Tom Day 4 of our travels in Phu Quoc was a little bit chill. We decided to just explore Duong Dong Town in the afternoon and enjoy the swimming pool in the morning. We used the evening to explore some local food and went for the complimentary massage that we booked yesterday…
Breakfast Buffet at Seashells Phu Quoc Hotel Coral Restaurant
This morning, we woke up at 6am and we saw that there were already alot of locals swimming in the ocean. After washing up, we headed to Coral Restaurant for breakfast. Used our limited Vietnamese to cite our room number – mot bon mot sau – which the receptionist understood 😅
On first look, we must say that the breakfast buffet at Seashells Phu Quoc is rather extensive…
As with the breakfast buffet at Vinpearl Resort & Spa Phu Quoc, the breakfast buffet was extensive, covering western selections of breads and cheeses as well as local selection of pho and bun ca. There’s even a small selection of Korean food as well.
However, in terms of quality, we thought that it paled in comparison to Vinpearl Phu Quoc Resort & Spa. For instance, the Pho Bo tasted as though there were seasoning added from instant pho – unlike the version at Vinpearl that tasted authentic, made from fresh ingredients. Also the pork rag out was a little tough. Though the vermicelli roll with char siew was not too bad.
After breakfast, as Coral Restaurant is located right next to the pool and short walk to the beach, we decided to bring a cup of Vietnamese Coffee to chill by the pool and enjoy the gentle sea breeze. Thereafter, we headed down to the beach for a stroll and there we noticed some glistening features on the sand. At first, Tom thought it was broken glasses and asked Kate to be careful. However, upon closer inspection, there were actually alive and looked like small little transparent jelly-fish that were washed ashore.
When we pointed out to a foreigner nearby, he started to take notice as well. We started to converse and found that he is a Norwegian and had been in Vietnam to visit his wife’s family. Though currency exchange was still ok, he lamented that the Norwegian Krones against the Euro had dropped from 5kr : 1 Euro to 11 kr: 1 Euro. That’s quite a hefty drop.
Back to the beach, we found that the beach at Seashells Phu Quoc Hotel & Spa is not that good. While the swimming pool is excellent, the beach had rough sand and rock outcrops that extended quite a distance into the ocean. Hence, it’s not really suitable for the kids nor swimming – especially if you’re a beginner. While we were frolicking in the infinity pool of Seashells Phu Quoc Hotel & Spa, we also saw some chaps going Jet Ski and Parasailing. Jet Ski costs 500k VND ($28 SGD) for 10 minutes and Parasailing costs 700k VND ($38 SGD) for 5 minutes or 1.2M VND ($65 SGD) for 2 pax (same amount of time)
You can find the full review of Seashells Phu Quoc Hotel & Spa here.
At about 12:45pm, we headed out to explore Duong Dong Town. By walking along the path next to Seashells Phu Quoc, we arrived at the harbour next to the Seaside Shrine and Lighthouse (Dinh Cau). The colourful steps by the harbour makes for some instagrammable shots. Walking along the streets of Duong Dong Town, we saw local coffee joints, seafood restaurants and also the street where the night market was located…
Lunch at Crab House Phu Quoc Duong Dong
Of course, during the day, there was no activity, except for some seafood restaurants that started to open for lunch. Soon, we arrived at Crab House Phu Quoc, where we wanted to try out some craft beers that they had on tap…
The exterior of Crab House has a giant red crab on its facade so it can be quite difficult to miss it. Inside, you’ll first walk past the souvenir / merchandise area. This reminded us of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in the US and the likes. We were then led upstairs to the second floor where the diners were this afternoon.
The interior decor of the second level was with American-themed memorabilia such as football posters and scarfs, US car license plates and even items from college basketball. We thought to ourselves that perhaps the owner could have studied or lived in US for a period of time…
Despite Crab House Phu Quoc being a seafood joint, we were actually here for the beers on tap. Hence, we started off with the East West Rose and East West Pilsner that was 300ml for 100k VND or $5.5 SGD each. Popcorn was complimentary when we ordered the beers. We also ordered some bar snacks of 6 piece wings and fries set for 195k VND ($10.50). This time, we chose the buffalo wings sauce which was quite appetizing and the wings were rather crisp as well. As for the craft beers, we loved both orders where the Rose was quite fragrant and the Pilsner was refreshing.
