Phu Quoc

When I was looking for a warm beach to spend Christmas holiday, I came across a travel site reviewing beaches in SE Asia. According to Travelfish, Phu Quoc "gets almost none of the press of those islands over in Thailand -- and yet with its rugged jungle, squeaking white sands and sparkling cobalt waters, it can more than match them." The resorts were dirt cheap but highly acclaimed, so I decided to find out for myself.

Our hosts at Mango Bay met us at the airport with a four wheel drive vehicle. The ride to the resort took us though winding dirt roads, reminiscent of my parent's cabin in North Central PA. Mango Bay is a working mango plantation, as the name implies, with rustic bungalows along the beach and cows and chickens roaming the premises. Our bungalow had a king bed with mosquito netting (no AC, just fans!), a beach facing porch, and an attached outdoor bathroom that became a house of horrors at night. The food at Mango Bay was second to none, most everything they served was grown right at the plantation or caught off shore. They made the best Bánh xèo I've ever tasted and I could not get enough papaya smoothies.

After we checked in, I ran out to the ocean to get a glimpse of this paradise that I had read about on the internet. At first, I was a bit disappointed. Where were all the coconut palms and white sand beach? There were more pines than palms and the sand was more brown than white. But once Gianna woke up from her nap and saw the ocean, the look on her face made me realize this was the perfect place. The waters were clear and calm, so she could sit in the surf without us worrying about her getting washed out to sea. The rocks off shore offered tropical fish and crab sightings, and there were plenty of seashells for collecting.

The only down side was the wildlife that came alive at night. There were 35cm long Tokay geckos everywhere. Once Gianna and I encountered one on the wall of a cramped bathroom stall and Dan got a good picture of one hanging on the wall over our bed. These guys have a vicious bite, which I only found out after we got home. There were also tropical spiders the size of my palm, and lots of mosquitoes. Even with our DEET and permethrin, we still got quite a few bites. Thankfully so far, nobody got sick :-) During the day we battled black flies, especially during meal time. The only place the flies wouldn't go was out over the ocean, so we spent a lot of time in the water.

Despite the creepy crawlies, our time on Phu Quoc was tranquil and relaxing, a real paradise. But for Christmas Day, we wanted something a little more glitzy and festive, so we headed for the beach town of Nha Trang.