Five places to sleep, five different trips
The area you sleep in decides how much of your holiday you spend in a vehicle. On an island that takes ninety minutes to cross, that is not a small decision.
The short answer
On a first visit of three to five nights, stay in Duong Dong or at the northern end of Long Beach. Everything on the island is within 40 to 75 minutes, the food is on your doorstep, and you will not spend your holiday driving. Everything below is the argument for and against the alternatives.
| Area | Per night | Beach | Food nearby | Drive to everything else |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duong Dong town | USD 20 – 45 | No, 10 min walk | The best on the island | Shortest |
| Long Beach, north end | USD 35 – 90 | Yes, busy | Good, walkable | Short |
| Long Beach, south end | USD 55 – 200 | Yes, quieter | Limited, need a vehicle | Short |
| Ong Lang | USD 45 – 180 | Yes, quiet | Limited | Medium, 20 min to town |
| Southeast, Bai Khem | USD 90 – 400+ | The best sand | Resort only | Long, 45 min to town |
| An Thoi and Sunset Town | USD 40 – 150 | No, 15 min drive | Moderate | Long to the north |
| Ganh Dau and the north | USD 30 – 250 | Yes, empty | Very limited | Longest, 60 – 75 min |
The five areas, one by one
Duong Dong town
The pragmatic choice. You are in a working town, ten minutes from the north end of Long Beach, fifteen from the airport and within 45 minutes of the southern beaches. The food is not comparable to anywhere else on the island — the market, the small places along the main streets, the night market. The trade-off is that you are not on a beach, the traffic is real, and the town is not attractive. Best for three or four nights, first visit, if you plan to be out most days.
Long Beach, northern end
The default for most visitors and reasonably so. You get a beach, a sunset, walkable food and bars, and the shortest drive to everywhere. The northern kilometre or two is busy and built up; it thins out fast as you go south. Best for couples and families who want a beach and a base at the same time.
Long Beach, southern end and Ong Lang
Quieter, prettier, and you need a scooter or a Grab habit. Ong Lang in particular has the best combination of quiet beach and reasonable price on the island, and almost nothing within walking distance. Best for a second visit, longer stays, or anyone whose plan involves reading.
The southeast, around Bai Khem
The best sand on the island and the most resort-shaped part of it. If your holiday is largely a resort holiday with a day trip or two attached, this is where to be. If you intend to move around the island, it is the wrong end — 45 minutes to town, 90 to the north. Expensive, and the price reflects the beach rather than the location.
The north
Ganh Dau and the northwest hold two very large resort complexes plus a scatter of small places. It is quiet, the coast is empty, and you are 60 to 75 minutes from everything including dinner. Best for people who want to be away from it all and have a vehicle. Poor for a first visit or a short stay.
What it costs, by season
| Period | Against the annual average | Book by |
|---|---|---|
| 20 December – 5 January | 180 – 220% | Three months ahead |
| Tet, dates move each year | 150 – 200% | Three months ahead |
| Mid-January – April | 110 – 130% | Four to six weeks |
| May – June | 80 – 95% | Two weeks |
| July – August | 85 – 100% | Two to three weeks, domestic peak |
| September – October | 65 – 80% | A week, if that |
| November – mid-December | 95 – 115% | Three to four weeks |
Those swings are the single largest variable in the cost of a trip here, larger than the difference between our cheapest and most expensive tour. If your dates are flexible, moving a week either side of the New Year period saves more than any other decision on this website.
How we choose hotels
On our multi-day tours the hotel is named in the quote with a link, rather than described as "3-star or similar". Three rules behind that:
- We have stayed in it. Not visited, not seen the pictures. Stayed.
- The commission is disclosed if you ask. Hotels pay a booking commission and we take it; that is normal in this industry. What is not normal is choosing the hotel because of it, and you are welcome to ask us what the difference is between two options we have offered.
- You can say no. If you do not like the one we propose, we offer another, or you book your own room and we take the accommodation out of the price entirely.
Not sure where to base yourself
Tell us how many nights and what you want to do. We will name an area and explain the trade-off rather than just recommending the most expensive one.
Questions travellers ask most
Should we split our stay between two areas?
On a stay of five nights or fewer, no. The island is small enough that moving hotels costs you a morning of packing and checking in to save perhaps forty minutes of driving. We do not move hotels on any of our tours for this reason.
On a stay of a week or more, splitting between Long Beach and the southeast makes some sense, mostly for variety rather than logistics.
Is it worth paying for a beachfront room?
On the west coast, yes if the sunset matters to you — it is the reason to be on that side. In the southeast, yes because the beach is the point. In town, no; you are there for the food and the location.
Are there hostels and cheap rooms?
Yes, mostly in Duong Dong and at the northern end of Long Beach, from around USD 10 to 20. Phu Quoc is not a backpacker island in the way Ha Giang or Cat Ba are, so the choice is narrower, but it exists.
Do we need a hotel with a pool?
Only in the monsoon, when the sea on your side of the island may be rough for days at a time, and with young children. In the dry season with a decent beach in front of you it is a room feature you will use twice.
Read next
Tell us what you want out of the island
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.