Last updated October 2019 | Words and photos by Vietnam Coracle
This post was last updated 5 years ago. Please check the comments section for possible updates, or read more on my Updates & Accuracy page.
The Best Spot on Phu Quoc Island’s Most Popular Beach
Paradiso Beach Club is in a prime position on Sao Beach, the most famous place on Phu Quoc Island
Sao Beach (Bãi Sao) is probably the most famous place on Phu Quoc Island, and one of the best-known beaches in Vietnam. A long, arcing bay of fine white sand, washed by butane-blue waters, and fringed by leaning coconut palms, Sao is the kind of beach that most people would imagine a tropical island to look like. However, as tourist numbers have risen and development has increased, Sao’s popularity now threatens its appeal. Trash blights its shores, jet-skis pollute its waters, and large crowds descend on its sands during the high season months. But one portion of Sao Beach remains as gorgeous as ever (well, almost): Paradiso Beach Club Bar & Restaurant is by far the prettiest, classiest, most tasteful place for chilling, eating, drinking, and bathing on Sao Beach.
MAP: Paradiso Beach Club, Sao Beach, Phu Quoc Island | 9am-6pm daily | 0297 627 9988
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Sao Beach may be suffering from trash & overcrowding, but Paradiso’s patch is still gorgeous
Formerly Không Sao Beach Bar, Paradiso is located at the northern end of the beach, sign-posted to the left off the main Sao Beach road, and accessed via its own private paved lane. A brightly-painted, wide, two-storey beachfront villa, Paradiso sits in a prime position on Sao Beach: away from the clutter, crowds and trash of the central section, with blue seas lapping at the bottom of tall, swaying palm trees, and fine white sand. If you’re going to hang out on Sao Beach, Paradiso is the place to go.
Breezy and fresh, Paradiso Beach Club is located at the north end of Sao Beach
The bar/restaurant is breezy and spacious, open on three sides, with a large seafront patio on which to enjoy an iced coffee, gin & tonic, plate of shrimp in tamarind sauce, bowl of sweet and sour fish soup, and many other drinks and dishes. Prices are what you’d expect: a little higher than they should be. But, given the fabulous location and decent quality, it’s not too bad. However, Paradiso have obviously become fed-up with people coming onto their grounds just to take a few hundred selfies, not buying anything, then leaving to upload their photos on social media. To counter this, Paradiso charge an extortionate parking/visitor fee of 100,000vnd. This is essentially an entry ticket. But, if you make any purchase at all (a coffee, juice, snack, sunbed), then the admission price is waived. A lot of travellers are annoyed by this. While I can see their point, it’s worth noting that Paradiso keep their beachfront fairly clean, and their entire property is better-kept, tidier, and more attractive than anywhere else on Sao Beach. In fact, for me, if it wasn’t for Paradiso Beach Club, I wouldn’t bother coming to Sao Beach at all. At the moment, Paradiso is Sao Beach.
Food is pretty good and prices are OK when you consider the location on Phu Quoc’s most popular beach
There are comfy loungers available to rent on the sand (or in the sea when the tide is coming in), showers on the beach, and an extremely weathered table tennis table in the bar if you get tired of swimming in the beautiful, safe, shallow sea. Like everywhere else on Phu Quoc Island, the future of Paradiso looks precarious: a large new resort is being constructed to the north, and the continued destruction of the natural environment could mean that lovely Sao Beach may soon lose its appeal completely.
Comfy beach loungers are available to rent, and the swimming here is excellent
Strangely, most visitors to Sao Beach tend to stay around the busy central section, which leaves Paradiso comparatively nice and quiet. It’s particularly beautiful here in the mornings, before most day-trippers have arrived and the light is sharp and fresh, or late afternoons when most people have left. The swimming is excellent, the food is quite good (although the drinks are only O.K), the location is gorgeous, and the building is attractive. I hope it lasts a bit longer.
Paradiso Beach Club is the best way to experience Sao Beach: long may it last
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Somewhat unsurprisingly parking at Paradiso is free right now (September 2020) and the guard jokingly(?) said it was free all this year. We were there on a Saturday and they only had six guests total. The beach is lovely and overall ambiance was to our taste. A step above backpacker dive beach bar but not as luxe as places like the Sailing Club tend to be.
Thanks for highlighting and bringing it to our attention!
Hi Justus,
It’s good to hear Paradiso is still open – in fact, it must rather lovely to be there with less people around.
Thanks for the update,
Tom
Thanks for your timely update. The wife and I are returning to Phu Quoc after seven years. We’re staying at the JW Marriott Emerald Bay Resort, a bit pricey but we booked using points. Bai Khem beach is a bit south of Sao beach but we were thinking about early dinner at Paradiso one day during our stay. Any reasonable dining opportunities in An Thoi town? We’re not fussy and the wife is Vietnamese, so language isn’t a problem. In previous years, we stayed up by the old airport when the only flying in option was by prop. Things have changed.
Rick
Hi Rick,
The Marriott has only just opened so that will be an interesting place to stay. There might still be some construction in the nearby area though, but Khem Beach is very pretty. Yes, Paradiso is good for an early dinner, but it would need to early, because they tend to start closing up between 5-6pm
An Thoi is a bit of a mess at the moment, because they are repaving the roads and revamping the town, but there’s still a lot of decent street food places to fill up at. I’m not sure about restaurants.
If this is your first trip to Phu Quoc is 7 years, you are in for a big surprise, because the island has changed a lot since then.
I hope you enjoy your stay,
Tom