IC Phu Quoc (Master Thread)
#32
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,389
Depends how much Chandon you quaff. Have to say although I get lounge with RA, I see lounge as a cost saving over more costly restaurants. Not every time but if used well it can work. If you don't drink and prefer dine out then for sure it's expensive. Think park Lane costs you something like 90 a night without status. An expensive add on if not using the product heavily. If you do then for sure it can work out.
#34
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,790
Well, if the rendering of property 2 is still accurate then it would be highly unlikely that a HI will get so many villas while the IC is left without any. Economically very hard to sell villas to normal HI / HI Resort guests. Take the Indigo im Bali, it has like 19 or 20 villas and they struggle to sell them (also cos they try to charge silly 600USD a night).
#36
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,389
Well, if the rendering of property 2 is still accurate then it would be highly unlikely that a HI will get so many villas while the IC is left without any. Economically very hard to sell villas to normal HI / HI Resort guests. Take the Indigo im Bali, it has like 19 or 20 villas and they struggle to sell them (also cos they try to charge silly 600USD a night).
Like any of us around 2002+ looking at new build renderings in Dubai .... things changed very very quickly. Could be history now. Agree highly unlikely be an HI layout form the image but as a location/positioning, is a definite possibility.
#37
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,389
I think I can manage to post some pictures in a few days.
There is a pool dedicated for the Club, children are allowed in the Club so my guess by extension also the Club pool. We have only seen 2 people out at the Club Pool and they were just having a smoke. I guess the answer right now is that there is not a dedicated adults pool, families will likely use the children's pool and water slide next to Planet Trekkers.
The beach is clean, white sand, not super fine but very soft, the water in the ocean and all pools is perfect, not too cold and not warm that its not refreshing.
We went in the ocean around 4pm, low tide? and you get 3 to 4 steps before you drop off into 4 feet of water, we had to keep an eye on our young daughter so she wouldn't disappear.
Agree, An in the Club is on top of her game, Antonio the GRM stopped by this morning to say hi to us at breakfast, nice Chap who is also available to make sure your taken care of.
I don't drink, the wife is sold on the mojitos in the Club, they are serving Chandon Brut. In terms of food we are taking breakfast in the restaurant and its really good. Afternoon tea is also solid with savory and sweet bites, I would call the evening food nibbles, really nice and as much as you like. cold canapes fruit, sushi, Vietnamese rolls etc. with hot canapes sent to the table from the kitchen. Evening food is between 6 and 8 pm so we have not yet visited any of the restaurants.
We are in a Club Terrance room facing the inside of the "U" with pool and ocean views, rooms on the outside of the "U" will offer views of construction.
They have a tower which has full 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with dining room, kitchen washing machine, etc. part of the time share.
They also have garden and panorama suites, the panorama suites front the ocean and have a semi private patio with loungers.
When you make a Club reservation ask about other room options, they will show you whats available during you stay when you check in. we looked at a 1 bedroom because we are here for 8 nights it has a separate living/dinning room. In the end the Club Terrance was perfect for us.
I am a Spire Ambassador and we felt welcomed.
There is a pool dedicated for the Club, children are allowed in the Club so my guess by extension also the Club pool. We have only seen 2 people out at the Club Pool and they were just having a smoke. I guess the answer right now is that there is not a dedicated adults pool, families will likely use the children's pool and water slide next to Planet Trekkers.
The beach is clean, white sand, not super fine but very soft, the water in the ocean and all pools is perfect, not too cold and not warm that its not refreshing.
We went in the ocean around 4pm, low tide? and you get 3 to 4 steps before you drop off into 4 feet of water, we had to keep an eye on our young daughter so she wouldn't disappear.
Agree, An in the Club is on top of her game, Antonio the GRM stopped by this morning to say hi to us at breakfast, nice Chap who is also available to make sure your taken care of.
I don't drink, the wife is sold on the mojitos in the Club, they are serving Chandon Brut. In terms of food we are taking breakfast in the restaurant and its really good. Afternoon tea is also solid with savory and sweet bites, I would call the evening food nibbles, really nice and as much as you like. cold canapes fruit, sushi, Vietnamese rolls etc. with hot canapes sent to the table from the kitchen. Evening food is between 6 and 8 pm so we have not yet visited any of the restaurants.
We are in a Club Terrance room facing the inside of the "U" with pool and ocean views, rooms on the outside of the "U" will offer views of construction.
They have a tower which has full 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with dining room, kitchen washing machine, etc. part of the time share.
They also have garden and panorama suites, the panorama suites front the ocean and have a semi private patio with loungers.
When you make a Club reservation ask about other room options, they will show you whats available during you stay when you check in. we looked at a 1 bedroom because we are here for 8 nights it has a separate living/dinning room. In the end the Club Terrance was perfect for us.
I am a Spire Ambassador and we felt welcomed.
Many thanks
#38
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: LEJ
Programs: BA GGL IHG PlatAMB HH Dia
Posts: 347
#39
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: LEJ
Programs: BA GGL IHG PlatAMB HH Dia
Posts: 347
#40
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 1,747
I am debating between staying here at Phu Quoc or at the Sheraton Nha Trang; would someone who is familiar with both properties, please tell me which would be the better choice?
Also, does the InterContinental Phu Quoc have other restaurants nearby to have the odd meal without having to pay InterContinental prices? Local Vietnamese cuisine is just fine.
