Unexpected Spanish area that's got posh, revealed by a travel expert: From incredible hotels and restaurants to amazing sights, you'll NEVER guess where the smart set are now going...
Lying by my infinity pool, listening to a waterfall cascading over rocks carved with Buddha figures, while gazing across palm-filled gardens, it feels like the set of The White Lotus.
Yet despite the sumptuous spa and bungalow-style suites at the plush Asia Gardens Hotel, this isn't Bali.
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I stayed at world leading family resort next to a gruesome tourist attraction'
Think White Lotus with a kids' club – last year the resort was named Asia's Leading Luxury Family Resort at the World Travel Awards and it really works hard for the title. Located on Vietnam's largest island, 227.5 sq mi Phu Quoc, an hour's flight from Ho Chi Minh City, the resort is now the place to flop for families needing some R&R after completing the country's classic tourist trail. Vast infinity pools stretch endlessly into the Gulf of Thailand, king-size daybeds are shaded by giant palms, and white sands lead to waters warmer than your morning shower. With 459 rooms, residences, suites and villas, you might worry about crowds, but with four expansive pools and six restaurants and bars it manages not to feel like a mega-resort – we could always find a sunlounger. The hotel's largest restaurant, Sora & Umi, serves modern Japanese and Vietnamese classics such as bun cha pork meatballs and pho noodle soup. Our nine-year-old, Fred, preferred the laid-back vibe of Sea Shack, where you can enjoy world cuisine – think pad thai, cheeseburger sliders and tiki cocktails – with the sand between your toes, a band performing pop hits and table football. At sunset, head to INK 360. On the hotel's 19th floor, it's the highest rooftop bar on Phu Quoc, providing panoramic views of the island and sparkling ocean below. It feels like the sort of chi-chi gin joint Jack Sparrow might have opened had he kept the Treasure of Cortés for himself. The design is inspired by the mythical Kraken octopus, so the whole place is enveloped in enormous steel tentacles, the table legs upturned suckered limbs. The mixologists have had fun with the drinks menu too. Sit back and watch the parasailing with a Fishing Boat in hand (VSOP Cognac, infused sesame, cucumber syrup, pineapple juice, lemon cordial and almond milk). As the sun sinks low it bathes the bar's gunmetal tentacles in a suitably golden glow. Once darkness falls, LAVA is the place to be. Tuck into red snapper and grilled squid while watching the night trawlers get to work by moonlight. Named Best Luxury Beach Front Restaurant in 2019 at the World Luxury Restaurant Awards, it serves haute cuisine without the UK price tag – three courses, with wine, cost us under £50 a head. I can vouch for the freshness of the seafood too – having taken a wrong turn while searching for the facilities, I found myself in a room lined floor to ceiling with fish tanks. The Harnn Heritage spa is world class – its bamboo treatment suites 'float' over a lake dotted with lotus pads, reflections of palm trees and climbing vines. Treatments are inspired by the five elements philosophy (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) and incorporate native ingredients such as black pepper and pearl. A therapeutic bamboo massage targets tight muscles using rolling heated canes on areas of tension, while the radiance facial uses a delicate pearl scrub (from the country's ubiquitous oyster farms) to leave you glowing. True relaxation somewhere this special requires forward planning. At check-in I discovered all slots were full for four days, and I couldn't get a massage for love nor money. Unwilling to miss spending time here, I booked a private family yoga session in one of the spa's vaulted studios. It left us feeling virtuous, despite a telling-off for going straight there from breakfast. If you prefer to ditch the little ones before you chill, Planet Trekkers kids club (for four- to 12-year-olds) will keep them busy with kite-flying, cooking lessons, art classes and magic shows. You'll have to drag them away from the fabulous Splash Pool first though (Fred didn't have to ask twice to get me to join him on the flume water slide). Teens, meanwhile, won't be able to resist The Hideout, where they can play games, watch movies or jump on the PlayStation. To explore Long Beach, which spans nine miles of coastline, bicycles are available without charge. Itching to go further afield? There's a shuttle service to the night market in Duong Dong, 25 minutes away, where you can haggle over nón lá (conical sun hats) and get a taste for Vietnamese street food. Just don't risk saying yes to pate in your banh mi (a baguette with meat, fresh herbs and pickles) – even locals advised us they wouldn't eat it for fear of 'repercussions'. Twenty minutes in the opposite direction is Coconut Tree Prison, built by the French in the 1950s and once home to 32,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong PoWs. It's fascinating, but gruesome, so you should probably book younger children into Planet Trekkers beforehand. For activities with better holiday vibes, take a snorkelling tour or head for the Hon Thom Cable Car, which spans the five miles from Phu Quoc to Hon Thom Island and gives great views of the archipelago.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
US tariffs and blowing the budget ‘among cost concerns for holidaymakers'
Two-thirds (66%) of people are planning a holiday abroad this year, a report has found. But nearly four-fifths (78%) are worried about the impact that US trade tariffs may have on prices in destinations abroad and over half (53%) plan to avoid destinations where they believe tariffs could affect resort prices. Over three-quarters (77%) said that exchange rates are a big concern for them. Post Office Travel Money's Holiday Spending Report also found that holidaymakers rated Spain, Turkey and Thailand as being the 'best value for money' out of 39 worldwide destinations. More than half (52%) of holidaymakers said they will budget more for their next holiday due to increased costs. Over four-fifths (82%) said that they had set a budget, averaging £377, on their last trip. But seven in 10 (71%) admitted blowing their budget, by £140 on average. Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at the Post Office, said: 'This year's holiday spending research again demonstrates that holidaymakers don't always set a realistic budget and overspend by large amounts as a result.' The Post Office used two surveys of more than 2,000 people, carried out in April and May, for its research.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
The number one cost concern among UK holidaymakers revealed
A report has found nearly 80 per cent of travellers are worried about the impact that US trade tariffs may have on prices at overseas destinations. The Post Office Travel Money's Holiday Spending Report found that two-thirds (66 per cent) of people are planning a holiday abroad this year, and nearly four-fifths (78 per cent) are worried about the tariff impact on prices abroad. More than half (53 per cent) even plan to avoid destinations where they believe tariffs could affect resort prices. The Post Office, which conducted two surveys of more than 2,000 people in April and May, found that holidaymakers rated Spain, Turkey and Thailand as being the 'best value for money' out of 39 worldwide destinations. Over three-quarters (77 per cent) still said that exchange rates are a big concern for them. More than half (52 per cent) of holidaymakers said they will budget more for their next holiday due to increased costs. Over four-fifths (82 per cent) said that they had set a budget, averaging £377, on their last trip but seven in 10 (71 per cent) admitted blowing their budget by £140 on average. Laura Plunkett, head of travel money at the Post Office, said this year's holiday spending research 'again demonstrates that holidaymakers don't always set a realistic budget and overspend by large amounts as a result'. An earlier report by research firm Tourism Economics found inbound travel to the US was projected to decline by 5.5 per cent this year, instead of growing by nearly nine per cent as had previously been forecast. It suggested a further escalation in tariffs and trade wars could result in further reductions in international tourism, which could amount to a US$18 billion (£13.8 billion) annual reduction in tourist spending in 2025. Research from home-swapping platform Kindred in May revealed travellers are finding new ways to make their money stretch further as living costs continue to rise. About 39 per cent are looking for more cost-effective accommodation, while others are staying with friends or family (30 per cent) and just over a quarter (26 per cent) are opting for staycations.
