The dive shop that has an office in the hotel - Apo Dive - was great! I did some shore dives around Dauin, including reef and muck dives, and they arranged the Apo Island day trip. The dive instructors were professional and super nice and helped me find some frogfish in the muck :) The food in the restaurant of the hotel was also good, though they don’t offer good vegetarian options. Portions were large - I asked for half portions, which they provided (same price as the full portion).

I don’t typically write negative reviews, but there were too many negatives not to inform others about. Overall the communication with staff is challenging and requires multiple repetitions of requests to make sure things happen (eg arranging a tricycle or car; sorting out the bill). - I had to switch rooms because the shower in the room was not working. I had to ask for this several times in between a day of diving before it was addressed. At first they wanted to move me into a parking lot room, which would be a downgrade from my seaview room, without any offer of a price change. - The next room I was put into had a bad ant infestation above the bed, and there were dozens of dead ants dropping onto the bed. I ended up moving the bed away from the wall and sleeping with my head on the other side of the bed. When I told the staff about this, they acted as if they were unaware of the problem. They did not offer any solutions other than to call the housekeeper. However, I learned that other hotel guests were switched out of that room the same day I was moved into it, because they complained about the ants as well. - the water pressure in the room I moved into was very low and not working at times. I removed the shower head to try to get more water, but still only a dribble came out. - the electricity and internet cut out sometimes. Another hotel guest was trying to work remotely but was having trouble with the internet connection. The power to the water heater also kept switching on and off so the shower did not have consistent water temperature. - two of the four days of my stay, there were large groups who rented out the restaurant and pool for parties all day and evening. So the hotel guests did not have places to eat at the restaurant - I took my food into my room for lunch. During these parties, the relaxing atmosphere went away and you would not be able to enjoy the beach view and read quietly, so just be aware of that.

The staff

The cockroach in my room