Inside Regent Phú Quốc, a Luxe Resort on Vietnam’s Island Playground

Welcome to Checking In, a review series in which our editors and contributors rate the best new (and revamped) luxury hotels based on a rigorous—and occasionally tongue-in-cheek—10-point system: Each question answered “yes” gets one point. Will room service bring you caviar? Does your suite have its own butler? Does the bathroom have a bidet? Find out below.

Describe the hotel in 3 words:

Pools. Pools. Pools.

What’s the deal?

Opened in April 2022, the Regent is far-and-away the top resort on Phú Quốc. Controlled by Vietnam but situated off the coast of Cambodia, this rapidly developing island is most famous as the hub of Vietnam’s fish sauce industry. Back in 2014, the government green-lit the island for resort development, and it became a playground for Southeast Asia holiday makers with a little something for everyone—from ultra-cheesy Epcot-esque Venetian villages to five-star beach resorts. Today, it is carpeted with empty buildings and stalled construction sites, hangovers from the pandemic shutdown. But you won’t notice any of that while cloistered in this huge all-suites-and-villas world within a world.

The best room?

There are 179 suites in the resort’s two main towers and 123 villas wrapping around the lagoon at this IHG-owned property. But the best beds on the island are within the Beach Pool Villa, which weighs in at 15,177 square feet with seven bedrooms and multiple pools. Rates start from $5,500.

Does the resort have a standout perk?

Koi. There are thousands of them filling many dozen pools throughout the resorts grand passageways. There are so many in fact that the resort employs a specialist to care for these usually ornamental creatures.

Did they greet you by name at check-in?

Yes. I was greeted as soon as the car door opened. Check-in happens in an open-air, living-room-like lounge that has picture-framed water views.

Welcome drink ready and waiting when you arrived? Bonus point if it wasn’t just fruit juice.

Yes. You’ll receive one of the resort’s three rotating welcome drinks (all teetotalers): Chamomile Rosemary Iced Tea, Ginger & Lemongrass Iced Tea, Pepper & Orange Iced Tea.

Private butler for every room?

No. Only guests who check into a two-bedroom Beach Pool Villa (or something even bigger) get the attention of a butler.

Is the sheet thread count higher than 300?

The 400 thread count, 100 percent long-staple cotton bedding here comes from Italian textile juggernaut Frette.

Is there a heated floor in the bathroom? What about a bidet?

There is no need to heat floors in sultry Vietnam, but bidets are standard fixtures across Southeast Asia and here was no exception. The bathrooms feature large soaking tubs and fluffy robes in Regent Phi Quoc’s signature pattern.

Are the toiletries full sized?

No. You get Acqua di Parma minis refreshed daily.

Is there a private pool for the room’s exclusive use?

With 262 individuals pools on property, never has there been splashier. Not only does every single room (be it on ground level or the fifth floor) has a private plunge pool, they are all absolutely massive. For instance, a Skyline Pool Villa (a room category in one of the main buildings where the Regent Club, fitness center, and rooftop bars are housed, rather than on ground level) comes with a private 270-square-foot infinity pool. Jump in after dark and watch the lights from the squid fishing boats twinkle in the distance.

Is the restaurant worth its salt?

The Regent has six dining outlets, including a beachfront bistro, an Asian rice market eatery, and an Omakase Atelier and Salon de Boeuf. That Omakase, dubbed Oku, is helmed by former Nobu chef Andy Huynh, who relocated from California to Vietnam to give this Japanese-French hot spot flavor. It’s good stuff, but for our money, the rice market breakfast has the wow-factor. The sprawling buffet has an entire room just for cold cuts, cheeses, and pates. The separate bakery is French-quality, and the hot stations serving up everything from pho to full English are out of this world. Grab a fresh coconut while you are there. It’s one of the most generous buffets out there.

Is there caviar on the room service menu? If so, what kind?

Yep. Order 30 grams of Chinese, Dujiangyan-farmed Amur Prestige to your room—with crème fraîche, egg white and yolk, shallots, chives, buckwheat blinis, and Melba crisps—and form your own opinion. Many say that China is producing the world’s best these days. It will set you back roughly $230.

Do you want to spend Friday night in the lobby bar?

There isn’t a lobby bar here. The bars are located either on the roof surrounding the sprawling infinity pool or secreted behind the Omakase via a speakeasy-style entrance. That bar, Bar Jade, is styled like a train car, and it’s where you’ll want to get your classics and spins on classics. The menu is based on gem-stones: The Emerald is made from Apricot Infused vodka, Frangelico, limoncello, pistachio paste, and mint syrup. We did spend a Friday evening here and liked it.

Would you buy the hotel if you could?

Phú Quốc hasn’t recovered from the pandemic, and the scars are everywhere. Its large international airport isn’t currently flying anywhere, so tourism numbers are still low. The beaches (although thoroughly cleaned at this resort) are polluted. From a strictly financial perspective: no way. From a design and quality perspective: absolutely. The resort itself is masterful bit of architecture, a world within a world, and a pleasure to be inside.

If your idea of a swell vacation is sitting by the pool and vanishing yourself from the outside world, this is your spot. It’s executed to an amazing level. It’s also—as far as five-star hotels go—a great deal. But it you are antsy to get out on the town, pass this one by. The island’s main hub is home to the world’s saddest night market, and its other major tourist attraction is a South Vietnamese prison camp with torture displays. There is evidence of new construction everywhere, but it’s not here yet.

Rate: Ocean Suites from $417.

Score: 9

1-3: Fire your travel agent if they suggest you stay here.4-6: Solid if you’re in a pinch—but only if you’re in a pinch.7-8: Very good. We’d stay here again and recommend it without qualms.9-10: Forget booking a week. When can we move in permanently?