Phu Quoc, Vietnam – 23-29 December 2022

How on earth is it nearly Christmas??! This year has flown by. 

Due to Covid the Hong Kong in-town check-in is still suspended (yes I've moved back to HK), so I head straight to the Airport Express on Friday 23 December 2022. It’s definitely busier at the airport than when I was last here (November 2021). It seems to take forever to check-in, and I have zero idea why! At one stage I did wonder if it’s because she is trying to upgrade me…..alas no! Finally I have my boarding pass.

Cathay Pacific Lounge here I come!! It’s a short step, hop and jump from immigration. Due to Covid only 2 CX lounges are operational at the moment, this means there are portions of the First-Class lounge that are closed for the commoners like me. One day!

 

The line up at the gate is crazy, glad I left the lounge when I did.

Well this is freaky!!! Going through the boarding gates I need to take my mask off (yes please!), no other information is required….it then shows me my seat number. Freaky!!!

We finally push back from the gate 40 minutes late. Most annoying! Let’s hope we make up some time - I don’t want any issues with my next flight.

We definitely do not make up any time in the air. This is going to be tight!

On disembarking the plane there are Cathay staff standing there with a Phu Quoc sign. Yes that’s me. They are very confused by an APEC card and tell me to head straight to immigration.

Wowzers (and not in a good way!) the lines are ridiculous! Think at least 40 people per line and there are at least 5 lines. Ooh how lucky I am to have an APEC card.

The immigration officer is in no rush, I’m convinced they take their sweet time to make us all sweat.

One of the positives of immigration taking so long is my bag is already on the baggage carousel.

I grab a trolley, place my bags on and I’m off! First stop is an ATM to get money out. Then it’s a fast walk to the domestic terminal. Definitely getting my active minutes up today.

I had checked in for the flight earlier today in case we were delayed, I’m so thankful. The bag drop line moves faster than immigration thank goodness!

Through security and I basically have minutes before boarding begins. Phew!

In all the traveling I’ve done over the years (I think it’s been about 10 flights…..) I still have no understanding on why people will join long lines to board.

It’s a quick 35 minute flight down to Phu Quoc. On landing the pilot announces its 21 degrees, brrrr I certainly didn’t expect this. I had arranged a car transfer through the hotel and easily identified the driver.

We finally arrive at the hotel after 11pm (midnight HK time). Sleep is needed!

I wake just after 7am on Christmas Eve. More sleep is needed! I’m in no rush, this time tomorrow I’ll be getting ready to get into a taxi. Thank goodness today's plan is to swim and that’s about it.

It’s like a zoo when I arrive at breakfast. There are people everywhere. Roll on the tomorrow when I'm hoping it will be nice and quiet! 

As I’m being shown to a table I ask about coffee - the choice is Vietnamese or Italian. Only one option for me, Vietnamese please and thank you.

When I finally make it to the pool I find one spare chair, bingo! And relax!

The day is spent staring at the sea, swimming and playing sudoku.  This really is the life! 

 

I return to pool side for the afternoon.

Late afternoon aa the sun is getting hotter and hotter I return to the balcony in my room.

Sunset is amazing!

I decide to order room service – first time I’ve done that when on holiday.  

Christmas Day (Sunday 25 December) my alarm wakes me at 6.30am. Far too early to be getting up when on holiday but needs must! I’m off scuba diving today.

Breakfast is nice and quiet, expected at 7am in the morning!

Thankfully getting a taxi is super easy! The fun begins with trying to say where I’m going. Thank goodness for google maps!

Google maps is used a number of times throughout the journey. I arrive just before 8am, perfect timing.

Unlike other countries I get out without paying and head to the closest cafe to exchange my note for smaller notes. Taxi driver paid, I cross the road like a local. The key is not running! To be honest it’s fairly easy when there are only a handful of motorbikes around.

We jump on a small row boat of sorts to the dive boat. There are 7 divers plus the crew, a nice small group.

Willy informs us to sit back and relax, the journey to Turtle Island is around 1.5 hours. Definitely wasn’t expecting this.

For the first time in a very long time I don’t feel nervous before jumping in the water.

I’m over the moon when we get to the surface. My regulator wasn’t right so I was taking in sea water throughout the dive and at more times that I want to remember I wanted to vomit. Far from pleasant!! Add to the mix terrible visibility I won’t be diving tomorrow.

While the water wasn’t cold once on board it was cold! Wet suit off helped to warm up.

My regulator was changed before we went down for dive 2.

Thankfully no issue with the regulator on dive 2! Visibility still bed and this time we had a current too. Fun and games. Great to be underwater again though.

Lunch is provided on the journey back to the pier. Not your typically Jordan family Christmas lunch but was tasty after a morning of diving.

One of the girls and I wander the streets in search of ice cream (for her) and beer (for me). Success on both! I continue to walk with her to her hotel then order a Grab which arrives within minutes.

I get back to the hotel just before 3pm - the sun is still in full swing. After swapping bags and exchanging a couple of things I head to the pool. Need to get this salt water off me!

