudos to whoever trains the staff.

Housekeeping here is the best I've experienced and as good as it can possibly get. They came around twice a day, made the bed, and cleaned the pool and poolside area each time. Towels were replaced and all shoes were placed in the proper location. Beyond perfectly maintaining the room, they took the time to organize our luggage off to the side, neatly place our shoes at the entrance, and even tie up all of our electrical cables. The room was spotless every time we came back, and they timed their visits for when they knew we were away, keeping their footprint as unnoticeable as possible.

I'm only talking about the breakfast complimentary to everyone here (not the lounge breakfast), but this is one of those times where the food looked better than it tasted. When we first arrived, I was blown away by the design, the plethora of food options, and the incredibly fresh presentation of each cooking island. Food was prepared on the spot, with certain stations cooking to order, and there was also an à la carte menu. Unfortunately the à la carte wasn't very good — my plus one and I each ordered a dish the first day and another the next, and after that we pretty much stuck to the buffet.

Coffee was excellent, with a large selection ranging from coconut coffee to Vietnamese coffee and of course regular Americanos. Service was good, sometimes a little slow, and there was always a pretty large crowd whenever we went. Variety is the biggest strength here: a bakery section, fresh fruits and smoothies, cold cuts, and a well-stocked kids' section. The main warm food section is split between Western, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese options. My favorite dishes came from the Korean and Chinese sections, and the pho was honestly pretty good — not comparable to the best places in Ho Chi Minh, but solid in its own right.

We went during the off-season, so crowd management was very easy on their end. The hotel wasn't booked to max capacity and the employee-to-guest ratio was very good at the time. We never had to wait for breakfast and the lounge was always available to us. The only gripe we had was that some of the activities filled up quite fast — there were only 8 to 10 spots per activity and somehow they were all booked out before we were able to go.

Great checkout experience, no complaints here. The bill was presented to us with all the charges explained. Luggage was picked up from our room and delivered directly to the taxi that came for us. The farewell was warm and late checkout was granted, though our flight was at 2pm so we didn't fully take advantage of it. While we waited for our taxi, they graciously handed us refreshments — it was very hot, so that was definitely appreciated.