To round up the meal, we had another order of East West Pale Ale which we enjoyed the most of the 3 different beers. The total cost came up to 675k VND ($37 SGD) which was a little costly due to the 5% service charge and 8% gov tax. Of course, it was still cheaper than in Singapore where the beers would have cost $10 each.
Strolling further, we noticed some tourists carry this bright yellow plastic bags which said King Kong. After a quick Google search, we located it and decided to go for some quick shopping…
King Kong Phu Quoc for Souvenir Shopping in Duong Dong Town
Although the premise was small, it had most of the touristy items that we would like to buy. There’s of course Vietnamese coffee, cheap alcohols and dried fruits that we wanted to buy. Vodka, soju and beers were particularly cheap. Check out the price of these Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc beers…
At $1 SGD for a can of Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc, it was a steal! We tried a can and found it to be legit. Wonder how they could produce at such a low price – or the fact that we’ve been paying the high prices in Singapore all these while…🤔 In total, we bought quite alot of stuff for about 600k VND ($33 SGD).
Bia Coc Garden Inside Phu Quoc Centre
Phu Quoc Centre is a nice little enclave near to Seashells Phu Quoc Hotel & Spa. Inside, we found Bia Coc Garden where we sat down for a short while, had a beer to cool off from the heat of the day…
This time, we chose the light and dark Vietnamese beers on tap. The light beer was cheaper at 30k VND ($1.6) while the dark beer was 35k VND ($1.9). The total came up to 65k VND with no further taxes. Nonetheless, for Vietnamese beer, we found them to be a tad expensive. However, prices have been rising over the years. The first time we visited Hanoi in 2009, a glass of beer was 6000 VND. During that time, a litre of Vietnamese beer was $1 USD. During our last trip to Hanoi in 2022, it was 20,000 VND. Now it has gone up to 30,000 VND – granted it is on a touristy island. Still, how inflation has eroded our purchasing power over the years…
After returning back to our hotel at Seashells Phu Quoc, we caught the sunset from our room…
We caught the “Golden Hour” where the ocean reflects the orange glitters and shimmers from the sun. Beautiful. Sunset was at 5:45pm. As the sun set, the Filipino band started to perform again. Probably a gig for Saturdays and Sundays.
For dinner, we initially wanted to order via Grab Food and pick up from the hotel lobby. However, although the restaurant accepted our order, there was no driver that accepted the delivery service. Twice we were denied. Hence, we decided to walk to the restaurant Banh Xeo Cuoi (Phu Quoc) ourselves to order and collect the dinner. The walk was about 5 minutes. After ordering the food, Tom waited at the restaurant and had some mozzie bites as there was no air-conditioning at the restaurant. Nonetheless, within 10 minutes, the order was ready and Kate commented that she loved the meal. For 150k VND (or $8 SGD), the portion was actually quite substantial as well.
After dinner, we caught some We Bare Bears (as well as the Baby Bears) before heading to the spa for our massage this evening. Tom went for the 30 minutes head and shoulder massage while Kate enjoyed the 50 minutes massage – complimentary of the stay booked via the hotel’s website. It was a great massage for Tom where he dozed off during the 30 minutes while Kate thought it was “different” as she would have preferred the acupuncture massage as opposed to the long strokes. Still, it was a great way to wind down the evening…
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Book with Agoda Here: Popular Hotels in Phu Quoc
Day 4 of our travels in Phu Quoc was rather relaxing. The Premium Ocean View Room at Seashells Phu Quoc Hotel & Spa was an excellent way to wind down and catch the sunset if you prefer some privacy. Stay tuned as we head towards our last hotel during this trip in our next post – Novotel Phu Quoc Resort!
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