The rooms are huge and well airconditioned and comes with a tv and a bathroom with decent water…read morepressure. They all have a seaside balcony and has a regular key and a deadbolt. There are not many rooms in the whole resort so you can expect to be helped fast. They accept cash and major credit cards. A HUGE plus is that I checked in at 9am - waaay earlier than regular check in hours obviously and later than the regular checkout time by half an hour or so but since the resort was relatively empty when I stayed, they had no problem with it and did not charge me anything extra. I had also booked it for a day earlier than I meant to, and it was difficult trying to get in contact with them, but I emailed them and they changed it with no hassle as well! There is a decently large staff working the resort and many of them speak conversational english. The dining building has filtered water, tea, and coffee available at all times. They will also serve buffet style lunch or dinner (500-600 pesos) and a la carte smoothies and food as well, and the buffets were hit or miss for me but the a la cartes were great! There are a lot of flies out there so the flies sort of eat the food with you.. you are free to take the food inside to your room though! The staff is also constantly asking to make sure you are enjoying your stay and sort of hovers to check that you dont need anything else. By the water they have a dive shop where they rent out gear and provide boat service. (also great photo op location for the sunset). A downside was that when we I was getting tanks from them, they used tanks labeled NITROX but had regular air. Some of the tanks were not super recently inspected either. No bueno. But we tested it before using it to confirm that it was okay,, but I guess things are pretty lax in the philippines. Overall a great stay!

This family-owned resort is the perfect place for a weekend getaway with family and friends. It's…read morejust a short 1.5hr-2hrs drive away from Manila, making it very easy to get to. Awilihan can be rented for the entire day or for overnight stays. The place can comfortably accommodate 30 people (max). The rental fee is already inclusive of the use of the house (airconditioned rooms with beds, pillows and showers), the pool, sports facilities (badminton, basketball and billiards) and the use of their pool. You can opt to bring your own food or order food from them for a reasonable fee. The entire place overlooks the Taal Lake and there's always a nice cool breeze, making it the perfect relaxation spot. I have taken my family and friends here and all of them love the place so much. Once you enter, you immediately feel comfortable. The atmosphere is very relaxing and homey and it just makes you want to lounge around. Although there's no beach to swim in, their swimming pool is enticing enough to make you want to jump in one you see it. I love how the whole place is secluded... away from the traffic and the noise of the city. I always recommend this place to my friends and family because you really can't go wrong with Awilihan! It really is paradise!

A HIDDEN GEM! A must go retreat for family, big groups, honeymooners, quick getaway, etc! Only less…read morethan 3 hour drive from Manila. The road going towards the resort is so narrow. You would not think this didn't go anywhere! We actually tried booking through Airbnb but they only limit it to sixteen people; or I think Airbnb's requirement. The representative told us to communicate through Facebook instead as we needed a big group reservations for 30 as their description on Airbnb stated they can accommodate up to 30 people! Easy reservations with them via phone and the best place to go so far since visiting the main island! The resort has their own farm of fruits and veggies so everything is fresh and depends on the season; they can only make certain meals during the season. Food is pretty decent. We reserved the villa for our stay called - 'Sta. Teresita Villa' where it has its own private infinity pool. The villa has its own kitchen, two and half bathrooms and two bedrooms. It has great views! It was so awesome! We all didn't want to leave!! We also rented additional rooms that had outdoor jacuzzi's. You can order set meals for 5 or 10 or ala carte. Just to let you know, if you are used to American portions, you may have to order more than average. They have fresh buko drinks, too. They plan to add a zip lines in the resort. I can't wait! Tips to remember: - Weather is still very warm here so don't over dress. OK, I mean HOT and humid! - Bring bug spray especially during rainy season. Bugs are huge here!! Bring slippers! - pools have overhead covers so even if rained on, you can still swim. Bring waterproof camera bags. - No wifi except in the lobby. Free wifi. 3G goes on and off within the resort so good luck! No use coming here if you are working! - It's easy to use Waze to get here but leaving, make sure to start the Waze while using the wifi in the lobby or it won't turn on till a few km's out! Remember how you got there. - They do accept credit cards. - Bring snacks or drinks as their snack bar is limited. - Make sure to explore the resort, their crops and their pet snakes! - They do have a few blackouts. - Wake up before sunset to check out the lake and mountain views! Bring your good cameras! Also, love the weather in the morning! For my 650th review, I am dedicating it to Noni's Resort! Staff were very accommodating and super friendly for our big group! Prices were pretty good for our staff and what was offered. I will definitely recommend anyone to check them out and stay for a quick weekend getaway! You won't regret it! [69/100]

