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!

What a beautiful place to visit. Hopefully next visit have much time to spend and to explore the…read moreplace. Will stay overnight for sure We have so much fun watching the concert Miss Kuh with Music and Magic ( Vicky Sevilla Pangilinan, Jet Montelibano ) also with my FFF Ms. Fe de los Reyes and with surprise appearance of Ms. Donita Rose. Before I forget the food is delicious . Thank you guys for a wonderful show. Till next time

I first heard of Hacienda Isabella from a friend who went there to do an ocular for an event she…read morewas doing. Then, finding out that it was owned by Kuh Ledesma from the several advertising placements on billboards, broadsheets, and magazines. However, it was only a few years after that I was able to see it for myself. We did a wedding at Hacienda Isabella and I must say that I was glad to finally see it. It's a sprawling property reminiscent of Old Asia, with several casitas, a pool, a main house, and a lawn. The vast lawn was where we had the wedding reception and it easily fit 300 guests. I think it could probably fit more. For those who just want a weekend getaway, they have rooms for a reasonable fee. What I liked most was the main house where a long wooden table with equally long wooden benches are, serving as the main dining table in the house where a few rooms are located.

Absolutely outstanding accommodations and diving service - and the food was fantastic!…read more Worth every penny. Secluded from the town and boardwalk, but close enough to walk to, a clean pool, plenty of towels, poolside showers, just a few steps from the dive boats, concierge diving, nitrox, instruction, a retail shop. Everything you could want, and they'll arrange all your transfers from the airport if you'd like. Well worth it too!

This was easily a 5* experience. Great resort, great dive shop, great location on Sabang Beach…read more They make the diving here relaxing, very relaxing. There are lots of great room choices. I splurged for $168/night with the room (21) overlooking the beach. There were probably other options with great views and I'd consider them upon return. The greatest benefit though was proximity to the dive shop and "front door." It was easy to pop up after a dive, do some camera checks, shower, change, eat, and get ready for the next dive. The dive shop is fantastic. Definitely 5*. Great support from all the staff. The dive masters/guides were great. Thanks to Anto, Robert, and Mike. Their ability to spot critters was amazing. Thanks to the boat crew. I loved not having to carry my equipment to and from the boat daily. They rinsed daily. This left me more time to focus on my camera gear and prep for the next dive. It left me with more energy for diving. Great opportunities with 4 boat dives a day: typical 2 morning and 2 afternoon with the night dive on demand. Oh, and you get a hot towel on every dive! It was a nice touch for the colder divers. This is a nudibranch paradise. They were on every dive and lots of different kinds. Definitely do a night dive just to see the mandarin fish which are "house reef" distance. They have lots of pygmy seahorse opportunities, but I only saw one fan this trip with seahorses. I may have counted 15-20 "empty" purple fans. Other highlights: I saw a few turtles, other seahorses, and frogfish. They do have opportunities for thresher sharks, but I never saw any. Would love to focus on that opportunity next time! There was just so much to see. The service all around from hotel to restaurant to dive shop was superb. It was easily 5*. Oh, they offer 24/7 everything. From whatsapp/front desk to restaurant (slight upcharge for late late orders). The whatsapp response was fast from US time zones because they are 24/7. The location for me was a highlight. The Sabang Beach town activity at night can get a little loud. Plus, they are doing some major construction on the town boardwalk area. The property is far enough away, around a corner, that you don't hear any of this. Nice gym. Nice pool. There was definitely some confusion on the "full board" $8 breakfast, which was included in my room charge. I'd probably just pay separately if I were to go back. Most items on the menu are cheaper than $8. You are charged for any additions. So, just pay as you go and save some money. They offer a VIP solution from Manilla international airport which is It is a bit pricey but you don't have to think with airport pickup, 2+ hour private car shuttle, 30 min private boat transport, and drop off right by the property. So, no bag drag nightmares. The only negative is you have to make the $250-$300 payment in cash upon arrival to the property. There are limited ATMs in Sabang, so bring enough cash for this and tips. This is definitely the place you want for Sabang Beach and Puerto Galera diving. I wouldn't even consider another property. With some of their 2023 planned upgrades, I can't wait to go back.

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]

75 miles from the International airport, this can be a long drive in Manila's traffic. Once you get…read morethere though it felt like a real slice of hidden paradise. We were greeted by really courteous staff. From the security guard, front desk to the room attendants, it was great customer service. Three meals a day were provided and it was a feast. Usually 4 dishes plus the mandatory rice for each meal was more than enough for us. Which says a lot after a whole day of swimming in the ocean. WIFI was free and reliable around the resort. 2 hours of kayaking came free with our package as well. Accommodations were separate cottages having 1-2 rooms.The rooms were spotless and offered a very nice view of the ocean. There was AC but with the configuration of the windows along with the multitude of trees in the location, you could just leave the windows open and really enjoy the cool ocean breeze. The rest room was shared per cottage but it was well maintained and clean as well. Massages were available in-room. I personally did not avail of it but my sister did and seemed to enjoy it. The beach was clean and the water was very clear and warm. Perfect for swimming any time of the day. Overall, if you want to go to a great beach with modern facilities, it is well worth the road trip.

Everytime we visit the Philippines, we take our family on vacation, and this time we decided to…read morevisit Acuatico in Batangas. Upon arrival, we were offered welcome drinks and adorned us with beaded necklaces. Very nice touch! Staff were warm and friendly - the hospitality was spot on! Our rooms were not yet ready then as we arrived earlier than the standard check in time, but they tried to accommodate to the best they could. While we wait, we had lunch at Oceano. Despite the variety (a la carte menu), it was a bit underwhelming. We had to follow-up on our orders a couple of times. It was not busy then, as we were the only guests dining at that time. The breakfast and dinner buffet was good. There were enough options to choose from. The rooms were nice and spacious. We love the proximity of the pool. The only minor issue was you can hear the noise from outside - not quite sound proofed. But that's ok, we slept well either way. As for the Pool area and bar, the beach towels were not readily available. We had to ask the pool attendant for some. Bar was ok. If I may suggest, if someone will order beer, a beer glass or stein should be offered - and if possible, chilled. The pool is divided into sections with different depths, which I think was smart. The infinity pool overlooking the beach was awesome! Lastly the staff, all were kind, courteous and attentive. They remembered us by names and it was truly a mark of their hospitality. Overall, it was a great stay and will surely recommend to friends and family.

This resort is amazing, the staff is great, the room is comfortable and cool! The buffet breakfast,…read morelunch, and dinner is great. Nice getaway from the city life. Could not get to snorkel or dive due to Typhoon Engay from the North of Luzon Island. The waters on Batangas was a little on the rough side, and plenty of rain and humid. Other than that, this place for me is a five star despite the tropical storm and a very short power outage we endured during our stay. Because of the storm, the beach wedding became an entrance hall wedding and went very smooth and beautiful.

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!

My family and I had a lovely time here at the Villa Escudero Plantation and Museum during a recent…read morevisit. My parents used to take me here on trips to the Philippines when I was a kid. Revisiting as an adult felt familiar and although there were significant upgrades to the property since my last visit, it still gives off that warm welcome home vibe. For newbies Villa Escudero is the Disney World equivalent for immersion into the Filipino culture. We started off at the Visitor's center where we purchased our day trip tickets. I believe the tickets are about $2000.00 PHP = $35 USD. The ticket cost includes 90% of what is offered in the plantation which includes the museum, Carabao (Water Buffalo) cart rides, E-jeepneys, swimming in their pools, bamboo raft rides, buffet lunch and cultural show. Alcoholic drinks, some non-alcoholic specialty drinks and on-site accommodations are not included in the cost of the day trip tickets. These are considered separate fees. We were a party of 7 with 2 sets of elderly parents with mobility issues. Thankfully the staff at Villa Escudero were well equipped to handle transporting our parents from one part of the facility to another via E-jeepney (electric jeepney). The E-jeepney was a newly added service allowing one to travel comfortably enough to visit most of the sites without much effort. Our parents were able to visit the pink museum on the 1st floor holding mostly religious statues. The statues are realistic to the point of near creepy. The museum has no elevator access to the 2nd floor where the more interesting artifacts are. Unfortunately, the lack of an elevator limited our parents to the 1st floor. My cousin, husband and I opted to take the stairs to the 2nd floor to explore some more while leaving the parents in the waiting area on the 1st floor. The 2nd floor is an impressive collection curated by the Escudero family with period pieces from all over the globe. I won't go into too much detail for spoiler reasons but we found the 2nd floor fascinating from the first. Please keep in mind photography and video is restricted only in the museum portion. Post museum we were E-jeeped back to the visitor's center to hop on their Carabao carts taking us to their grand Main Pavilion for their lunch and cultural show. The Carabao Cart ride was one of the most enjoyable parts of our visit making it memorable for all. The short 12-minute ride transported us through the palm tree lined, lush plantation grounds. The ride included an onboard serenade with a singer and a guitarist playing folkloric tunes. The scene, with sunny picture-perfect weather to boot, was heartening and provides you with a taste of traditional Filipino culture. It definitely brought a smile to my mom and dad's face. In that fleeting moment, I felt as if they were truly happy at home. As all this is happening, seeing them light up in awe as we were passing through the grounds via Carabao cart was priceless. Once at the covered pavilion, you can pick any available table to sit in and have a set buffet lunch served to you. The buffet was ample and tasty complete with typical Filipino dishes such as Pancit, Chicken, Beef Caldereta, Fried Fish, a number of stir-fried vegetable dishes with a Banana-Q dessert finisher to round out the meal. After lunch, the cultural show starts roughly at 3pm and goes till about 5. The show was amazing and included traditional music and dance from regions all over the Philippines. At the end of the performance, my husband and I were gifted a small palm frond keepsake shaped in the likeness of a bird. It was a simple yet sweet parting gift by the performers of the show. The property also has a separate venue for private events and if you are seeking a unique wedding venue, they have a simple chapel and reception space available. Whether tourist or a local, Villa Escudero is a lovely place to visit. They offer on-site hotel accommodations if you're looking to extend your time with family and friends. The hotels are private villas overlooking the river. The average nightly stay is about 14000.00 PHP which is about $240 USD/night typically accommodating anywhere from 2-6 guests depending on room size. The accommodations are rustic and in line with the plantation theme. We enjoyed our time at Villa Escudero. We've always had fond memories visiting the plantation. If you've never been to the Philippines before, this would be the perfect place to start outside of Metro Manila. If you can reciprocate kindness and respect, the people here are super friendly and will go out of their way to make your stay at Villa Escudero a pleasant one. Foreigner friendly, most staff are English speaking and can help you navigate through the property. Enjoy your time in the Philippines and make Villa Escudero part of your visitor itinerary to immerse yourself in the warm Filipino culture. Safe travels and Mabuhay Pilipinas!

Youtube Video on my experience: https://youtu.be/ntKNPeL4ULY…read more WOW. I am truly blown away at this place. I have been wanting to come here for years and years since I had seen a photo of the waterfalls restaurant. I thought that the restaurant was a separate entity and not part of an entire plantation that was turned into a resort for Filipino culture and heritage. I am so surprised at the tiny sign to enter Villa Escudero as well, is that the original sign? I feel like it has to be. The is a long stretch of dirt road leading into Villa Escudero, but it is cool to see all the coconut trees and other fruit/vegetables growing along the road with the carabao just hanging out. After checking in, the experience just to get to the lobby for room reception (if you are staying overnight) is fun because you can ride a carabao (or electric cart if you prefer). You also get sang to on the carabao. I would have put 4 stars for our room stay because our longhouse room didn't have the mixer of cold and hot water working properly, but after my auntie's upgrade to a riverside cottage with a/c, I was amazed at how beautiful and relaxing it was. We also were surprised with a harana one night and they sang a few songs to us, it was very beautiful. Somebody please tell those guys who harana at Villa Escudero that it was such an amazing experience for me and I'm glad I was able to dance with my son while listening. It was extremely beautiful. The waterfalls restaurant at Labasin was very cool, but because I had my little one we were careful and sat on the dry side right by the waterfall. Maybe next time when he's old we can eat in the water! The food was pretty good as well, I enjoyed the okra! My favorite was the breakfast buffet that they offered and the people working there were SO helpful and kind. The museums are crazy!!! The museum holding all the religious artifacts and museum of animals is so incredibly interesting. The house museum is also very cool to walk around and look at. Each location has a docent to explain the museum if you would like a tour as well. From beginning to end, I had a wonderful time and it was a surreal experience for me. As a Filipino-American, I have felt disconnected from my heritage growing up in the U.S. so I feel like staying here was very important. Thank you Villa Escudero, I hope to come back again!

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

I first stumbled upon this place while I was searching around the Internet, looking for resorts in…read moreLaiya, Batangas. When I saw photos of the place, I instantly loved it and proceeded to book a room for two. The place is quite pricey compared to the other resorts in the area but upon arriving there, I knew why. The resort is very spacious, the cabanas or rooms are spaced quite far from each other, thus giving a lot of privacy to guests. When I went there with my boyfriend, the resort was actually fully booked but it didn't feel like it. The sand was white and the water was clean. It was hard to believe that this place was only 2-3 hours away from Manila.

What a gorgeous beach! While the sand isn't as fine as flour, it's definitely white and doesn't…read morehave too many shells that'll poke your feet as you run. Normally pretty white sand doesn't go with pretty underwater sights, but here I was pleasantly surprised to find corals and colorful fish only a short distance from shore! If you're not the type to snorkel, there are rentable kayaks available at a fairly reasonable price. The rooms are little cottages, either made of bamboo or built like a standard house with aircon. My family stayed in the former and thanks to the sea breeze, it was pleasantly cool during the night. No need to get the more expensive airconditioned room! It's nearly 3000 pesos more. But if you're just going on a day trip, you can rent one of the cabanas on the beach. They have mattresses for midday naps and curtains so no one will see the weird faces you make while asleep. The beachfront itself is beautiful, dotted with lots of coconut trees and smaller trees whose names are unknown to me but look like giant bonsais. The latter's branches are great for climbing and sitting on. Some trees have hammocks strung between them so you can sway with the wind and listen to the waves while daydreaming away that hour between eating and swimming again. Only issue I have with Virgin Beach is you can't bring in your own food. As an added snag, the already kinda expensive fees don't include food; you still have to pay for what you order at their restaurant separately. Overall, this a wonderful resort! My family's been here twice and each time was exactly the vacation we needed.