Lesson #16: What to do on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam
After researching hotels, I decided that the Mayfair Valley Bungalows near Ong Lang Beach were the best value for our money. I wanted to stay on the island for two weeks, so we couldn't afford to pay too much. We were able to stay there for $25 a night! Our bungalow was clean and large! Plus it had a large soft bed, great A/C, and a refrigerator. Although we had to deal with the staff not really speaking English, losing electricity for 12 hours one day, and being woken up at 7:30 most mornings by loud banging sounds from the kitchen next door, we were still pleased with our stay at the Mayfair Valley Bungalows.
So my final step was to plan things to do on the island. I actually love planning trips. I joke that if I ever did anything besides teaching, I would want to be a trip planner. I love it so much! Ironically, planning trips causes Tim stress. He would rather just arrive somewhere and decide what he feels like doing once he's there. Our opposite vacation styles does require a bit of compromise. With that in mind, I picked the things that I most wanted to see and do while on the island, and left lots of days open for simply relaxing. Here are the things that I decided upon after doing a bit of research:
1) Snorkeling at the southern tip of Phu Quoc Island with Flipper Diving:
I love snorkeling. I was obsessed with The Little Mermaid when I was little, and I literally prayed that I would become a mermaid. Needless to say, the first time I saw the underwater world when I went snorkeling in Belize, I fell in love! Phu Quoc Island has some beautiful coral reefs, especially in the south by the An Thoi Islands. Flipper Diving also does scuba dives, but I'm not brave enough for that! I picked Flipper Diving based on their good reviews and because the guides are professional, certified divers. We had a relaxing day on the boat, two really fun snorkeling "dives," and a tasty Vietnamese lunch with plenty of vegetarian options for me!
2. A Trekking Tour with Truly Vietnam Travel: https://trulyvietnam.com/
The Phu Quoc National Park actually covers 50% of the island. Nevertheless, it's nearly impossible for tourists to find any hiking trails on their own. For that reason, I decided to book a hiking tour. It actually was not easy to find. I later found out that not many tourists chose to book hiking tours. The snorkeling tours are much more popular! I also learned that the most beautiful area of the national park is actually restricted because it's owned by the military. Our guide, Mr. Thanh, had discovered a wonderful trail to the top of Mount Ham Ninh (or Mount Heaven). It's the second tallest mountain on the island at 400 meters. The hike was pretty challenging at times since the trail is very slippery and gets really steep! Our guide also took us to the Tranh waterfall, where we were able to swim and cool off in the refreshing water. Only one other traveler joined our trip because hiking is not such a popular activity on the island. Once again, I chose to book with Truly Vietnam because of the great reviews that I found on TripAdvisor.
3.Luxury and Spa Day at La Veranda's Le Spa and Le Bar:
Because I have chronic pain in my left hip and leg, I try to get massages at least on a monthly basis. I had read that there were lots of spas on Phu Quoc Island. After reading about which treatments different spas offered, I decided to visit La Veranda's Le Spa because they offered a Neuromuscular Treatment, which I had never tried before. It's described as "An intensely therapeutic deep tissue massage using the masseuse's body weight with
acupressure to aid in pain management as old injuries, trapped nerves or chronic pain." The shortest treatment option was actually two hours, so I booked the two-hour neuromuscular massage for two! The price was reasonable compared to how much a two-hour massage would cost in the United States. The spa was very fancy and relaxing and the staff was professional. Nevertheless, I was not counting on my massage being so incredibly painful! Worse yet, I was in pain for several days after and the massage didn't even help my chronic pain at all. I would say that I do recommend the spa, but I would not recommend that treatment!
Tim and I also ate at the resorts' Le Bar for a luxurious dinner. We had intended to visit the Pepper Tree Restaurant, but we didn't know how to find it. The restaurant was certainly fancy, but the menu was a bit disappointing. The portions were very small, my vegetarian fried spring rolls were very tough to eat, and the prices were expensive. On the plus side, I was able to order a delicious fresh coconut juice!
4. Visit Duong Dong Night Market
We also took a taxi in Duong Dong to visit the "Night Market." Although it's called a night market, it's actually open all day. This was a great place to walk around and look at local goods (like fresh seafood and snakes), as well as experience some of the local culture. Tourists can find lots of souvenirs like traditional clothes, mugs, key chains, and local products like fish sauce and pepper.
