“NOT SO BAD, AS LONG AS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE GETTING (AND FOR HOW MUCH MONEY)”
Since Phu Quoc island is not yet developed, its accommodations tend to divide into two large categories: “hut-and-hammock” very basic, hardcore backpacker type of places (no AC, no hot water, often squat toilet, problems with electricity, etc.) for $10-20/night and super-poshy, extremely luxurious hotels for $150-200 (and up) per night. There is really not much in the middle of the spectrum ($40-100/night category). There are a few hotels in that price range that position themselves as “retreat”/”healing”/”spiritual” kind of places. As a result, they often have no air-conditioning, no TV, no Internet and, often, very basic fixtures, so you can feel as close to the nature as it could be possible in order to be able to develop that “get-away-from-it-all” feeling. Nice concept, but not for everyone.
If you are, like me, and want to have an air-conditioned room with hot water, nice furniture (at least, a comfortable bed), Internet and, preferably, TV with a few English-speaking channels, yet do not want to pay an absurdly inflated price for all that, then Charm Resort seems to be one of a very few available Phu Quoc properties, which match such conditions (“decent place for decent money”).
Pretty much everything what other reviewers wrote about this hotel is true. The reception does speak very limited English. Hotel restaurant and its grounds are often used as disco/wedding/party gathering place at night, so light sleepers might have problems. The hotel does not have its own beach (the closest one is 5-10 minutes walk) and most of the rooms do not have sea view. The problem, however, is that all Phu Quoc hotels, which do have all those things cost at least $100-150 per night. So if you plan to spend long time on the island and need a supper nice place, Charm is not for you.
However, if you are here only for a few days (often as a part of a long trip) and mostly want to explore the island, Charm might do just fine. For the most of the day you’ll be gone anyway, driving scooter around the island, taking diving or snorkeling cruise or doing squid fishing. Once you get back to your hotel room after dinner it would be dark anyway, so sea view would not matter much at that point. Yet, air-conditioning worked very well in my room, even during power outages (which happen every night on Phu Quoc) and the water was hot enough to take a nice shower.
Of course, like most things in this part of the world, there were a few small flaws. Wireless Internet did not work in my room (the idea of adding an extra router was beyond comprehension of the management), yet the connection at the reception or in the garden restaurant was quite good. There were a few holes on the bed sheets and hot water only lasted 5-10 minutes (after which point the re-charge took over and hour), because the hotel used in-room water heaters rather than central supply. Still, I found Charm to one of the best “value-for-the-money” combinations on Phu Quoc. Just do not have too high expectations for this place and clearly know what you are getting.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC