I’m an easy-to-please vacationer and even the simplest resort can make me happy. Basic things I consider are 1) price, 2) cleanliness, 3) food. I don’t usually rant about a resort; it would take uber-magnum-crapfest service for me to do so. So yeah, here is my experience with Coralview Resort in Bataan.
We went to this resort in Bataan to attend a beach wedding. Going to Coralview isn’t that difficult since there are signs along the way, but they missed putting one at a junction– which I think is very crucial. If in doubt, just follow the Phi Phi Resort signs, they’re right beside each other anyway.
When we arrived at the resort, I was pleased to see how the surrounding looks clean, bright and semi-exclusive. The parking area is very nice as well, with its ample shade and space. There were rows of white rooms dotting the place, and we got a suite reserved for the six of us. Now, this resort isn’t cheap. For that price, the room quality didn’t meet my expectation. It is more expensive than an overnight stay at a decent Boracay STATION ONE resort.
Let me tell you why this is a freaking rip-off.
DIRTY TOILET/BATHROOM. The flush button is missing, and you can’t even touch the other button because it looks grimey. The shower room has no light and the grout has darkened. The screened window in the toilet is very dusty and can’t be closed properly, so our room was infested with mosquitoes. Would you pay P6,300 a night for this?
MOSQUITOES. We asked the frontdesk to do something about the mosquitoes because there were so many of them. They were about to use an unknown China-brand insecticide and we have a one-year-old with us. I mean, sorry to say this, but with not-so-good reports about China products going on, it’s hard to trust something like that insecticide. At least they should’ve used a known brand such as Baygon or something. Can’t they buy a decent can of insecticide with the amount we’re paying? Their resort manager, Tess, is even arrogant when we complained about it. It’s as if we have no right to do so, and was not slightly apologetic AT ALL. Wow, if that’s the kind of service I’m getting, we shouldn’t have paid for an insane P6,300 crappy suite!
COCKROACHES. I don’t know about you, but I’m not paying P6,300 for a room creeping with cockroaches.
KITCHEN. The counter-top gas range is dirty and peppered with some cockroach shit. The window blinds are dusty and a couple of the blinds are crumpled and folded. I wonder when’s the last time they cleaned the room?
EXTRA FEES. The extra bed foams are a hefty P700 each, and you have to deal with the cockroaches haha!
FOOD. OH. MY. GOD. they’re the WORST. I’d rather eat carinderia or turo-turo. They felt overcooked, recooked and made by a gradeschooler. Even the cupcakes they made for the wedding tasted like it’s made of 99% baking powder! I went to look at their buffet rate from the website, and WTF it’s P1,560 per head for buffet. Seriously?? This resort has the balls to charge that much for something that tastes like crap. If I weren’t that hungry when we first got there, I would’ve passed lunch and eat junkfood instead. It’s THAT bad.
So, now that you’re done ranting about the resort, how’s the beach? It’s a clean beach with fine, light gray sands. The resort has a breakwater so you could still enjoy swimming around the shore area. While it’s relaxing to spend the time at the resort cabanas, there were times the wind was blowing our heads off. Other than that, it’s perfectly fine. You can even rent a griller and eat there.
Pawikan Reserve. While there, grab the chance to visit the pawikan reserve, it’s only around 15 minutes away by boat. I’m not sure how much it is by land, but you can opt for that as well. You can release a baby pawikan into the sea, just give P50 to adopt one :P
We weren’t able to explore more of the activities there since we only have a short weekend to spend. Maybe we’ll try out more soon– and at a different resort haha!! Coralview resort does not deserve my recommendation. Their manager needs to learn how to be humble and customer-oriented!
this should’ve been posted a month ago, but i was too lazy to update hehe. summer is back, and public pools that used to be almost empty and swimmable are now swarming with all kinds of people. from regular swimmers to the pool-peeing kid, the underwater pervert, the pick-me-up teenager, and sometimes, lovers straddling each other in a secluded corner of the pool. my highschool friends and i, on the other hand, decided to give ourselves a break from our busy schedule and hit the beach. it was just an idea playing in my head; i never thought it would push through since we have never gone out of town as a group. you should’ve seen how happy i was when three of them (out of, like, 10?) told me they wanted to go as well.
so i immediately booked the flights and the resort. it wasn’t that easy looking for an available resort during the holy week, that’s why we’re so lucky to have found beachcomber. liam and i had several candidates, but the pictures on the beachcomber website were so nice we took the bait hehe. aside from the very affordable rate, it’s just a few steps from the beach and the ever-popular jonah’s shake.
the family room we got was good for 6 people, and it’s HUGE. it’s got a small kitchen counter, a posh bathroom, soft beds with comfy fluffy pillows, a spacious veranda, cable and an ipod dock. our package comes with complimentary breakfast for four and land/boat transfer to and from caticlan. for a total of 15,000 pesos ($375), it’s not bad for a 3day-2nights for four in a station 1 resort, eh? and that’s during super peak season!
you have to book early if you want to try this resort, tho. it’s got 11 rooms only and i bet they fill up fast.