Brrrr the water is cold! Sorry refreshing 😃

I realize it’s chocolate hour - something the Movenpick Hotel does daily. I only decide to partake as it’s Christmas Day.

Sitting here on the balcony I feel like I could fall sleep, my watch tells me it’s 4.45pm which so far too early for bed!

Feeling clean from the shower it’s time for a glass of NZ Chardonnay - a lovely treat for Christmas Day! This time last year I was in NZ enjoying one or nine million bubbles.

I head down to the restaurant for dinner - I have no idea what I want to eat so instead focus on the drinks.

Phu Quoc Pepper Martini ordered. Because why not!

In the end I decide on what I ate last night. It doesn’t disappoint.

Boxing Day (Monday) I wake just after 7am. A little too early to be getting up when you don’t need too. Thankfully I go back to sleep.

Breakfast is a slow affair. It’s then straight to the pool.

Result! There is a pool chair free, it’s the small things on life that matter 😊

Mid afternoon it’s getting a little cool, so I head back to my balcony.

The rest of the afternoon is spent relaxing looking at the view.

Tuesday 27 December I wake just after 7am. The quietness is so relaxing.

Breakfast is busy but I manage to find a table in a quieter area. I haven’t even put my bag down when one of the staff come up and ask if I want a black Vietnamese coffee. Yes please!!!

I have the morning at the pool - jumping in and out of the water. This really is the life!

I have the morning at the pool - jumping in and out of the water. This really is the life!

I enjoy a late lunch sitting outside enjoying the warm weather. A great change from cold Hong Kong!

The rest of the afternoon is spent at the pool.

Feeling clean I decide it’s time for a Phu Quoc Pepper Martini. It was super delicious the other night.

Of course the one thing I choose they don’t have tonight. Buggar! And yes it was going to be something new for me. Instead I’ll go with the chicken with salt and lemongrass and some morning glory.

 

Hard to believe this time in 2 days I’ll be in Saigon.

Wednesday 28 December I wake before 7am. My second to last morning here.

While breakfast is busy thankfully it seems pool side is not. One sip of my coffee and I nearly fall over…..it has sugar and at least 3 bags of sugar. No thank you!

Getting a chair is easy. Let’s hope it remains nice and quiet today.

It never ceases to amaze me how rude some people can be on holiday! From putting towels out on the chairs and not coming back for basically the whole day to mimicking the staff’s English. So bloody rude!

The morning is spent jumping in and out of the pool and entertaining myself by people watching!

The group next to me finally turn up at 1.10pm. Honestly! But they don’t stay….

When the shade finally disappears I decide it’s time for lunch and a break from the intense sun.

I spend the afternoon doing exactly what I did this morning.

4.45pm one of the three of my neighbours finally come and sit on the chair. Beyond rude!!!

 

When I arrive at dinner it’s so much busier than other nights. Aah that’s because there is an Italian buffet dinner. No thanks, I’ll stick with A la Carte.

I order my favourite drink, as the waitress tells me!! You would think I’ve been here constantly drinking them. Alas no. I’m glad tonight is my last night, don’t need any judgement :).

I finally decide to have pizza for dinner - the Vietnamese food options aren’t huge and I feel like I’ll get proper Vietnamese food in Saigon.

10 minutes later I’m told they have run out of pizza dough. Nooooooooo. Back to the drawing board.

Clearly someone high above doesn’t want me to be eating western food. My pasta finally arrives and it looks like someone else has had it first and eaten all the sauce. The kind waiter takes it back and tells me he will add more sauce. When it returns it doesn’t look good at all! But there is more sauce. The pasta unfortunately is cold. Aaah.

The manager comes over - while she is very nice like the waiter - it's now been over an hour and I’m hungry. Fresh spring rolls are ordered and thankfully they arrive within minutes.

Thursday 29 December I wake before 7am. Apart from the birds it’s a peaceful morning.

I have the morning at the pool - people watching, swimming and relaxing. Heavenly!

Check out is nice and easy. I have just under an hour to the shuttle to the airport.

The 40 minute ride to the airport passed by quickly with so much to look at. I was worried I would be cutting it fine to drop my bag but alas no.

3.55pm (departure time) comes and goes with no announcement. Well this is fun…..

All of a sudden I hear 6.40pm 6.40pm. Yep that’s right my flight has been delayed basically 3 hours. Fun and games!

At 5.40pm an announcement is made that my flight is delayed to 6.40pm. Really, who would have known………???!!

Finally our plane lands and shortly after the bus turns up, I’m about to murder the man next to me. Cough cough cough every 20 seconds. Grrrrrrr!

I’m one of the last to get on the bus at 6.45pm. The time passed quickly with sudoku. Super lucky I wasn’t flying back to HK tonight, I would have absolutely missed my flight.

As my Nana has always said, if you have time to spare fly by air……

7.05pm we finally start moving. Goodbye Phu Quoc.