Looking for a diving resort near Manila

[rjjj111]

i apologize, do not know my geography of the area. I plan to go down and stay a few days, so leaving out early AM is not an issue.

i have an email in to the Atlantis hotel, so i will hear back from them later tonight, i guess.

ever heard of action divers operation, and the Banana Moon Beach Resort located at Small Lalaguna?

got any opinion about them?

 

[chip104]

stay in out of the blue villas instead. they are right next to Action divers and seariders. If banana moon beach is the resort I'm thinking of (below out of the blue) then you probably wouldn't want to stay there if you're looking for nice.


@ codman: thanks for taking the helm in answering the thread! ps join the social group I sent to you!!!

 

[CODMAN]

rj, I've never stayed at out of the blue villas. But it is PPD approved and that means a lot! The atlantis resort is a sure thing. Probably on of, if not THE, nicest resort there. And the dive operation is also very good. You can find cheaper, but you seemed to require some luxury and scenery from the room and that's why I recommended Atlantis!

If you want cheaper operations, let us know and we can make some suggestions...

 

[rjjj111]

what does PPD approved mean?

i do have an email into Atlantis so i will wait on their reply to help me make a decision....thanks.

 

[olyvtx]

My first time to PG was with Action Divers and i stayed at the Out of the Blue(?) hotel....for one night! Sorry, not my cup of tea. Inexpensive, and probably a good deal for the money. But, I felt the room I had was too small and the bed was just a 3" foam pad. I checked out and went next door to the Red Sun(?), the big white Korean ran hotel at the very end of the beach. Got a much larger room but paid about $50 USD/night. They took credit card too, but all places there add a surcharge for you to use. So, bring lots of cash if you dont want to pay the small, additional fee. PG also has much more entertainment then Anilao for post diving experiences.

Action Divers are a good group of guys. And PG has some great sites. But, I prefer Anilao to PG only because I didn't like diving with larger groups of divers. In PG the divemaster basically explained the dive (we're going from point A to point B) then proceeded to lead that route. I was on my own to find critters to photograph. Needless to say, myself and the other photographer were always lagging behind. In Anilao I've always had the divemaster to myself to show me around and spot critters to photograph. A much more enjoyable experience for me anyways.

Either place, you can't go wrong! Enjoy and have a great trip!

 

[rjjj111]

olyvtx

this sounds like what i want. more of a guided tour more so and someone to help point out interesting things to see. but i also like the idea of '(PG also has much more entertainment then Anilao )' do you know of an out fit in PG that has a more 1 on 1 divemaster tour?

what company can you recommend in Anilao, if i decide to go there instead?

let me know........thanks.

 

[Cabbie]

El Galleon and Asia Divers.

wrecks in Sabang bay are great - loads of interesting stuff and you get to play with the batfish

the trip from Manila is much closer to 3 hours than 2...

 

[Cabbie]

oh and I got a couple of dives where it was just me and the guide which was cool.

 

[jigo]

if you want anilao and looking for a nice place with great personal service, you should try solana bezo. Solana

I also liked my room in out of the BLue Villas in PG. i've tried the one bedroom villa and the studio. the studio is a bit small but much cheaper than the villas and it was more than what i needed since i was diving all day and just needed a nice place to crash at night. i've never tried red sun but if you want to dive with action divers, Red sun is a bit far. i prefer diving with seariders where the guides are usually more attentive to what divers want to see and photograph instead of just charting a path underwater.

The main difference between anilao and PG is that anilao is known more for nudibranchs and other macro critters while PG has more variety. anilao is also much more quiet than PG. Not much option to go around in anilao but to stay in your resort while you can sample a lot of restaurants and bars in PG.

 

[olyvtx]

rjjj,

Action Divers, and perhaps others in PG, dove at set times, 9:00am, back to shore for surface interval, 12:00, back to shore, then 3:00p (sometimes), regardless of the tides and current conditions. The boat always had at least 6 divers plus the divemaster. Also, I asked and asked but never was able to set up a night dive. I would imagine you could possibly make arrangements with them or ask around and get more of a 1 with 1 dive experience. You'll pay more for that, if you could even arrange that.

The good thing about PG is the surface interval. Plenty of things to do, bars, restaurants, beach, internet cafe, shopping,etc. If you're travelling with some buddies, this is the place to go. If you're with your sweetie I would recommend Anilao.

Anilao has more of the "all inclusive" style resorts being as most are located on a semi-remote coastal road. All supply food and drinks. The atmosphere was more relaxed and laid back in my experience (I did have sweetie ko with me ).I've only stayed at Arthur's Place and Eagle Point but I've read about many other great resorts as well. But, the diving was totally all about me and around my schedule. Whatever, where ever and as many as I wanted was my diving experience. There are just as many great dive sites in Anilao as there are in PG in my opinion.

There are a ton of threads here about the Anilao/PG area and recommendations.