Phu Quoc island resort named among world’s 100 best new hotels

Regent Phu Quoc resort on Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island off the southern province of Kien Giang, has been voted one of the 100 best new hotels by AHEAD, a world’s leading award for hospitality, experience and design.

Organized by industry publication Sleeper, the award covers four regions celebrating the achievements of properties across Asia, the Americas, the Middle East/Africa, and Europe. Judges in each area include prominent hotel designers, architects, owners, operators and developers.

The resort, around 15 minutes from Phu Quoc International Airport, opened its doors to tourists in April last year. It has 302 suites and villas, six restaurants and bars, and swimming pools that overlook Long Beach, next to a UNESCO-recognized world biosphere reserve.

The resort also has a fitness center, meditation studio and rooftop yoga pavilions.

Thanks to its secluded location and beautiful landscape, the resort has recently become a top choice of foreign stars who flock to experience a luxury holiday where a night’s stay costs from VND9.8 million ($415.53).

Its signature restaurant is Rice Market that serves iconic Vietnamese dishes like beef noodle soup and rice paper rolls, along with Chinese dim sum, char siu fried pork rice, and Beijing-style roasted duck.

In addition to Regent Phu Quoc, other top new resorts voted by the annual award were Andaz Nanjing Hexi in China, Cap Karoso in Indonesia, and Pullman Singapore Orchard.

Matthew Turner, editor of Sleeper, said these hotels have been peer-reviewed in microscopic detail by a panel of industry leaders, who go to great lengths to debate and deliberate over which projects are truly worthy of an AHEAD accolade.

Phu Quoc is renowned for its production of fish sauce, an indispensable Vietnamese condiment, and home to high-end resorts and casino complexes.

It has gained in popularity after the government allowed 30-day visa free entry in 2014.

Phu Quoc Island ranked third in The Travel magazine's list of 17 most budget-friendly tourist islands worldwide, while the island was honored by American travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler as one of the best to visit this year.

Its increasing popularity has also prompted Vietnamese carriers to launch new direct routes connecting the island with Asian tourist hubs. Vietjet Air recently announced new routes linking Phu Quoc to South Korea’s Busan and Taiwan’s Taipei from December.

The number of foreign arrivals in Phu Quoc nearly tripled year-on-year to more than 470,500 in the first nine months of this year.