A little help looking for a resort and dive op

[Bronson]

As a fellow American be selective if you want some comforts. The word "resort" is an oxymoron. You can good deals in philippines using compared to what you are used to in USA. Remember the saying that you get what you pay for.

Shangri- la in Cebu is outstanding for comfort though pricey. Good food, comfortable rooms with an attached scuba operator that is well run. Top price though diving not the best. Need to take one more flight to get to Cebu from Manila.

Atlantis in Dumageti is also nice. Like Cebu one more flight connection but some of. The finest diving. Local people are wonderful.

I like Puerto Gallera and el Galleon and Asia Divers personally. It is e hour transit from Manila airport including a 2 hour drive and an hour boat ride. The best cost/value proposition in my view. Not the prettiest spot but geared for expats. Diving will thrill you but not as good as Dumagetti.

Al are good choices.

Also, don't believe all the stuff in the papers about violence around the Philippines.as it is safer than USA cities.

Have fun. It is a great spot to vacation.

 

[padudle]

We just came back from diving in the Philippines. That country has many advantages for travel including almost universal English proficiency.

First we dived around Coron, Palawan. That area is almost exclusively for wreck diving. I like to see wildlife so I got tired of going to the old ships. Also, the visibility around Coron is something like 6 meters.

Next we went to Dauin on Negros in the Visayas. They do muck diving there on the volcanic sands. We saw a lot of amazing things there. We stayed at a resort called El Dorado Beach Resort there in Dauin and it was good enough. The dive operator there goes to Apo Island frequently too where the hard coral reefs are outstanding.

Take a small underwater camera to record the tiny creatures.

Nearby was Pura Vida Beach Dive Resort. It looked a little nicer and the dive operation was a little bigger.

good luck

 

[melissabeads]

Thank you all for the great information!

We finally decided to go to Fiji! Just can't beat the discounts on air and packages..... The Philippines will just have to be our next trip!!