Dood and Dave Santos were awesome. I have been to a resort nearby before and it was a let down…read more This resort was amazing. First of all the service here is second to none. I wanted to get Advance PADI certified here and then do some other dives. I exchanged 30 emails with the shop before the trip and they made me feel welcomed and informed. The other shop nearby never answered a single email... The resort is clean and so are the rooms. The resort specializes in catering to underwater photographers. There is a camera cleaning room. There is an infinity pool. There is a bar. There is a restaurant with very good food on premises. There is a spa with amazing massage at night after a lond day of diving. The resort is only accessible by boat. There is a gated parking lot where you leave your car and the hotel personnel will come get you on a boat. I rented their gear and it was in good condition. The PADI certification was great and my instructor Roman Trono was very helpful and knowledgeable. He was patient and knew his way around the reefs especially the night dive where we encountered some bad surf. Make sure you do the dives with the shop as you will have an amazing time. The people here are very nice all employees are helpful and all of the guests seemed extremely happy to be here which made for an amazing vacation.

I learned about this resort in June when I attended the Scuba Dive Convention in Long Beach,…read moreCalifornia. I wanted to take a vacation with my son and stepson who were both heading out to college in the fall. I just wanted to have a place to relax, unwind, read a juicy summer novel, get massage, observe the pretty butterflies, listen to the soothing ocean waves, chirping birds, do my yoga, meditate and get a massage. The resort had comfy beds, air conditioning, cable tv and Internet. The whole town had a power outage and Aiyanar was the only hotel with a backup power generator. Power was back up in less than two minutes. On the other hand, my two active boys, wanted to try scuba diving and get certified, go jet skiing and snorkeling. Aiyanar delivered up to my expectations. Aiyanar had one of the best PADI certified master dive instructors available. Jodene is an expert professional, extremely knowledgeable and patient. He speaks fluent English which was a plus. He kept my two kids comfortable and calm. Vernie was a seasoned scuba instructor and underwater photography guide as well. Behind the scenes, the we had a hardworking, friendly and attentive resort manager, Joyce, who was the ultimate "maestro" conductor coordinating our requests for airport pickup, scuba lessons, offsite picnic lunch, and massages. My sons and I are extremely happy with our stay. We recommend this place and plan on coming back for the Advanced Open Water course.

I have stayed here for 2 nights and hated every minute the rooms are messy my toilet didnt work and…read morethe shower water is sea water and there a big gaps in door so bugs get in your not allowed food and drink in rooms and went scuba diving and was surrounded in jelly fish and was stung multiple times the breakfast buffet was horrible Scrambled eggs tasted like child food but staff were fantastic and very helpful which made the stay responsible. Final thoughts are very instagramable but wouldn't brush there teeth. Follow me yall

If I could rate this place a 0, I would. To start off the maintenance is terrible. This "resort" is…read morenot as appealing as the photos show. As well as the workers and owners had the audacity to threaten to MURDER my friends and I when we refused to pay 365 pesos for ONE hour. I definitely don't recommend ANYONE to go here. We were all very scared and worried. We even had to call the cops. They don't deserve to stay in business. CLOSE DOWN THIS RESORT