DETAILS
Beachcomber Resort http://www.beachcomberboracay.com/
ever since my folks migrated to the US a few years ago, i’ve been having crappy holidays at home because 1) my relatives are no fun and i can’t relate with them, and 2) my buddies have their own family celebrations (aside from the fact that i have few close friends). i wasn’t expecting to have fun this christmas holiday. in fact, if worse comes to worst, i was planning to finish reading the fresh-and-sealed books i bought months ago, and probably grow mold in the process. (which reminds me of the boxes of tikoy already crowding my refrigerator. they’re probably moldy by now, eek!)
anyway, i’m glad a friend of ours came up with the out-of-town idea. at first, batangas is not my idea of a perfect getaway, really. all i can think of at that time were the overcrowded resorts of matabungkay infested with subic beach jologs who bring their own karaoke machine.
la luz, on the other hand, is a complete opposite. even though we had a slightly bumpy ride going there, it was worth the minor hassle. the resort is located in laiya; clean, peaceful and far from the hustle and bustle. i suggest you bring along an extra sarong or shawl so you can enjoy the very cool breeze, and chismis under the stars hehe :)
the buffet food was not even 3star-spectacular, but it was home-style tasty (and sinfully oily) we were full to brim most of the time lol. the resort is also a nice place to wear your cute bikinis, so far there weren’t any rude oglers. (in my case, since my companions are slim, i don’t have the balls to flaunt my flabs. i still got sunburned, tho.)
i think this will be my most memorable year-ender yet. nothing beats a quiet resort, a good bottle of wine and great company :)
Other Details:
La Luz Resort
http://www.laluzresort.com/
More photos of my travels here!
the following morning, we went back to dumaguete to catch the next trip to bohol. weesam had an emergency maintenance thingy at that time so we had no choice but to get oceanjet tickets.
we arrived in tagbilaran late in the afternoon and there was an ongoing event outside the port to celebrate the sandugo festival. we decided not to stay in alona since our budget went low after siquijor, so we took a tricycle and stayed at la roca hotel. get a free city map from the port’s tourist center. this is a very informative map because it’ll show you almost all of the hotels, restaurants and tourist spots around bohol. with the map, you can easily go around tagbilaran via tricycle. fare was P6 per person.
when we arrived at la roca, the reception area was almost deserted except for the receptionist (well, duh). it seemed we were the only customers at that time, the dining area looked like it needed housekeeping, the pool looked murky even though it looked clean from afar, and the whole place was eerie and quiet you could hear a pin drop.
our rooms were so-so, the furnitures were old but at least the air conditioning was good, cable tv works, the beds were really soft and they have heated water. this room was P800 a night, good for 2 persons excluding meals.
later that night, we decided to have dinner at the sandugo flea market just outside the sea port. we had puso, their version of rice wrapped in leaves, and grilled chicken. there’s no spoon and fork available, so you’d have to eat with your hands. don’t worry, eating there is best enjoyed using your hands lol(and i noticed that wherever you go in the visayas, you will always encounter grilled food far better than the ones you had in manila. honestly!)
second day, SNORKELING
our boatman at that time is originally from bais, a city minutes away from dumaguete that also have its own dolphin watching activity. based from his experience, he says there are more dolphin and whale sightings in bohol than in bais, which probably explained why pamilacan island (part of bohol) used to be home of the dolphin/whale hunters. watching them in the wild is very different from watching them in an oceanpark; it’s kinda exciting to have them swim alongside your boat early in the morning.
i went dolphin watching years ago around october, but we didn’t go for it this time around because the dolphins are probably migrating somewhere else. keep that in mind, because you still have to pay full price even if you haven’t seen any dolphins/whales.
when you’re in bohol, what you must NOT miss is snorkeling/diving. for those who just want to snorkel but still close be to bohol’s rich marine ecosystem, go for balicasag. motorboats aren’t allowed to anchor in the richest part of the marine sanctuary anymore, so if you’re scared to snorkel on your own to explore the fantastic areas, there are “sanctuary guides” on really small boats offering “guide services”. if you have an underwater camera, you can ask them to take a photo of you while you’re down there. be careful tho. the underwater current was very strong that time. fee for the sanctuary guide is P100 per person. our boatman charged us P1500 for the boat, and the motorcycle pickup from our hotel and back. (yes there were 3 of us on a motorbike going to doljo beach lol sakit sa singit)
bring crackers if you like, fishes there love it and would beg for more lol :)
next day, LAND TOUR
the usual. chocolate hills, tarsiers, flying lemurs, loboc river buffet lunch (P300-500 per head, depending on which float restaurant you choose), blood compact site, zoo with python, hanging bridge, man-made forest, hinagdanan cave (with underground pond and full of bats), and baclayon church.