5. Shop at All Good Things in Duong Dong: https://www.facebook.com/allgoodthingspq/
A few years ago when Tim and I bought our first home, we decided to start a coffee mug collection of mugs from all the different countries we visit. That meant that I was determined to find a coffee mug in Vietnam! Walking around the island, I actually didn't find many gift shops. The gifts shops that I did find did not sell any coffee mugs, so I looked online. I'm so glad I did, because I found this place! This is how All Good Things describe themselves: "Each product we carry is made with the same purpose of sustaining the ecosystem, ensuring that the farmers of Vietnam are treated fairly for their hard work." And, yes, I found a coffee mug for my collection!
And we of course spent plenty of time relaxing at the beautiful beaches in Ong Lang by our hotel!
We also ate at lots of different restaurants! Here are my favorite restaurants from our trip:
1. Tropical Garden in Ong Lang
This restaurant was located just a couple minutes away from our hotel. They had a large menu with both Vietnamese and Western foods. The greatest thing about this restaurant was the fact that they were one of the only restaurants in our area that accepted debit/credit cards! They had a really delicious breakfast "fruit salad" which included bananas, watermelon, dragon fruit, mango, passion fruit, yogurt, and muesli sprinkled on top. When my stomach wasn't feeling well, I also really appreciated their simple "banana pancakes with honey." I also loved getting the Vietnamese iced coffees! The staff was always very friendly.
2. Midori House-Bella Outdoor Pizzeria in Ong Lang
Tim and I love our pizza, so even though we were in Vietnam, we couldn't go without. Thankfully, we found a great little wood-fired pizza place not far from our hotel. Tim really like their pepperoni pizza, and I thought the Margherita pizza was pretty tasty. I also liked the tasty "Nojito" mocktail! The best part of the place, I have to admit, was the adorable kitten, Missy! She wanted to come home with me!
3. On the Rocks Restaurant at Mango Bay Resort:
The Mango Bay Resort was about five minutes from our hotel. I would've loved to be able to afford to stay there, but their restaurant was super nice to visit. In fact, we ate there three different times. Once for lunch, once for dinner, and once for dessert. The restaurant sits above a rocky area in Ong Lang Beach, right over the ocean! It's a beautiful view, especially at sunset! Plus, the food there is very tasty and very reasonably priced. I loved that they had lots of vegetarian options. I ordered a vegetarian Pad Thai for dinner, and a flatbread stuffed with peppers, tomatoes, and cheese for lunch. For dessert, we both ordered the chocolate lava cake. It was super rich and delicious!
4. Loving Hut:http://www.lovinghut.com/vn/
I didn't realize it until after I returned home, but Loving Hut is actually an international company! Unfortunately, they do not have any locations in China; but they do have restaurants in many countries across the world. We found a Loving Hut within the night market. My stomach was not feeling well at the time, or I would've wanted to try one of the many vegan Vietnamese items on the menu. Instead, we both ordered the hamburger and french fries. To be fair, I haven't found any vegetarian burgers in China, so it was really nice to find one in Vietnam. It was better than expected! It was thin and crispy and very flavorful. It was unlike any vegetarian burger I have ever ordered. They're usually always thick and squishy and dry. I was impressed!
5. Buddy Ice Cream and Info Cafe:
I actually wished that we would've visited this place when we first arrived on Phu Quoc Island because they provide maps as well as really nice travel guides for free. Instead, we ended up coming here our last night on the island. They serve food and drinks, but their specialty is ice cream! I was so happy to find a papaya fruit shake on their menu! I had been looking for fresh tropical fruit shakes ever since I had arrived without any luck until I came to Buddy's. It was a very satisfying shake! They also served different ice cream sundaes and milkshakes.
I am very pleased with my choice to visit Phu Quoc Island. It was the perfect laid-back, relaxing beach vacation! I would definitely recommend a vacation there to anyone wanting a beach escape. However, travel to the island from the United States does not seem to be so easy or cheap. I would recommend it to anyone who is living or traveling in Asia or Oceania. Now Tim and I have returned to Wuxi to suffer in the cold.
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