This festive season, JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa is setting its clocks back a century. Terminal 1920: A Golden Homecoming reimagines the resort as a grand 1920s railway terminus, inspired by the golden-age of train travel and the ritual of catching the train home for the holidays – with gala dinners, beachside bonfires and a new menu from MICHELIN-starred chef Olivier Elzer along the way.
For those yet to visit, the resort is a story in itself. Famed interior designer Bill Bensley designed it around the imagined history of Lamarck University, a fictional French academy said to have been founded in 1880 and named after the naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Accommodation wings are named after academic departments, cocktails are mixed in the Department of Chemistry, and more than 5,000 antiques – from old teaching equipment to prints and sketches – fill the campus, which even has its own mascot in the island’s native Phu Quoc ridgeback.
Every restaurant and bar on the resort plays its part in the festive season celebrations. Red Rum fires up its grill every Friday, Department of Chemistry Bar lights beachside bonfires on Sundays, Pink Pearl unveils Elzer’s long-awaited new menu and French & Co brings back its afternoon tea. The centrepiece is the Christmas Eve Gala Dinner at Tempus Fugit – Latin for ‘time flies’ – and along the way, guests can even write a letter to their future selves and post it at the station.
The celebrations cap a strong year for the resort, which ranked eighth in the Rest of Asia resorts category of Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards and has been newly added to the MICHELIN Guide’s hotel selection.
Lamarck University: The Stay Between Stops
At Terminal 1920, the stay is part of the story. Guests arrive as students of Lamarck University, free to explore a campus full of curious details and unexpected experiences.
Set on the shores of Khem Beach, the resort’s rooms, suites and villas are spread across 18 themed departments, most with private balconies overlooking tropical gardens or Emerald Bay. Bensley’s signature architecture and imaginative interiors give each one a character of its own.
For families and groups wanting more space and privacy, Lamarck House is a seven-bedroom oceanfront residence spanning more than 1,300 square metres, with its own pool, gardens and generous living and dining spaces made for gathering together. A dedicated butler and private airport transfers complete the experience, whether for relaxed family time or a celebration by the sea.
Guests booking suites and villas also enjoy airport transfers and access to the Executive Lounge at Phu Quoc International Airport, for a comfortable pause before the journey home.
Marriott Bonvoy members save 5% on festive stays when booking direct.
Tempus Fugit: The Christmas Eve Gala Dinner
On 24 December, the golden age of celebration pulls into Tempus Fugit. The Christmas Eve Gala Dinner pairs festive classics with traditional Vietnamese celebration dishes, alongside live stations serving premium seafood and meats, chocolate fountains and live entertainment.
Beyond the gala, the festive timetable includes a three-course Christmas menu featuring whole turkey and salt-baked whole fish with herbs. From 26 December, From Sea, Two Ways serves the day’s catch as sashimi and steamed with herbs. Then in early January, a buffet marks Orthodox Christmas Eve which is still celebrated by many Orthodox Churches on January 6 under the Julian calendar.
Red Rum: Fire on Fridays
From 1 November, Friday nights at Red Rum belong to Fiesta de Fuego, a festive grill dinner with a live band and non-alcoholic drinks included. On Tuesday afternoons, Rosé & Bubbles pairs charcuterie or oysters with wine and beer, returning for long, leisurely lunches on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Pink Pearl: Olivier Elzer’s New Festive Menu
Pink Pearl’s long-awaited new menu arrives this season, created by the resort’s culinary advisor, MICHELIN-starred chef Olivier Elzer. His Festive Special Set Menu will be served with a live band on 24 to 26 December, 30 December to 1 January and 6 to 8 January. The dishes themselves remain under wraps for now.
Department of Chemistry Bar: Bonfires by the Beach
The Department of Chemistry takes its experiments outdoors. Every Sunday, Ember & Spirits gathers guests around a beachside bonfire with bean bags, cocktails, s’mores and live performances, while Wednesday evenings belong to Jazz Night. Guest bartenders will also take over the bar during the season.
French & Co: Letters from the Terminal
From 1 December, The University Library afternoon tea returns with a new menu. Nearby, the Letters to Lamarck wall invites guests to write to their future selves, stamp the letter ‘1920s’ and post it at the station. Taking part is free, with cards and postcards available to buy.
Getting There: Sun PhuQuoc Airways
Phu Quoc is easier to reach than ever as Sun PhuQuoc Airways expands its direct international network, including five weekly flights from Hong Kong, alongside connections to Singapore, Chengdu and other key Asian gateways.
Guests flying with Sun PhuQuoc Airways receive 20% off the room rate at JW Marriott Phu Quoc, terms and conditions apply. From the white sands of Khem Beach to the golden-age glamour of Terminal 1920, it is a traditional Christmas homecoming of a different kind – and one well worth the journey.
