Nam Nghi Phu Quoc Review (A Hyatt Unbound Collection Property)

Damn... that was one long review

@ Martin -- Yeah, 5,000+ words. But it seemed better to keep it all together rather than doing separate installments for the activities and restaurants.

Fun to read and Very detailed review.
Thank you 🙂

“And no staff, other than the contracted security guard who was in charge of radioing the boat when you wanted to leave.

So that was obnoxious, and probably a huge legal liability”

Out of curiosity... what would make this a legal liability?

Thank you for giving such an in-depth review, I love it.

Wonderful and thorough review! I honestly loved all your Vietnam reviews, to the point I never before considered it a destination in my list, and now i'm definitely planning to visit.

So, why does pan-Asian fusion usually raise reg flags for you? Seems a bit weird.

Overall I'd say it's a solid review. A few things did seem nit-picky and I was confused about the complaints of pricing so often. It kind of seemed like you wanted backpacker prices in a high end hotel. Is there another Hyatt property where that was the case for you? Knowing Vietnam itself and a number of Hyatt properties in general I don't see anything you listed price wise to be out of the ordinary.

@ Phillip -- Well, that guy spent all his time at the far end of the dock -- a few hundred yards away from where guests would be, unless they were preparing to leave, so he didn't have any visibility as to what was going on. And it's certainly my American perspective, but it's one thing to say there's no lifeguard on duty, but possibly quite another if someone gets hurt on the stairs, or whatever else.

@ Vanya -- In my experience, when a restaurant says they have "Asian" food, the cuisine is often missing the nuances of spice and preparation that make regional dishes great, with everything being somewhat "meh" as a result. I feel the same way about "European-style" bakeries, or other attempts to homogenize cultures that are really quite diverse.

Impressive review, to say the least. Something tells me your prediction will be spot-on. Lots of potential here.

@ Brittani -- Hmm, I don't see "complaints of pricing so often"? I felt that the Tet dinner was way too high for what it was ($75 USD/person for Vietnamese street food is a lot), but acknowledged that holidays at hotels are what they are. My only other comment on higher costs was for the mini-bar, where the prices were high for Vietnam, but reasonable in the world of hotel mini-bars. Making the distinction of local beer being 10,000 VND outside of the hotel, versus 60,000 VND plus 5% VAT and 10% service charge is commentary, not a complaint.

But, I also don't feel like this hotel is high-end enough to warrant the prices they're charging in general. At least not yet.

We stayed in November and I cannot begin to describe how hilarious it was reading this. You nailed it. Julian has A LOT of work left, but completely agree it has so much potential. The snorkeling by the dock was also incredible. We thankfully rented motorbikes at the small backpacker resort next door to explore the island, as ordering was A CHORE at the restaurant. We were also asked to pay cash once at the pool bar, which we obviously didn't have on us, because why would you bring cash to the pool when you can just sign to your room.

Thanks for the review, and the fun memories reliving our stay here.

Thank you Tiffany for probably the best review i have ever read.
You actually put into very accurate words my multiple disappointments from luxury resorts in VN.

We actually once left one night early a stay at Banyan Tree (similar problem with shower flooding room and stink and Hotel not able to solve it while claiming they did).

Undertrained staff, Management that simply isn't experienced enough with luxury and what all that means and terrible communication.

Not in a rush to return to high end properties in country side VN.

Best review of the year on OMMAT! Great job, Tiffany!

Wow, this was a very detailed, but fair review. Can't wait for the other parts of your trip.

@ Martin ... I agree - very long. But detailed. Had everything but how long it took her to fall asleep!

@Tiffany, how were the costs for food in the restaurants?

@ EC2 -- Fine enough for a resort, I guess, but I felt they were comparatively high. A bowl of Pho was 218,000 VND, so about ~$12.50 after the tax and service charge, versus the ~$8 you'd pay in New York or California, or the max ~$3 you'd pay at a local place (and the ~$3 assumes a higher-end or touristy place).

