Bayya Hotel Phu Quoc in Phu Quoc Island

First, the cons. The hotel photos on the website are years out of date; the place now looks abandoned and dismal. Perhaps it was a good hotel once upon a time. If the owners had maintained it in a functional, clean state, it might have kept its standards. But now it looks like an old, derelict building. The sole receptionist (who doesn't speak English!!!) is rarely at their post, more often found sleeping in a hammock or on a mattress right on the ground floor, in what used to be a shop and is now seemingly their bedroom. There's no cafe in the hotel; the bar area is a horrible mess, giving you the feeling you've walked into a slovenly local's home. This same receptionist cleans the rooms – apparently, they're the only staff member, as we didn't see anyone else in two weeks. After our journey, we wanted to shower, but... there was no hot water for the first 6 days until we wrote to Trip.com support and complained repeatedly. The hotel worker claimed there was no hot water because everything ran on solar power, and it was cloudy. But every day was sunny! And then, after our complaints, hot water miraculously appeared! Maybe the worker didn't know about the water heater or something similar? What a disgrace! Then, for a whole day, all water was shut off – we were in shock. A couple of times, we were given towels with holes. The windows in our room were only cleaned after a week of our stay and after we complained. For some reason, the rooms are cleaned very poorly, or not at all, before guests arrive. Also, you can hear *everything* in the room! The slightest creak of a mouse. Our neighbors making primal sounds and expelling unspeakable noises from deep within their bodies. People shuffling their feet. And the elevator is incredibly loud... it constantly screams its presence on every floor, day and night: "I've brought people!!! I'm here if you need me!!! I can take you too!!! Are you sleeping!!!! ARE YOU SLEEPING?! DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!!!!" It was hard to get any sleep.

But there are always positives! Let's talk about the good stuff. We liked our room and the view. It was a good-sized, pleasant room with a balcony that overlooked a field and palm trees, not the noisy market. The location is convenient, about a 10-15 minute walk to the beach. There's a night market nearby, but we didn't eat there; the prices are too inflated. Compared to night markets in Thailand, it's a pathetic imitation – we don't recommend eating near the hotel. It's better to choose cafes on the parallel streets, where prices are much cheaper and the atmosphere is cozier.

Pros: Great location, within walking distance to the beach. There's a night market right outside the hotel. It's a 10-minute drive to the airport. The view from the window is beautiful (if not facing the market). The price is also decent.

Cons: The hotel is quite old. While the furniture is sturdy, some pieces need replacement or serious repair. The entrance door doesn't close properly and requires force every time. The hanger in the bathroom is barely holding on, and there's black mold around the sink. The balcony door sticks. The bed sheets and curtains were dirty; it even felt like someone had already slept in the bed before me. The service leaves a lot to be desired. None of the staff speak English, and the reception desk is constantly empty, so I had to search for an employee. On my last day, and until check-out, all the water was gone for an entire day, and it's unclear if it was fixed after I left. The staff simply apologized for the inconvenience, but where to go to the toilet or shower was 'not their problem.' They didn't even provide any container with water for flushing; it was basically 'do what you want, but there will be no water, and it's not the staff's problem.'