JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort

It's the little touches: staff never failing to greet you with a friendly "Xin Chao" when passing by, hand-written welcome notes, pre-emptively bringing over spray when dining outdoors - the people here are great, attentive, and really go out of their way to make your stay special. Some staff here may be young and relatively inexperienced, not necessarily as slick and "polished" as staff at top resorts elsewhere, but their attitude is truly world-class. Staff in other destinations can feel somewhat fake by comparison, I prefer the genuine and heartfelt efforts displayed here at Phu Quoc. The food was excellent. We made a point to try everything in the resort and it was consistently delightful. Breakfast buffet at Tempus Fugit and fresh seafood at Red Rum being the stars (couldn't get enough of the local herring & coconut salad). Pink Pearl beat my expectations as more of a Michelin-style experience (as a European, I was particularly impressed by their cheese selection in this part of the world!) We came during the shoulder season (June) and were warned to expect bad weather but honestly it was great the whole time we were here. There were a few brief showers and maybe one day where it was a little grey and stormy but still totally enjoyable. The beach was also very clean, in contrast to what we had been led to expect from other reviews, so it seems they have improved in this regard. You can happily lounge at the beach all day. Our room was in impeccable condition. Given the humidity and wildlife that comes with the territory, I would have expected to put up with some mold or bugs but there was nothing of the sort; instead, we encountered fresh fruit and considerately placed water and treats from the ninja-like housekeeping service. The resort offers loads of activities, we tried almost all of them, with highlights being lantern making, Thai stretching at the spa, and the Marine Biology snorkeling at the house reef. I do have a few suggestions for improvement in case management is listening: 1) I saw fishing boats coming up close to the beach several times. I understand this is not supposed to be allowed, and should be enforced better if possible. 2) The grass inside the running track was quite waterlogged and brown, letting the side down - perhaps improved drainage or new planting would help? 3) Proper quality maraschino cherries in the cocktails would bring the standard of the bar closer in line with what's on display throughout the rest of the resort. In addition, I personally would not recommend the Duong Dong night market trip (or anything outside the resort grounds). The prices are higher than you would expect for Vietnam, and there's nothing much you can see there that you wouldn't find in any other crowded tourist market, and for food you are definitely better off just staying at the resort. The exception was scuba diving in An Thoi, which was great. We really had to struggle to think of the above improvements as our stay was so enjoyable. We could have chosen anywhere in the world for our trip and we chose this one, mostly on the strength of its reviews. We were not disappointed. My Marriott status has never been as highly respected either. I feel happy (and, selfishly, a little sad) that this place will undoubtedly grow in popularity. Good for business but I will miss feeling like we have the whole place to ourselves!

Beautiful resort, very clean. Impressive welcome from all the staffs. Special thanks to Mr Ty Collins, general manager, for his personnal touch to make our stay perfect, especially for my birthday . Staff was very attentive to our single need, always go out of their way to make our stay unforgettable . Breakfast buffet was just overwhelming with large choices of international foods. We have never experienced such perfect services anywhere else. Would recommend the Turquoise suite, just magnificent. What else to say, everything was just......perfect.