[ad_1]
One of dozens of high-end international hotel chains that have laid claim to the long sandy beach stretching along Phu Quoc’s southwest coast, I stayed at the InterContinental Long Beach Resort because I wanted to be somewhere comfortable, spacious and where everything works while I completed a freelance project that I was struggling with. The resort delivered in this respect: immaculately clean, well-made, well-maintained, well-run and luxurious, I was comfortable and productive during my stay. Staff are outstanding and facilities are excellent, including two enormous swimming pools, six different dining and drinking options, a 24-hour fitness centre, sophisticated spa and well-equipped guest rooms. The architecture is interesting (if not beautiful) and it doesn’t feel like a bland high-end business hotel. If you can afford it, the InterContinental is great for families, couples or a special weekend away. The quality and standards here are much better than most of the competition along this stretch of beach.
[Back Top]
REVIEW: INTERCONTINENTAL RESORT, PHU QUOC
Address: Bãi Trường, Dương Tơ, Phú Quốc Island, Kiên Giang Province [MAP]
Average Rates: $130-$200 | Email: Reservations.ICPQ@ihg.com
CONTENTS:
The Location
Resort Grounds & Layout
Beach, Pools & Activities
Guest Rooms & Décor
Breakfast, Dining & Drinking
Summary
[Click the image below or BOOK HERE]
MAP:
InterContinental Long Beach Resort, Phu Quoc Island
View in a LARGER MAP
[Back to Contents]
The Location: More than half way down the sands of Long Beach (Bãi Trường), between Dương Đông town and An Thới port, the InterContinental is one of dozens of high-end international hospitality developments on this stretch of prime seafront real estate. By road, the resort is 10-15 minutes from Phu Quoc’s international airport, 30 minutes from the island’s main town, and 15 minutes from the cable car at the southern tip. Occupying a generous chunk of fine sand on the southwest coast, Intercontinental gets great sunsets over the Gulf of Thailand. The beach is long and lovely, but there isn’t much local life, because the entire area is part of a massive new development that has yet to be populated. If you stay at InterContinental, the enormous resort grounds are your ‘local area’.
[Back to Contents]
Resort Grounds & Layout: A very big but well-designed development, the InterContinental isn’t a particularly beautiful building, but it’s well-thought-out, functional and has some interesting and attractive architectural flourishes here and there. Looming over the reception, a central atrium spirals up to the 19th floor, with glass elevators lining the hollow vertical ‘corridor’, zooming up to the INK 360 rooftop bar. The main structure is a high-rise topped with a dome resembling a lobster cage. Leading off from each corner of the central edifice are four accommodation wings, each one with a central courtyard decorated with a large pool of carp. The centre piece of the resort is a massive central swimming pool, stretching all the way to the beach. The entire complex feels open and airy thanks to corridors and entrances which let the fresh breezes through, naturally ventilating the common areas. Although the design is symmetrical and easy to understand, it’s not boring or conventional, nor is it brash and bland as I might expect from an international hotel chain. This particular InterContinental doesn’t feel like a business hotel: it’s leafy, interesting and surprisingly intimate for such a big resort. The building isn’t beautiful from the outside, but neither is it a monstrosity like so many of the other high-end resorts on the island. There’s a kind of squid-, fish-, octopus-, wave-theme running through the resort: swirly, wavy, tentacle-like decorative motifs and designs in the rooms, restaurants, artworks, and facilities.
[Back to Contents]
Beach, Pools & Activities: The beach is wide, long and sandy. Coconut palms lean over the waves, and the water quality is good and calm during dry season (November-April). Two huge swimming pools occupy the resort’s central gardens. Both are over 50m in length surrounded by loungers, gazebos, and tropical trees. There’s also a children’s pool with slides and other play equipment. The gym operates 24 hours a day and the HARR Spa is supposed to be one of the most sophisticated on the island (although I’m not one to judge as I don’t tend to use spas). There are plenty of kids activities laid on daily by the resort, making this a good place for families. In addition, tours to anywhere on the island and the small archipelago to the south can be arranged through the resort.
[Back to Contents]
Guest Rooms & Décor: Many different room types are available at InterContinental, but most guests will likely find themselves in a ‘Classic’ garden- or ocean-view room. At $150/night (including breakfast), the ‘Classic’ rooms are the most affordable on the property, but you get what you pay for. The rooms are large (the smallest start at 50m2), comfortable and very well-equipped: walk-in wardrobe, espresso machine, electric blinds, a terrace with pool-, garden- or ocean-view, centrally controlled lamp lighting, living area with sofa, freestanding bathtub and separate rain shower, wide-screen TV and Bluetooth speakers. The colour-scheme is restrained, featuring pale blue and beige tones, and embellishments are ocean-themed, such as shells and waves. Everything is immaculately clean, well-made and well-maintained, and everything works. The ‘Classic’ rooms are located in the resort’s two wings, whereas the more expensive ‘Residence’ rooms are in the central tower with extraordinary vistas. However, the cheaper ‘Classic’ rooms have the advantage of quicker, more direct access to the pools, resort grounds and beach. A third room type are the villas which are several hundred dollars per night.
[Back to Contents]
Breakfast, Dining & Drinking: There are six different outlets for food and drink at InterContinental. Sora & Umi is a Vietnamese restaurant at the bottom of the central tower overlooking the swimming pools and out to sea. This is also where the daily buffet breakfast (included in the room price) is served. An impressively varied spread, including Japanese smoked fish, American-style sweet waffles and Vietnamese noodle soups as well as everything else you’d expect, breakfast is very good, but the quality is not quite exceptional enough to make it into my ‘top 5’. The poolside Ombra is a casual Italian bistro; the beachside Sea Shack is an informal dining spot with an eclectic menu, and the seafront LAVA is the resort’s signature fine dining restaurant, with an emphasis on seafood. Mercado is a quick-stop deli near reception and INK 360 is the InterContinental’s showpiece rooftop ‘sky bar’ with spectacular panoramic views of the island. Unfortunately, the quality of the cocktails does not match the setting nor the high prices. Staff are excellent. Young and hailing from all over Vietnam, they manage to find the balance between highly trained and professional but also informal, friendly, causal and chatty.
[Back to Contents]
Summary: Perhaps my stay at InterContinental was not typical, because the resort was very quiet due to the pandemic. But, apart from the irritating pop music piped in over breakfast and around the pool from 4.30pm, I enjoyed my stay; even more than I was expecting. I loved the space, the quality, the cleanliness, the professionalism of the staff, and I was surprised by how well-designed and attractive the property is. I was expecting it to feel bland and characterless, but I found the architecture interesting and the aesthetics well-judged.
[Back Top]
RELATED POSTS:
Premier Village Resort Phu Quoc | Independent ReviewFusion Suites, Vung Tau | ReviewThe Grand Ho Tram Resort & CasinoAmiana Resort Nha Trang | Independent ReviewThe Shells Phu Quoc | Independent ReviewMia Resort Nha Trang | Independent Review
[ad_2]
source link
