Chilling at Mai House Resort on Phu Quoc

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Chilling at Mai House Resort on Phu Quoc

The past couple of days have been spent doing nothing much more than the occasional swim, walks along the beach and a couple of trips into Duong Dong.

Phu Quoc is described as a 'paradise' island. Certainly some parts are, however, Duong Dong is as nosiy and busy as any other town with motor bikes whizzing all over the place. One has to be very careful of these machines, particularly in the market area over the bridge on the other river bank from the main town. The market itself has so much produce - all sorts of exotic fish, fruit and vegetables, set out in stalls along the narrow road where bikes speed past between the shoppers.

The Mai House Resort, however, is a haven of peace. The bungalows are set in a garden with plenty of space between each. Inside, they are coolly furnished and have a splendid mosquito net draped over the four poster bed. The bungalows run down to a section of the beach with wooden sunbeds set amongst tall palms. It's all low density with a sense of space, unlike some of the bungalow resorts close by. The excellent restaurant and bar are also on the beach where the sunset is breathtaking. Gerard and his wife, Mai, have created a truly special place on this 'paradise' island.

Only one mishap - while in town booking tickets for the ferry back to Ha Tien, a moped on the wrong side of a dual carriageway road collided with Monk while he was looking for traffic coming the correct way down the road. Not too much damage to Monk - a couple of bruises and a small cut on the leg. Fortunately it just clipped Monk but it could have been much worse - perhaps Irene was pulling some strings. The moped and its driver were also OK. A lesson to be learnt - expect traffic from the left and the right and probably above and below for good measure.

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