@Tiffany that hasn't been my experience, actually.
For example, there's a huge amount of Vietnamese cafes in Moscow at the moment, and you can get amazing Pho Bo practically anywhere, but not as many Thai or Chinese cafes (which is just strange).
So sometimes these Vietnamese joints serve Thai and Chinese fare as well, which is generally very authentically done. So I'm not scared of "Asian" cafes, but I understand it can be different in different countries etc. If they serve pizza, sushi and shisha at the same place (as is common), theeen you have to run, and run fast 🙂
Thanks for your response!

@ Tiffany. Been waiting for this review (after learning of the resort the same way you did) and was not disappointed! Thanks for all the detail. Booking Phu Quoc has been a challenge. We passed on this one despite liking the location, feel of the resort and snorkeling opportunity. We’ll see how it goes, but the Intercontinental seemed like a safer choice for our group—They respond promptly and specifically via email, and I feel like I know what to expect. Did you make it to the Phu Quoc night market? Was the sea and beach clean when you went in or a little sketchy?

Had contemplated this hotel, but eventually ended up choosing JW as it’s away and on the most pristine part of the island. In fact I’m currently posting this from the resort. You are spot on about the island, it’s jot ready from prime time. The JW definitely has its act together and it’s a very interesting “university” theme they have.

I stayed at the JW Marriott and got upgraded to a turquoise suite. The rooms and resort decor was amazing. It's really a unique Marriott property.

One of the most funniest reporst I've ever read. The problem is taht it made me want to go there ;_)
Note: if you want a nice place i PHu Quac, just go to the Accor Hotel....

Wow, Thanks Tiffany. Now that’s a lengthy report. I hope the Hyatt worldwide executive team take good notice as you have done them a big favour with that level of detail. Hotel looks really good with the soft product obviously letting it down from a service perspective.

THE Rock was amazing. I was there at the end of September and we had a great party...DJ s ,drinks and lights made an awesome night. Totally recommand this resort. We stayed in a villa which i bought with Chase UR for like 280 a night...great accomodations with compkimentary champagne and fruits.

I have a meeting tomorrow at which I will definitely use the term "operational goat rodeo."

@Tiffany

For activities schedule for the lunar new year, it follows the date/month setup and the first set of dates in bold are the lunar dates, with the corresponding regular calendar dates after the "LUNAR YEAR"" text. 🙂

I stayed at Salinda Resort in 2016 and I loved, even while they were undergoing renovations and everything. Super well run and probably the best hotel on the island.

@ SEAguy -- Yep! The market was in full Tet mode when we were there though (everyone buying apricot trees), so I think it would be a little different at other times of the year. The sea and beach were fine on the northwest side, but I get the sense that currents bring more trash to the southeast side.

Very detailed review besides some obvious omissions like breakfast buffet prices and almost all your drink and food prices paid. Kinda important stuff.

@ Alexander Nelson -- Breakfast was included in the room rate for one room, and because I'm a Hyatt Globalist for the other. There weren't any breakfast menus, so I have no idea what the prices were otherwise, unfortunately.

Other F&B prices were typical for resorts (e.g. salads for ~$18, cocktails for $12+), though very high for Vietnam.

I SO wish this had been published a couple months ago! I’m literally reading this after returning to Saigon from this property yesterday. You’ll be happy to know nothing has changed as of yet with the pool staff being awful and the staff at the Treehouse being woefully under-trained. It was comical for a bit, and then became infuriating after that. Oh, they’ve removed the ball pit at the Rock Bar, so there’s that.

Breakfast is $30 a person.

Never read a hotel review that was this FUN. No amount of Lucky’s reviewing the Park Hyatt Maldives, Mashpi Resort or Fogo Island Inn (as spectacular as those hotels are) can match up to the sheer fun that this was. Keep it going, Tiffany!

Tiffany,
Always love your posts and POV. But wow, if I were planning this place for some beach time, I would’ve been real disappointed. Doesn’t look like much of a beach.
Great detailed review!

@Tiffany

Wow, this was a great review, thanks Tiffany!

I wanted to see if I could get your 2 cents on a trip my wife and I have planned. All we have booked is the long haul segments to and from SE Asia.

