Going in March 2025, struggling to pick a resort?

[sarahjoy_l]

I would give serious thought to dividing your trip into three easy to get to stops by flying directly into Bohol and diving for a week.
Then taking the ferry to Siquijor for several days then ferrying to Dumaguete/dauin to finish up and fly back from Duma. You can skip Siquijor but it's a cool place to chill+ dive and it's right on the way. The ferry to Duma might stop there anyway.
All connected by ferry and all places have lots of topside beautiful beaches and other things to do
PG is also much more than just Sabang beach which admittedly has a seedy side but is much improved. PG is great and the seedy part is very easily avoided.
The neighboring Lalaguna beaches are nice
El Galeon/Asia Divers is fabulous and there's many many places not in Sabang that are great. And the Mindoro coast surrounding PG is absolutely stunning.

Oh wow! Didn't realise the ferry from Bohol to Siquijor is just under 2 hours! Same Siquijor - Dumaguete. That's not long. I'll do some more research on PG

 

[diveUAE]

We did the Malapascua/Bohol for our first visit to Philippines. Absolutely loved it.

Malapascua is so laid back and the place we stayed had great food (does not exist anymore). Diving with the threshers were amazing, but try to see if you can get a good private guide to avoid the “circus”. Gato Island was great and the local sites were filled with small stuff and beautiful corals (think we saw almost as much here as during our stay/dive in Dauin.) Alona was busy and touristy, but that to us had its own charm - good food was hard to find though.

Did Balicasag 2 days and som sites closer to Alona.

Next time I think we’ll do Anilao/PG.

 

[Centrals]

As for Malapascua, how exactly do we get there from Cebu airport?

You had asked the wrong question to someone who does not know much about anything!
Depend on your arriving time which is absolutely critical. Arrive early from Singapore, 3-4 hrs by car and then about 40mins by boat.
As usual, the private transfer is expensive.
Taxi to northern bus terminal, bus to Maya and then ferry to Malapascua.

 

[JonnieB]

Thank you I like this! Sounds like Anda is quieter than Alona? I like the fact that Bohol has lots of possible land trips to do as well. One thing we always miss out on our diving trips is a bit of that food / cultural / wildlife exploration. Wouldn't mind a couple of non-diving day trips. I do like beautiful white sand beaches and lush vegetation. Any recs for scuba diving resorts in Alona beach area? As for Malapascua, how exactly do we get there from Cebu airport?

You have to make your way to the northern tip of Cebu and catch a small banka ferry to Malapascua. The drive north takes about four hours. Depending on how and when you arrive in Cebu, if by air, I would overnight on Mactan Island, at a hotel near the airport, and then take a private car the next morning to "Maya New Roro Port," where you catch the ferry (30-minute trip). When I went, there was no ferry schedule, it just departed when full (I recall 8 or 10 passengers). It's not expensive, a few dollars a person, so if you don't want to wait around for people to fill it up, you can just pay for the "missing" people and the ferry will depart immediately. I don't know when the last ferry departs. If you stay at a higher end resort, maybe they arrange private boat transfers.

 

[Centrals]

LOL.
Early birds get the worms. PERIOD.

@sarahjoy_l joy
1. Check the flight detail from Singapore to Cebu. Several options there. Cebu City has not much to offer for tourists and there is no reason to spend a night there unless it is absolutely necessary. Just like Phuket, it is the airport or bus terminals NOT the city.
2. If you prefer private transfer then you need to contact the resort you are intended to stay first . And advanced payment is required.

 

[tbm13]

Taxi to northern bus terminal, bus to Maya and then ferry to Malapascua.

I recommend the white vans instead of the bus. The white vans make fewer stops.

• Taxi from Mactan airport to North bus terminal (next to SM City): ca 40 minutes, ca 300 peso
• Van to New Maya Port: ca 3.5-4 hours, around 300-400 peso
• Pay entrance fee and environmental fee for Malapascua: ca 150 and 20 peso
• Boat to Malapascua: ca 40 minutes, 200 peso

 

[Centrals]

Van: packed like sardine, 4 across with an additional jump seat. Need to pay for an additional seat with bulky bag.
The only advantage is slightly quicker.

 

[Webmaster]

Hi there! If you're pushing through with your Puerto Galera trip, I’d highly recommend checking out Casalay Boutique Villas and Dive Resort. It's got a perfect blend of peaceful seclusion and vibrant dive spots that go beyond muck diving. Their location lets you experience some amazing coral gardens and marine life, plus the villas are beautifully designed and have A/C for maximum comfort. Their dive service and guides are also pretty top notch! If you'd like, check them out here: Diving - Casalay Boutique Villas & Dive Resort

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Webmaster]

Hi there! If you're pushing through with your Puerto Galera trip, I’d highly recommend checking out Casalay Boutique Villas and Dive Resort. It's got a perfect blend of peaceful seclusion and vibrant dive spots that go beyond muck diving. Their location lets you experience some amazing coral gardens and marine life, plus the villas are beautifully designed and have A/C for maximum comfort. Their dive service and guides are also pretty top notch! If you'd like, check them out here: Diving - Casalay Boutique Villas & Dive Resort

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Centrals]

Hi there! If you're pushing through with your Puerto Galera trip, I’d highly recommend checking out Casalay Boutique Villas and Dive Resort. It's got a perfect blend of peaceful seclusion and vibrant dive spots that go beyond muck diving. Their location lets you experience some amazing coral gardens and marine life, plus the villas are beautifully designed and have A/C for maximum comfort. Their dive service and guides are also pretty top notch! If you'd like, check them out here: Diving - Casalay Boutique Villas & Dive Resort

Enjoy your trip!

You seem to favour this resort in all of your posts.
AC is nothing to write home about unlike 28 yrs ago.
How long they have been in business in PG?
I can think of many established resorts with well over 25yrs experiences.