Also, does the InterContinental Phu Quoc have other restaurants nearby to have the odd meal without having to pay InterContinental prices? Local Vietnamese cuisine is just fine.
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Seat 2A
Programs: AA EXP LT GLD 1MM, BA GLD, NH/UA*G, Hyatt Dia, Marr Tit LT PLT, IHG Spire,HH Dia, MGM NOIR,Hertz PC
Posts: 10,571
Has anyone recently checked in here and can report what you got as a Platinum or Spire Ambassador? The more I look at this the more I think I should just cancel and go to Bali instead.
#42
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Stuck on this planet - mainly in STR and LAX
Posts: 5,019
I am debating between staying here at Phu Quoc or at the Sheraton Nha Trang; would someone who is familiar with both properties, please tell me which would be the better choice?
Also, does the InterContinental Phu Quoc have other restaurants nearby to have the odd meal without having to pay InterContinental prices? Local Vietnamese cuisine is just fine.
Also, does the InterContinental Phu Quoc have other restaurants nearby to have the odd meal without having to pay InterContinental prices? Local Vietnamese cuisine is just fine.
Phu Quoc itself is pretty boring and has not much in terms of restaurants etc.
Both the IC and the Sheraton in Nha Trang are almost next to each other. Lots of restaurants there, touristy ones (= overpriced, westernized food) in walking distance, betterlocal places a quick taxi ride (2-3 USD) away.
Nha Trang is a bit overcrowded with Russian and Chinese cheap package tour tourists which sometimes can create an unpleasant atmosphere. Nha Trang is severely overbuilt.
The IC Da Nang is pretty isolated, long taxi ride into town for some local food.
The IC in Bali has lots of (mainly touristy places to eat nearby).
#43
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 29
We stayed at IC Phu Quoc for 8 days in the beginning of January. We booked the hotel with IHG points from my wife's account. She is platinum member through CC. As a plat they upgraded us to a slightly larger room, with ocean view, as far as I can tell. We got a free drinks-coupon and they sent up a bottle of red wine and some cake.
Pro:
Pro:
- A beautifully designed hotel, with a very thoughtful layout
- The rooms are very well designed, with a lot of thoughtful details. I can't recall ever staying at a nicer "basic"-room than this. There is a walk-in closet where you can have all your luggage, a very nice bathtub that also fit people taller than 190cm. There are bluetooth speakers in the room, and a very nice balcony.
- Great pools, with plenty of space and, at least around the children's pool, always cabanas available. The staff at the pool are great and very proactive. My 2 year-old son thoroughly enjoyed the pool and the toys they have there.
- Very nice beach, also with plenty of beach chairs. They did a nice job of cleaning the beach each day, since some of the beach areas outside of the hotel's space had trash in the water's edge.
- The general service level at the hotel is quite poor, especially considering it's a 5 star IC. We might have come in with slightly too high expectations (and from being spoiled at Park Hyatt Saigon), but the overall level here is really lacking. There are some genuinely nice people working there, but almost all of them are at best unpolished (or at worst, not really suited for working in the service industry). A few examples:
- They never kept the time, they had promised for e.g. room service, picking up the finished room service plates, cleaning our room, getting a new bed etc.. They would always be delayed by 30 - 60 mins or more. Every single time.
- Some of the personnel there spoke quite poor english, which was a problem especially over the phone. It would take ages to order room service or even just ask for water bottles.
- Depending on where you are seated in the restaurant, you might be completely out of the waiter's view, and they rarely come check on you. Some mornings it would take forever to order coffee for breakfast, and it was always hit & miss whether they would actually bring the coffee. One morning I had asked two different waiters for coffee, which after 30 mins still hadn't been delivered, I walked over to the person making the coffee and asked for them myself. He said that I should ask a waiter, but after mentioning that I had already asked two waiters, and still had no luck, he eventually made them for me.
- These are just a few examples, my overall issue is mainly that a majority of our interactions with the staff never felt easy. Which is not what I would expect at a 5 star IC-resort and it's not something I have experienced before. My theory is that they hired a lot of locals from the island to fill the many positions they obviously need for such a big operation, and they then hope to train them on the job. We had great service in all of the other Phu Quoc-restaurants we visited, so I doubt its a general issues on the island.
- This is a very specific issue for people travelling with young kids: We had ordered a crib for our son to sleep in. However the only crib that the resort has available is tiny. It seems to be designed for 1 year old and below (we have brought our son to ~30 different hotels, including several in Southeast Asia, and we have never had such a tiny crib before). The only other solution they had was a single regular-size bed. We then asked for a single-bed, but the staff demanded that we pay 100$ per night for the bed. I then wrote to IHG-service on twitter, who contacted the resort, and they ended up offering the bed for free. I would recommend anyone who is travelling with a kid older than 1, who still needs a crib, to bring their own bed.
- The food pricing at the hotel is quite expensive.
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Seat 2A
Programs: AA EXP LT GLD 1MM, BA GLD, NH/UA*G, Hyatt Dia, Marr Tit LT PLT, IHG Spire,HH Dia, MGM NOIR,Hertz PC
Posts: 10,571
I cancelled my 3 day reservation today and rebooked to Bali (Hyatt). The reports about this property don't seem to justify the effort for me.