We arrive in Phuket Friday Nov 8 at 1 AM.
We depart Hanoi Wed 20th very late that night.

We want to spend some time in Phuket, fly to BKK and explore a bit, maybe a day trip to the elephant place you reviewed a while back, then fly to Siem Riep on Bangkok Air (are they alright?) Explore Siem Riep and go to Hanoi where we would like to do a multi-night cruise in Ha Long Bay and explore Hanoi before returning. How would you advise we split our time. We are young and can travel at a quick pace. Appreciate any insight you can provide and look forward to the rest of your reviews in this series!

Great review, but why do you call the hotel "Hyatt Nam Nghi" in a couple spots opposed to its name of "Nam Nghi". You wouldn't call it the "Starwood U.S. Grant" in San Diego or the "Marriott Cosmopolitan" in Las Vegas.

I was looking forward to the domestic airport (any priority pass usage) and domestic flight review. Lol.

Domestic airpoirt is only a couple of years old and the lines are very short. No immigration also because you are flying domestic . So no nees for fastrack

@ FlyingFish -- Sorry! There will be a few airport and flight reviews in this series, but ultimately it's too much when I'm traveling with family.

Hi Tiffany, Thank you for the review, I’ve been thinking of staying here rather than in Hyatt Regency in Danang..it will be my first time redeeming points and I want it here..seems fine with me..but yeah, the foods kind of expensive..much higher compared to any five star hotels in vietnam..

I really enjoyed reading this review! We got to stay at the JW Marriott and while we enjoyed it, some aspects of the stay were a little weird and we were surprised at how some parts of the hotel and property were already falling apart despite being so now. Seems to be a common issue for new hotels in Phu Quoc.
There are definitely some aspects of this Hyatt property that I like better, it looks like it fits the island's environment better. The JW doesn't charge for any of their water sports equipment but there was so much trash on the beach, we didn't get to use any of it.
One thing we really enjoyed about the JW Marriott was being able to rent a motorbike to explore the island directly through the hotel. Hopefully the Hyatt will offers something like that too as it seems it would be difficult to arrange that right now.
Great review!

Thanks for the pictures, they were helpful and some of your text was too. But as to your service complaints, i guess you don't appreciate what it means to open a higher end property in a place where the labor market is on fire, especially for fluent English speaking service employees.

Just by way of example, the PH Saigon which you appear to view highly, it was EXACTLY like this when it opened 15 or so years ago. Service problems, communication problems, etc. I am not sure i enjoyed it any less those first few times than the dozens of times I’ve been there since.

There are some front end problems with Nam Nghi that relate to rates not being loaded, the property taking a long time to get back to travel agents (my Prive agent had to bug them repeatedly to get them to figure out what their Prive upgrades would even be) and other obstacles to even booking that can and should be resolved now (or they wont have many guests!). But the service and language issues are going to be slower to resolve.

I’ll be there at Nam Nghi in December and am sure some of the kinks will be worked out, but realistically it’s probably 18-24 months or more for service to get to where all of the scenarios described in this review would be avoided or resolved in a coherent manner.

I was considering going here in Dec ‘19 but now I’m not too sure. I was just at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts and thought it was poorly run. To hear that the GM of the PHSK is the GM at this resort has me on the fence now. Do you have any updates on this hotel and if it’s doing better?

@Melanie -

Agreed. I heard this GM left Park Hyatt St. Kitts a complete mess when he left. No surprise this resort is being run the same way.

Hi Tiffany, thanks for the review, it was not only a good read but also quite informative.
Do you know by any chance if they allow drone flying? The nice pictures one could take from the peninsula, would make up for the service in my view.
Thanks!
B.

Just FYI for the people referencing this review in the future. This hotel is no longer affiliated with Hyatt and the Unbound Collection (as of March 2020).

I agree with most of his comments. They opened March/Arpil 2019 and I visited in Nov 2019.
They were unprepared to become a Hyatt property. Im not surprised that they aren't part of Hyatt anymore.