Vietnam's Phu Quoc island was obviously once one of those best kept secrets for travellers and for our trip in January it was idyllic. You can tell many before us have also found it so with the profusion of palatial resorts which are seeming to crowd in on the small but comfortable Beach Club where we stayed.

The new megamotels might have televisions, air-con, several bars, pools and bedside phones, all things you can well do without in an island paradise, especially one with free wi-fi, but the Beach Club offered something more, an intimate and friendly absolute beachside atmosphere at a far cheaper price.

Bungalow 1 (40US), which we booked well in advance, was the length of the doorstep plus a deckchair from the beach where the ocean was clear, totally calm and, relatively speaking, warm. All rooms in the bigger, expensive resorts are set well back from the beach.
Even closer to the beach than the room was the little Beach Club restaurant 20 metres away. Though the menu was short, the food was cheap and excellent and for something more substantial, Long Beach, on which the Beach Club sits, is lined with excellent restaurants, some with exceptional value (eg Mays - try the seafood hotpot!). Just walk in off the beach. Take a torch in case it's a dark night to walk back along the beach.

Beach Club had clean, comfortable rooms with good hot showers and, most importantly, the staff were friendly, always helpful and always available. Only the driveway, which is shared with the resort next door, is dreadful and difficult to walk or ride a hire scooter down. Its near proximity to a creek which tends to flood in the wet season undoubtedly presents maintenance problems.

Beach Club is a cheap taxi ride from town but the island's main attractions are its restaurants, beaches and sublime weather so there is often no need to stray far from your bed to find the magic of Phu Quoc and its people. We stayed 5 nights and only regretted not being able to stay for a few more.

It is the second time there, and I liked both. Last time I stayed in bungallow n.1 and this time in bung n. 2. The 1 is better, but the n.2 is also OK, you still can see the ocean. Look well the tyres of the motorbikes from the people of the hotel. I rented a motorbike from them and I got a flat tyre in the beggining 25kms. The tyre was not in good shape and I had to pay quite expensive. The staff is very nice and it has one of the best restaurants of Phu Quoc.

This hotel consists of a series of clean bungalows all with comfortable double beds and mosquito nets right on Long Beach in Phu Quoc. Breakfast, unusually for Vietnam, is not included. The beach is quite narrow due, I hear, to the fact that this resort and others nearby used beach sand to shore up their properties after a big storm. As others say, the service is fine, but the food including breakfast is better at the Paris Beach Resort, next door. The owner hangs out in Saigon collecting the rent. We were not the only ones from Beach Club to eat over there. Why the title? The bungalows are ugly inside with institutional green paint and the showers are like those of Vietnamese homes, with no separator so the water runs right into the bathroom. The wifi doesn't really reach the bungalows meaning that if you want to use a computer to go online, you have to hang out in the bar area. There aren't enough umbrellas and the hammocks are low and uncomfortable, although there are those lie-flat beach cushion things (can't remember what they're called). These are minor problems, but make the experience of being there much less than it could easily be with a bit of investment. A lot of people like this place, but looking at the comments, they seem to complement beach club on the essentials. Seemed to me next door had much nicer facilities, although less of a beach view.

We stay for two nights but wished it was more. Good cabins next to the beach with all the comfort you need. The bar was cheap with excellent food and very friendly staff all made this a great place to relax and enjoy the tropical paradise of Phu Quoc.

We also rented a motor bike from the staff which made exploring the island easy. A fantastic locally run resort that is excellent value.