빌라 마리(Villa Marii)

My wife and I went for a two night break over Valentine's Day, 14 to 16 February. I agree with all the comments made by the other reviewer in 2022. We stayed in one of the larger rooms upstairs (Room 5). It was mean't for 4 people, but on our special break it was perfect for us. The room has 2 king-size beds for reference and is spacious. I requested some flowers and chocolates by email and the hotel staff were keen to oblige and my wife was very pleased at this surprise. If you want to visit Dipolog there city is about 10 minutes drive away - with the usual Filipino hustle and bustle. For a quieter experience we found that the Boulevard was very nice. You proceed towards the city on Route 79 and then take one of the left turns towards the sea. You will meet the Boulevard at some point - it is about 2kms long with plenty of parking and seats. The hotel has a pool and plenty of discrete seating around the grounds to the hotel. The food was excellent and can be eaten in the dining room or brought up to your room. We had breakfast in our room and eat in the dining room in the evening. All in all a lovely stay.

Dipolog is beautiful and so is this little gem of a hotel, away from the main drag of downtown. Make sure to avail yourself of the free transpo to and from the airport - call or message ahead and confirm a pickup. My wife and I were in town for some family business, but what little down time we had at the hotel was well spent. The downstairs rooms are clean and comfortable, but for Westerners, perhaps a little small. We'd recommend upgrading to one of the larger rooms on the second floor - it may be more room than you need but you'll be much more comfortable if there's more than one person staying and you like a larger bathroom. As for the staff - they could not have been more accommodating and kind. Any question we had they tried their best to answer, and were able to recommend many fantastic places to eat and entertain ourselves. And the breakfasts, while simple, were TASTY AS HELL. GET. THE. BANGUS (Google it, if you don't already know.) The facility itself was immaculate and secure, with the gate staffed continuously, as far as we could tell. And while away from downtown, if you need a motorcab, plenty go by outside on the main road, so you can get to where you need to go. We were recently in Paris for our honeymoon, at a 5-star luxury hotel a few blocks away from the military museum where Napoleon was buried - and the service there was attentive, professional, warm and always on point. But the service at Villa Marii, while obviously in a different setting, was, in many ways, better. If you find yourself in that corner of the world, you could do a lot, lot worse than Villa Marii.

An amazing stay, no pool advertise yet but they have a working pool already. Good for inclusivity and special Occasions