since our plane leaves at 5 in the afternoon, we decided to start the land tour at 8. we’ve already checked out when our guide picked us up for the tour. car service from your hotel to the airport costs P450, so we asked our guide to drop us as the airport after the tour to save us money hehe :)
OTHER DETAILS
HOTEL LA ROCA
Tel (+6338) 4113179 / 4113796
Graham Avenue, Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines
http://www.toursbohol.com/laroca.html
Mancio Arbuyes (landtour guide and driver)
0920-5214510
Mang Emil (boatman, mancio’s uncle)
0920-2278141
note: mang emil is nice and interesting to talk to :)
the short boat ride to siquijor was a bit bumpy due to the habagat (southwest wind, humid monsoon months), but it’s not as bad as the boat trip from iloilo to bacolod. the weather was perfect that day and you could see the many hues of blue around siquijor as you approach the island.
SIQUIJOR, SIQUIJOR ISLAND
as soon as we got our tickets in dumaguete, we immediately called emily of casa de la playa to pick us up at the siquijor port in an hour. there are three ports in siquijor: larena, siquijor and lazi. i think montenegro docks at larena. the port in lazi receives boats from mindanao.you’d probably be mesmerized by siquijor’s rustic beauty from the moment you step out of the boat. the sand there is as powdery and toasty-gold like bohol’s alona beach, it looked pretty much the same the last time i was there. there weren’t a lot of resorts (or even a hotel) in siquijor since it’s just a small island, but most of them are nice and secluded, perfect for those who want to get away from the hustle and bustle.
a couple of public and resort vans are waiting at the port, you won’t get lost around siquijor since most of these go around the island and its major port cities. you can rent a motorbike for as low as P25 an hour and it’s possible to circle the island in less than a day. daily transportation is not that easy in siquijor especially if you’re not in a port city. it can take hours before you can see a van or tricycle pass by.most resorts offer day tours for P1,500. the tour will take you around the island and see the cities around the island, the st. isidore labrador church and convent, salagdoong beach, to name a few. if you expect the beach to look prettier and not smell like uberscumville, come during the summer.
seaside rooms of casa de la playa. the sea is just 5 steps away from your door :)
we’ve originally booked for this room, but since it was hot that day, we didn’t want to risk sweating like a pig later on. this room is brighter compared to the airconditioned room. it has a kitchen, a refrigerator, a wider closet and a veranda overlooking the sea (and have breakfast there).
view outside the room. almost high-tide shore on the left; low-tide shore at dawn, right.
ST. ISIDORE LABRADORE CHURCH
wooden interior is rotting away, the ceiling has a lot of holes and the paint is chipping.
KAMBUGAHAY FALLS & SALAGDOONG BEACH
it’s easy to go down the loooong flight of stairs to see kambugahay, but the way back up will make you want to devour a jar of lard.
ask your tourguide not only about the tour spots in siquijor, it’s fun and beneficial for both of you if you ask about local news hehe. those running for candicacy must be rich enough to buy the people’s votes, because siquijor is one of the many provinces whose votes can be bought at P1,000 – P1,500 each.
there is going to be a fiesta the following day, we SO wanted to join in the festivities because i haven’t been to one in the province. you see, in manila, people here don’t go around neighborhopping with a ready fork at hand– we don’t even know who our neighbors are. in the province, everyone’s free to dig in. unfortunately, we weren’t be able to join because we have to leave the next day.
we were also able to visit our relative in siquijor, glad that we stopped by to check if they’re there hehe :)
OTHER DETAILS
siquijor is a very small island, and as i’ve said, you can tour the island within a day. so if you’re the type who does not like the deafening silence there, i suggest you leave for siquijor early in the morning, tour the island and return to your room in dumaguete late in the afternoon. it will also save you on cash if you opt to return to dumaguete by nightfall because food in siquijor’s resorts are unjustifiably expensive.
if you’re into diving, look for resorts who offer such service. not all of the resorts there offer diving. i heard there are lots of nice spots out there, not advisable for snorkeling, tho.
most resorts offer complimentary pickups from the port, but will charge for the transfer back to the port. be sure to check with your resort so you won’t have any misunderstandings later on.
CASA DE LA PLAYA BEACH RESORT
Sandugan Beach, 6226 Larena, Siquijor, Philippines
http://www.siquijorcasa.com/beach_resort_siquijor.htm
Tel. (035) 484-1170 / 0928 3093737 / 0917 3140360
COCO GROVE BEACH RESORT
Tubod, San Juan, Siquijor, Philippines
http://www.cocogrovebeachresortsiquijor.com/
Tel. (035) 481-5008 / (035) 481-5006
MANGO TREE RESORT
Olang, Maria, Siquijor
http://www.geocities.com/siquijorisland/page30.html
Tel. (098) 5420803
ISLANDER’S PARADISE BEACH RESORT
http://www.islandersparadisebeach.com/
