JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa is a fun family getaway in Phu Quoc- review

Vietnam's 'Pearl Island' is popping up as one of Southeast Asia's hottest island destinations. Carolynne Dear caught the recently launched direct flight service from Hong Kong to Phu Quoc for a stay at the whimsical JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa

JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa review - the resort's Shell Pool overlooks the creamy sands of Kem Beach

Vietnam has long been a popular destination for Hong Kongers and with very good reason. From the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to cruising in Halong Bay or hitting the beach in Danang, it serves up plenty of culture, sunshine and fantastic food. But another destination is increasingly popping up as a must-do for beach-seeking families.

Fringed with picture postcard white-sand beaches and covered in tropical jungle, Phu Quoc is quickly becoming the Southeast Asian destination of choice for families seeking an easy fly ‘n’ flop option. Similar in size to Phuket, Phu Quoc is much less developed but has no shortage of quality accommodation.

Once a sleepy backwater, nowadays the island is host to myriad luxury international hotels and dining experiences. The popularity of Phu Quoc for Hong Kongers was further cemented by the introduction of direct flights from Chek Lap Kok last autumn. 

I flew out earlier this year to check out JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort and Spa, adjacent to the recently developed Sunset Town on the southern tip of the island. 

JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa review - Kem Beach is one of the best beaches on Phu Quoc

After an easy three-hour flight from Hong Kong with HK Express, I landed just as the sun was setting and breezed through customs and luggage collection in just 20 minutes. It’s worth noting that the spic-and-span airport will be receiving further upgrades ahead of the APEC summit that the island will be hosting in 2027. Enhancements include a brand new terminal and a runway extension.

JW Marriott Emerald Bay is designed by prolific hotel design guru, Bill Bensley. The hotel was one of the island’s first luxury properties to launch and since its opening in 2016 on Khem Beach. When Bensley sets to work on a hotel, he doesn’t just focus on the design, there’s usually a whole back story to his creation. A small handful of his résumé credits include Shinta Mani Wild luxury tented retreat in Cambodia, InterContinental Khao Yai, Rosewood Luang Prabang, St Regis Resort Bali and The Royal Istana Kuala Terengganu. Each has a tale woven through, spiriting guests into a fantasy world of imagination and glamour. Holidaymakers at JW Marriott Emerald Bay are invited to enter the 1920s world of Lamarck University, a feast for the eyes and a veritable Aladdin’s Cave for instagrammers. 

The attention to detail is incredible. Guests step into a huge art deco lobby area styled as a 1920s dean’s office. On the floor is an enormous mosaic displaying the seal of the imaginary Lamarck University Ridgebacks. Early 20th century portraits of staff and students adorn the walls and towering shelves house globes, books and busts. On closer inspection, the hundreds of vintage books are all true to the era and, presumably, painstakingly sourced. White-washed walls, pot-planted ferns and whicker furniture all add to the colonial collegiate vibe.

The accommodation is arranged according to faculty; I was hosted in the Zoology department with plenty of nature-themed artwork and a blackboard of fun animal facts to pass the time in the lift. Outside is a running track and mini football pitch.

JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa review - pretty lanterns line the main street through the resort

My room is generous in size with a separate guest loo and a deep, covered balcony with daybeds overlooking the ocean. Special mention must go to the beautiful white marble, light-filled bathroom with Vietnamese  tasseled pendant lighting and pretty ferns suspended outside the plantation-style French window. 

The resort facilities are set within a stretch of colourful buildings that line a central, lantern-bedecked main street that meanders down to the beach, pools and oceanfront dining spaces. The resort layout is reasonably compact but golf buggies are available if it’s all too much for little legs. Along the main street, guests can find the Department of Physical Education (otherwise known as the gym), the Alice in Wonderland-inspired Chanterrelle Spa, a French bakery, gift shop selling Lamarck University-logo clothing and the Lantern Room, an air conditioned craft space and useful if you’re looking for family activities out of the sun for an hour or so. There’s also a games room with a pool table, board games and showers; worth bearing in mind if you’re waiting for a late flight after check out. 

The three, shady pools run along a grassy strip fronting onto the stunning white-sand beach. There’s also a small dedicated children’s pool directly in front of the children’s club. Soak up the rays at the insta-friendly seashell-shaped Shell Pool or the adult-only Sun Pool. I was also able to stretch out with a leisurely swim in the main Sand Pool; clever landscaping and an irregular shape ensures the pool and surrounding deck never feel crowded. 

Steps from the pool deck wander down to the creamy sands of Kem Beach. The beach is partly shaded by palm trees and slopes gently to meet the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand. Kem Beach is considered to be one of the best stretches of sand along the 150km coastline that encircles the island.

JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa review - relax at Spa Chanterelle

The resort boasts a number of dining options with the opulent Pink Pearl its pièce de résistance. This sumptuously designed restaurant recently reopened with former Hong Kong-based chef Olivier Elzer taking the helm. Former credits include stints as head chef of two-Michelin-starred Pierre at Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong and head chef of L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Hong Kong and he established L’Envol at St Regis Hong Kong before becoming the hotel’s culinary director. The pink, Gatsby-inspired mansion hosts 36 covers in the main dining room, five private dining areas and a wine-tasting room. Elzer offers a menu of Mediterranean-influenced dishes with local adaptations which comes under the wing of Lamarck University’s whimsical Department of French Cuisine. Before you take your seat, however, don’t forget to stop off at the Department of Chemistry next door where lab-coated mixologists will shake you up a cocktail or two.

There is more relaxed, family-style dining available at Tempus Fugit where a generous buffet breakfast is served each morning. Grab a terrace table and soak up the early morning sea breezes as you caffeinate. Or head to beachside Red Rum for relaxed seafood and Latin American-styled dishes on the sand.

JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa review - the resort offers a kids' club and Family by JW activties

On-site activities include yoga, jogging, watersports and snorkelling. The Family by JW programme offers child-friendly activities like yoga and cooking workshops and the kids’ club also timetables plenty of fun. Off-site, nearby Sunset Town has restaurants, shops and a nightly fireworks show. Excursions can also be made to neighbouring Pineapple Island for a dramatic cable car ride and Sun World water park. 

Dry season in Phu Quoc runs from around October through to April, perfect for a dose of sunshine when temperatures tumble in Hong Kong. 

Asia Family Traveller was a guest of JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort & Spa, travelling with HK Express.