Long Beach, Phu Quoc Island

After Mariana and Filipa headed on their way to the Delta we moved to A74 hotel, at the north of Phu Quoc Island.  It’s located near the north end of “Long Beach” (we’re not sure what the Vietnamese name is for the beach).  The A74 hotel is a good budget option, if you don’t mind little problems like a shower that never completely stops running and a sink with a chunk missing out of its side.  Our room is on the 1st floor, with a terrific view of the sunset over the ocean, and only $20/night (some rooms are $15).  No breakfast, but there is a computer with internet in the lobby and WiFi in the lobby.  The people who work here are very nice, but most of them don’t really speak English.

The locals claim that this beach is one of the worlds “Ten Best”!  That might be true, since it is mostly deserted and super long with soft white sand that squeaks when you walk on it (just like Karon Beach in Thailand).  However, the garbage in the water (mostly empty plastic bags) should down-grade it’s rating 😉

We took a nice long walk down Long Beach.  We reached a rocky out cropping at the end of the bay, and around the corner there was another beach!  Phu Quoc Island is almost completely surrounded by beaches.  This is high season and still almost no one on the beaches.

The beaches on Phu Quoc would be absolutely gorgeous, if not for the garbage.  The first day we walked along Long Beach the water was filled with plastic bags washing back and forth in the waves.  The next day it appeared that someone had cleaned the garbage out of the water and piled it along the beach, but we worried it would just wash back in with the hide tide.  The water here is nice and warm, so it’s a good place to swim, if you find a clean patch.  The beach is lined with resorts, with lounge chairs and restaurants.  For dinner we skipped the resorts and ate across the street, where there are 3 restaurants with awnings in a row.  One night we ate at Pho Paris Phu Quoc and the next at Hop Inn, both with exceptionally good sea food!  (Dinner for two for ~$12.)

Portions of the road near town are paved, but then all of a sudden they turn into dirt roads.

Enjoying our last sunset here on the island since tomorrow we are returning to Ho Chi Minh City.

If you want to experience the natural beauty here on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam, you better do it soon!  There are plans for many large resorts = many more tourists!