Early on in our planning we were targeting the popular Thai islands, but the prices for flights to places like Koh Samui kept rising and flights to Phu Quoc were a quarter of the price. So we reorganized our itinerary a bit and spent four nights at a beachfront resort.
Our research led us to the obvious choice of a place to stay on Phu Quoc: Mango Bay Resort.
The reviews for this place were stellar and Stacia had stayed their previously and loved it. Their food is clearly the best on the island and service was also a strong point.
But.
BUT.
They are an eco-friendly resort and none of their accommodations have air conditioning.
This first world girl was not so sure a fan and a mosquito net were going to cut it in the July heat.
So, we found a happy compromise after scouring reviews online.
 |
| our beachfront villa |
We stayed at Ancarine Beach Resort, which just happens to be next door to Mango Bay Resort.
 |
| grounds at the resort |
And we walked next door to MB for every meal.
 |
| dining at Mango Bay |
A pretty perfect solution.
 |
| some version of a caipiroska |
Plus, ABR has a pool and maybe a better bit of beachfront.
For three full days we did nothing but lay on beach chairs, read and lounge lazily around.
 |
| the water was more swim friendly in front of mango bay, though the buildings you see through the trees belong to ancarine |
There's not a lot to do on Phu Quoc and we were quite happy with that. Sure there are some excursions you can book, but we weren't very motivated about investigating them and we were happy to stay put in our shady lounge chairs.
 |
| killer sunsets |
Traveler's tip: If you decide to do the same thing we did, by staying at Ancarine and eating at Mango Bay, note that you can immediately find the MB Beach Bar on the other side of the Ancarine 'restaurant'. To get to the main MB resort restaurant, walk up to the Beach Bar and follow the path past the cottages down the way. Our first night, we arrived at night and tried to make it to Mango Bay via the beach...and found ourselves climbing over large boulders surrounded by the ocean and then traipsing through tall grass. Not our best move.
This looks like such a relaxing place to stay. And top tip about staying next door to a resort with great facilities and just using the ones you need!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel! Our plan worked out well!
DeleteThis is brilliant! We intend to take time out on a beach in Vietnam next year when we are travelling around and this place sounds perfect for us. Thank you for sharing this information, I have pinned for future reference. #wanderfulwednesday
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! Staying at Ancarine did seem to work out well for us and I would suggest it for anyone concerned about the lack of a/c at MB.
DeleteSeems like you guys got the best of both worlds with this decision! I don't know if I would've been able to handle no AC in the dead of July either! Even though it's eco-friendly and I would like to think I could. Sometimes on vacation you just have to go with the more comfortable option!
ReplyDelete