TL:DR Unspoilt paradise with white sand beaches, crystal clear water that's great for diving and…read moresnorkeling, and not crawling with tourists. Don't expect modern luxuries. Just enjoy its natural beauty. We've done some island hopping/exploring in Occidental Mindoro, mostly off of San Jose, like Grace Island and White Island, but have yet to venture beyond San Jose. We decided to venture out this trip and hired a van (₽7000 for the day) to go to Sablayan and take a boat from there to Pandan Island. Our first stop was the Ecotourism Office located next to the plaza. This is where you can get information and book your boat and stay if you're heading to Pandan Island and Apo Reef Natural Park. You'll need to pay an environmental fee per person here. They'll also assign you a boat once you decide what kind of boat you want to take. We went with a Glass Bottom boat (Queen Ella). Our boat stopped at various places close to Pandan Island to look at Sea Turtles, Corals and different kinds of fish. Really amazing! Some places were really deep and some we were only a couple of feet from the corals. The water is so clear, you could see the sea turtles if you look to your side on the water. Once we got to the island, we chose the table next to the hammock and paid for our picnicking fee at the bar. There is a day use fee per person. I forgot how much but you can look at pandan.com/prices/ for all the fees you need to pay. The water temperature was 82°F or 28°C. It was perfect. Not warm and not cold. We stayed in the water for a few hours playing and swimming! We got there around 9 am and although there were overnight guests staying in the cottages and day trippers like us, this part of the island was not crowded. Most of the tourists here are Filipinos, Europeans and Australians. This is not Boracay thank God. I hope it never gets transformed into a Boracay and I don't think it will be because it is a protected marine sanctuary. We saw a lot of divers going out to the open sea to dive. You can get your PADI certification here if you want. This island has no electricity, so it's definitely off the grid. I would totally love to stay here a couple of nights. The cottages are only a few steps from the water! It'd be the ultimate relaxation. My husband and I have camped and backpacked in remote places in the high Sierras so a stay at Pandan is luxurious compared to that! The island has a restaurant and a bar! You're also close enough to Sablayan that you'll be able to get Globe LTE here. My brother in law had Smart LTE and they couldn't very good cell reception here. The food on the island is not that great (even the Filipino food), so I suggest you bring your own food. We brought a big jug of water, empanadas, halaya, snacks and other stuff. We bought 2 young coconuts from the bar (50 pesos each) and that kept us hydrated. We tried the boneless Bangus and it was just okay. My sister did not like the Tosino. Bring your own food! Apo Reef (the second largest contiguous reef in the world and the largest one in the Philippines) is another 3 hr boat ride from Pandan, so you would really have to stay there overnight if you want to see it. Stop by Pandan for a few hours to cool off or stay overnight and then head to Apo Reef. I'd love to be able to do that on another visit when I have more time here.

Because long beach trips are impossible with families with infants, we just settled for a day at…read morethe waterpark with some of our friends last weekend. We had our (una at) huling hirit sa tag-init at WaterCamp Resort in Kawit, Cavite. The place was okay, it was a big waterpark (I like saying that word because it reminds me of the movie Grown Ups) with adult and kiddie pools with slides, and a wave pool. The shower rooms were clean and relatively well-maintained considering there are a lot of people coming there. Guests can choose to stay in tables or cabanas according to their budget and there are several areas for grilling, so families can definitely bring their baon, or order from the restaurant inside (which I wasn't able to try, unfortunately). I liked that the place is very family-friendly; it's ok to swim in t-shirt and shorts (as long as there's no metal) and they're very strict about prohibiting alcoholic drinks in the vicinity. I had a slight issue about breastfeeding my four-month old baby in the cabana, but I'm pretty much used to nursing in public by now. The entrance fee was reasonable (240 for adults, 210 for kids) for the place is big with lots of amenities. My daughter had the BEST time swimming there. She just swam and swam until she was too tired and fell asleep. She was so happy that I think an hour drive going to the place is absolutely worth it.

My family is from Balisong, but moved to the US decades ago. We came to this place to visit family…read moreand stayed at this beautiful hotel. Authentic Filipino heritage is well preserved here from the decorations to the architecture. The rooms are charming and all have air conditioning. The views from our rooms were immaculate. Breakfast buffet with traditional Filipino food was delicious and the service was warm and inviting. The surrounding streets had rows of heritage homes turned into museums. And a short walk to the historic Taal Cathedral built in the 1500s. Visiting this place felt like a stepping into a Time Capsule. Our stay was magical. Highly recommend.

From the owner: Built in the early 1900's, this home was restored in the late 2013, still adhering to the footprint…read moreand Spanish-American Colonial style of the Filipino bahay-na-bato. It was completed on March 9, 2015 and called Paradores del Castillo because of the Spanish practice of transforming old castles, monasteries and historic buildings into government-run luxury hotels. Parar or para means to stop and stay. The Spanish-Filipino surname del Castillo also means "castle". Thus, the hotel's name literally means, "stop at castle." This hotel is located a few meters from the historic "Casa V," the home of the Villavicencio revolutionary figures; the San Lorenzo Ruiz steps leading to the Virgin of Caysasay Church; the Taal Public Market; the St. Martin de Tours Basilica; and the museums on Agoncillo Street. Guests can enjoy the garden with a panaromic view of the adjacent towns of Lemery, Calaca, Balayan Bay, the Pansipit River, and the Virgin of Caysasay Church. "This is our home, our castle, your place in time to make new memories."