Land Tour 2: Discover the North - Kayaking & Starfish beach Phu Quoc (Not Lunch)

Best tour and the tour guide ever

Our tour guide Ren was honestly the best guide we’ve ever had. I genuinely think he should do stand-up comedy because he is so entertaining, funny, and charismatic, while also being incredibly knowledgeable. He seemed to know a little bit about everything, and it made the whole experience so enjoyable just hanging out and chatting with him throughout the day. He was also extremely proactive, helpful with every request, and clearly cared a lot about making sure everyone had a great experience. One small piece of feedback for future visitors would be encouraging people not to take starfish out of the water for too long when taking photos. It would be great to remind guests to keep them in the water as much as possible. We had such a good time, and if we come back, we would 100% do another tour with Ren and John’s Tours again.

Response from the operator: Xin chào Ankit M, Thank you so much for your amazing review! We’re absolutely delighted to hear that Ren made such a positive impression on your trip. His humor, energy, knowledge, and dedication to helping guests create memorable experiences are exactly what we strive for at John’s Tours. We’ll definitely share your kind words with him. He’ll be thrilled to hear them! Thank you again for your support and recommendation. We would love to welcome you back for another adventure with Ren and our team in the future! Best regards, John’s Tours Team.

via Tripadvisor

The tour guide was really...

The tour guide was really good at his job. However, I did not like that we were taken to a silk place with the expectation that we buy something.. The silk place was not even in the itinerary.. I was also very sad to see how the starfish were being handled. Really ruined my experience.. There should be signs, in multiple languages telling people not to touch the star fish and penalties and fines for people who do.. I want to support the people who are there trying to make a living but it really put off the experience seeing people touch the starfish, children throwing them, adults move them for a photo and even bring them out of the water.. All just for instagram.. Other people on the tour also made the experience less enjoyable by talking the whole time the guide was explaining things. They also handled the starfish even though the guide told us not to.

via Viator

Lots of trips in one

We had Ren as our tour guide and he was great. It was well organised and informative. Loved tasting the local honey. The kayaking was fun.

via Viator

Great tour, very varied

Overall we had a great time on this tour, and it provided excellent value for money. For an additional cost we arranged hotel transfers, and this was worth it. A private car arrived and took us to the first meeting point. Our first activity was kayaking on the Cua Can river, which was well organised and we had a great time. We had about 40 mins and the scenery and water was beautiful. There was an option for a less active shared boat tour for those not wishing to kayak. Next up was a visit to a silk farm, via the tour bus. This one was slightly misleading, though we understood! We had 5 mins of education about silk production, but following that we were taken into a kind of sales boardroom and pitched a whole lot of silk items for sale and asked what we wanted to buy. Didn’t really feel like part of a ‘tour’ itinerary, but we admired the enterprise! Then we had a guided hike (though definitely more of a walk - easy terrain and no inclines) through the jungle to starfish bay. The jungle was pretty and there were so many starfish when we got to the bay. Back on the bus to a floating village where we had an hour for lunch. The included lunch was a buffet of rice, veg dishes, meat dishes, and salad. We had chosen the option not including lunch, so ordered from the menu, which I actually preferred, to have the choice. We ordered a seeet and sour pork, and a satay Cobia steak. The Cobia was sensational - one of the best fish dishes we’d had. Super fresh and tasty. The floating village was very picturesque and interesting to see. We then had boat transfer to the Starfish Beach, which wasn’t too busy and there were plenty of sunbeds available (for 50k per person). We had two hours to relax on the beach and swim in the sea. Sea was warm and water was clean. Plenty of starfish to see too. Boat transfer back to the bus, and then we were dropped off back at our resort. Our tour guide wasn’t too controlling and allowed a lot of freedom within the day, which we enjoyed. So it felt more like we could explore rather than being told what to do.

Response from the operator: Xin chào Jon A, Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed and thoughtful review. We’re delighted to hear that you had a great time overall and felt the tour offered excellent value for money. We’re especially happy to hear your compliments about the scenery, organization, and the flexibility of the tour, allowing you to explore at your own pace. We truly appreciate your honest feedback regarding the silk farm visit. We understand your perspective, and your comments help us better manage expectations and improve how this stop is presented within the itinerary. We’re also glad you enjoyed your lunch choice at the floating village. It’s great to hear such positive feedback about the freshness and quality of the food, especially the cobia dish. Thank you again for sharing your experience. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us, and we hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back on another varied and enjoyable tour in the future! Best regards, Phoenix Huynh.

via Tripadvisor

North Phu Quac explored

Shoutout to Mr. Tee for organizing an amazing day trip in North Phu Quoc! 🚣‍♂️✨ We loved the river boats, and the bee farm, but Starfish Beach stole the show. Everything was so well-organized. Highly recommend if you're visiting in January!

Response from the operator: Xin chào Resort45490690422, Thank you so much for your fantastic review and the shoutout! We’re thrilled to hear that you had an amazing day exploring North Phu Quoc with us. It’s great to know that you enjoyed the river boat experience, the bee farm, and especially Starfish Beach. It truly is a highlight! We’re also happy to hear that everything was well organized and that January was a perfect time for your visit. A big thank you for your kind words about Mr. Tee. We’ll be sure to pass them along. We really appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another memorable trip soon! Best regards, Phoenix Huynh.

via Tripadvisor