히노바-안 아파트

I and my friends had a relaxing and memorable time during our stay at this beach resort. We got an exclusive room in a villa that's very spacious for 5 people. It has a lounge area and its own balcony. It's like having your own private place away from all the other guests. The shower room is also separate from the toilet which is better in terms of waiting time and privacy. The owner was attentive to our needs and treated us like their family's guests. We saw her talking and attending personally to all the other guests as they dined and enjoyed the lounge areas. She seemed to be passionate and love hosting. You can also derive inspiration from her if you happen to listen to her 1 or 2 stories. The waiters and other staff were courteous, pleasant and made us feel safe. The food included local delicacies and viands that I personally had only tried in the island. Our stay included a boat ride and visit in the nearby island that has a huge cave, home to many bats and features stalactites. This added up to make our trip adventurous at the same time. One interesting thing we found on that island was a very young teenage resident who is very knowledgeable about the cave and served as a free tour guide and photographer to us.

One goes to a place, with certain expectations, based on what you see in pictures posted in sites and feedback from personal friends who have gone to the place - such was the bases of our decision to book in Nabulao Beach & Dive Resort. The place looked good. The grounds upkeep did not disappoint. The flora was very nice, providing very calming green surroundings. The beach front has lounging chairs - sounds of the wind and the ebbing tide - peace and quiet...i.e. if a big LGU (local government unit) group have not booked the same days you have. Apparently this is a resort popular for conferences and meetings. Major downsides! Be ready to have No Service (globe or smart) and no internet connections in the rooms. Be ready to be disconnected and be off the grid! The resort staff advised us that to be able to be connected to Globe we have to position ourselves in the beachfront. To also have internet, even if you have data, one is also expected to do the same. Apparently, this is a problem of the whole place. Sipalay & Hinobaan are places with very poor internet. Definitely these are not places you can go to for workation! If you are expected to WFA (Work From Anywhere) this is not your go to place. To have cable TV in the rooms, the system is that they put in a ”load” for the use of guests. Unfortunately for us, the cable TV in our room had ”No Load”. The combination of no internet and no cable is not good at all when there is nothing else to do. The pools were not clean. We were told that chemicals for the pool were ordered but have not arrived. The beach is not ”swim-able”! Sand mites in these parts are vicious. Adding to this are the stray dogs, cats, chickens! The staff were very polite and listened to our concerns. However, they seemed not capable to act on some of our concerns immediately - perhaps not empowered enough by management to address guests' complaints. For example, changing our towels which were full of holes and for sure have seen better days. With a little pressure, on our 2nd & last day, they gave us a new room with cable connection and better looking towels. The staff being nice certainly made up for the difficulties experienced. But I still am not changing my Poor Rating.