Family photoshoot at Sunset Sanato Beach Club in Phu Quoc

If you browsed photos of Phu Quoc when planning your holiday destination, you probably saw beach photos with huge art objects in the background - elephants with long legs walking in the water or a huge head with a portal right in the middle. And I think you asked yourself "Where was this taken?"

This is Sunset Sanato Beach Club. I recently had a family photoshoot there. In this article, I want to tell you a little about this unusual place and show you some photos taken there.

Before you are two monumental heads, like masks cut in half, and between them is a rectangular passageway, like a portal. Standing next to it, you feel small, as if against the backdrop of a cliff or a large open-air art museum.

What could this be a reference to? To me, it reads as the idea of "entering another space". Not in a mystical sense, but rather as a visual metaphor: you walk through the frame - and beyond it is the sea, the horizon, infinity. Sometimes it resembles the famous "heavenly gates" at tourist destinations, where everyone takes the same photo, and there is a certain irony in this - the object seems to be about eternity, but around it is ordinary beach life.

Sunset Sanato is located on the first line of Long Beach, which is a tourist area. It is always easiest to get there by taxi/Grab. You can also get there easily by motorbike.
There is an entrance fee for this beach club. In 2026, we paid about 100,000 VND per person, and children were admitted free of charge.
You buy a ticket from the security guard at the entrance, enter the territory, and then walk along the installations. 

It doesn't feel like a "wild beach" but rather a place where people come to hang out, have a drink at the beach bar, take photos, sunbathe, swim in the sea, and watch the sunset.

It's best to check the prices and opening hours on Google Maps or the website before you go, as they can change. This happens all the time in Phu Quoc, depending on the season. 

The photographs you see in this article were taken in the morning. It was an hour-long photo shoot from 10 to 11 a.m.
The time was chosen in the morning to avoid the crowds. Since the family had small children, this was a priority for them.

At sunset, Sunset Sanato has many visitors, and this time is more suitable for individual or couple photoshoots. In the morning, there are almost no people at this location, and the installations look even more impressive against the backdrop of an empty beach.

These are some of the art objects located on this beach.

The elephants here look as if they have come out to walk right on the water. Their incredibly long, thin legs make them seem almost unreal - as if they were animals from a dream or someone's fantasy after studying the work of Salvador Dali. At sunset, they turn into pure silhouettes, and then it becomes clear why these images are spreading across social media - they look very unusual.

The references here can be different - and that's the thrill of it. Some will see surrealism and animals from the artist's imagination. Others will see the idea of lightness, a huge mass standing on thin legs and still holding itself up. For me personally, this installation is about contrast - heavy and light, large and fragile, sea and metal.

Even without jellyfish and sculptures, the pier at Sunset Sanato is a hero in its own right. It does what the camera loves. It provides a clear perspective and draws the eye to the horizon. If you want shots like in the movies, with lots of air and tranquillity, the pier almost always does the trick.

These jellyfish look airy. During the day, they are almost graphic - a thin metallic line, transparent tentacles, and light passing through the structure. In the frame, they give the feeling of the marine world, but without being literal. It's not an aquarium, but rather a hint - the ocean is nearby, it is alive, and everything here is about water.

If you look for a reference, it's easy to see: the sea theme and movement.

This is one of the most magical objects. The figure seems to be suspended above the water, as if jumping or flying. And when you see it in person, you get the feeling that the creators deliberately made the pose as dynamic as possible so that even a static sculpture would appear to be moving.
The reference here is to freedom, flight, lightness. For some, it will be a fairy, for others an angel, for others the spirit of the wind. And this is normal: the object does not require explanation. It simply works on emotion.

This is the cutest object in the entire collection. Two hearts swinging on chains, plus bright marine decorations on top. It looks a little naive - in a good way, like a children's card. And for a family photo shoot, it's surprisingly convenient: children want to climb on it, adults can easily relax, and the shots turn out lively.

The answer to this question is already in the title. Dress harmoniously so that the whole group looks like a team. This does not mean dressing identically, like a football team. Choose a colour, style or accessory as a basis. For example, blue shorts for boys and light blue dresses or blouses for girls. Or everyone could wear straw hats. 
There are many options. 
The main thing is not to wear black for a beach photo shoot and to avoid large logos and loud prints.

In these photographs, the family chose to wear traditional Japanese summer clothes called yukata. They are all in the same style.

If you like the photos in this article and would like a similar relaxed, lively family photo shoot, I can do it for you.

Please leave your request in the contact form below and I will get back to you. Or, if you prefer, you can E-mail me or send me a message on WhatsApp.