La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc

Formerly Grand Mercure La Veranda Resort.

The poshest of Phu Quoc's dozen hotels and guesthouses, La Veranda sports paddle fans, butter-yellow exteriors, whitewashed louvers, and tropical gardens recalling a colonial plantation. Freestanding deluxe villas are the best choice for their sea-facing porches, spacious bathrooms, and cathedral ceilings. There's a good in-house restaurant, a lively bar, and a modest spa, but the real draw is the location: smack on a 12-mile stretch of soft sand with a prime sunset vantage over the sea. Swim out to the pontoon dock and doze off to the gentle afternoon swells, or indulge in a $5 surfside massage (vendors outnumber the tourists—at least for now). The concierge can arrange snorkeling or diving excursions in the nearby An Thoi archipelago as well as nighttime squid-fishing trips (Phu Quoc squid is among the finest in Asia).