All You Need to Know About the Pool
at Portulano Dive Resort
Full view
Pool & Beach (17)
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Guests1 room, 2 adults, 0 children
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Pool review highlights
... experience is that while we were just lounging inside the pool, a staff brought out a newly cooked banana cue snacks for us...
... it might be great as they offer it in fair prize. they have pool to enjoy because seaside is too itchy for me. but the rest...
... perfect for afternoon naps. On the ground floor is a pool where you can hang out and where the dive masters conduct...
Featured pool amenities
Saltwater Pool
Outdoor pool
Reviews that mention pool
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We were looking for a resort near Manila where we can relax and do some snorkeling (we are non-divers). So based on what others had reviewed, we chose this place which fits our requirement best.
It's only 2 1/2 to 3 hours drive from Manila. The booking was easy and the direction to the resort was very clear. It's located in a coastal area which is attached to the mainland Batangas but reachable only by boat as there's no road going there. We had to park the car in a private lot own by a filipino lady who stays there (Manang Lerda) and charge P100 for an overnight parking. The She can also provide accommodation to the driver at P250 per night and P50 per meal (the driver eats whatever they cook for her family). The resort personnel will come and pick you up at the parking for a 5 minutes boat ride to the resort.
It's a no fuss/frills resort and the rooms are very basic... ie no fluffy blankets, goose feather pillows, disposable toothbrush, electric kettle or TV. Food are also simple with 3 or 4 choices. It's basically for people who loves outdoors and spends the whole day doing outdoors activities, coming back only to sleep and eat. However there are air-conditioned rooms. So if you are an indoor person who only wants to stay inside and enjoy the room, then this is not the place. That being said, I find the rates they charge are very affordable and reasonable, even for extra services like massage, boat hire and etc (and they help the local communities there by hiring them). They also allow you to bring your own drinks and snacks without corkage fee.
The owners and staffs are very warm and friendly. One memorable experience is that while we were just lounging inside the pool, a staff brought out a newly cooked banana cue snacks for us to eat by the pool side! How thoughtful!
The location is just fantastic. The water is clear and the house reef is just in front of the resort and you can just jump right in. Or else one can hire a boat ride to the nearby marine sanctuary (highly recommended) for diving or snorkeling as the area are preserved (ie fishing prohibited) for more than 10 years and are teeming with many colorful fishes! It's like swimming in a huge aquarium. Kids will definitely love it! Oh, remember to bring bag full of bread for fish feeding.
There's an infinity salt water pool (which is being changed every morning) where the owner sometimes conducts diving lessons. This is definitely a GREAT place for people who wants to dive, snorkel to see fishes and corals. Thus it's not the place for people who wants sands and long stretch of beaches as the shores are rocky. But then, sands/beach = no fish, as the corals reef are houses for the fishes.
Overall, it was a memorable stay and experience.
It's only 2 1/2 to 3 hours drive from Manila. The booking was easy and the direction to the resort was very clear. It's located in a coastal area which is attached to the mainland Batangas but reachable only by boat as there's no road going there. We had to park the car in a private lot own by a filipino lady who stays there (Manang Lerda) and charge P100 for an overnight parking. The She can also provide accommodation to the driver at P250 per night and P50 per meal (the driver eats whatever they cook for her family). The resort personnel will come and pick you up at the parking for a 5 minutes boat ride to the resort.
It's a no fuss/frills resort and the rooms are very basic... ie no fluffy blankets, goose feather pillows, disposable toothbrush, electric kettle or TV. Food are also simple with 3 or 4 choices. It's basically for people who loves outdoors and spends the whole day doing outdoors activities, coming back only to sleep and eat. However there are air-conditioned rooms. So if you are an indoor person who only wants to stay inside and enjoy the room, then this is not the place. That being said, I find the rates they charge are very affordable and reasonable, even for extra services like massage, boat hire and etc (and they help the local communities there by hiring them). They also allow you to bring your own drinks and snacks without corkage fee.
The owners and staffs are very warm and friendly. One memorable experience is that while we were just lounging inside the pool, a staff brought out a newly cooked banana cue snacks for us to eat by the pool side! How thoughtful!
The location is just fantastic. The water is clear and the house reef is just in front of the resort and you can just jump right in. Or else one can hire a boat ride to the nearby marine sanctuary (highly recommended) for diving or snorkeling as the area are preserved (ie fishing prohibited) for more than 10 years and are teeming with many colorful fishes! It's like swimming in a huge aquarium. Kids will definitely love it! Oh, remember to bring bag full of bread for fish feeding.
There's an infinity salt water pool (which is being changed every morning) where the owner sometimes conducts diving lessons. This is definitely a GREAT place for people who wants to dive, snorkel to see fishes and corals. Thus it's not the place for people who wants sands and long stretch of beaches as the shores are rocky. But then, sands/beach = no fish, as the corals reef are houses for the fishes.
Overall, it was a memorable stay and experience.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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i had fun in portulano resort, the place is quiet that i can relax for two days, they have great food and service, for diving, it might be great as they offer it in fair prize. they have pool to enjoy because seaside is too itchy for me. but the rest of the trip was good ..
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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During the labor day weekend, some friends and I went to Portulano Dive Resort to get our diving certifications. Portulano is a small resort located in Anilao, Batangas. It is approximately 2 hours away from Manila. The drive is easy and you will not really encounter traffic unless there is a fiesta in one of the towns you pass through. Portulano itself is not accessible by car. What guests do is either get dropped off or park their cars at the Portulano enclosed parking area. From Portulano's parking, Portulano has a boat that ferries its guests to and from the resort.
The first thing I noticed and loved about the resort was that it did not stick out. The resort looks like it's part of the landscape. There aren't too many rooms, so it's best to reserve in advance (usually, this resort is fully booked). They have rooms with air conditioning and rooms without. I chose to reserve a room without air conditioning. At first I was worried because it might be hot, but surprisingly there was a great breeze. Also, since the resort is small and multi-level all the rooms have a great view!
Aside from the rooms, there is a dining area and a veranda area. You'll find this on the 2nd floor. It's nice to relax a the veranda and just chat with friends. Portulano also has a game room, which you can find on the 3rd floor. In the game room there is a ping pong table, a billiards table and a dart board. There are also board games. Also on the 3rd floor is an area with hammocks, perfect for afternoon naps. On the ground floor is a pool where you can hang out and where the dive masters conduct their contained water dives. Warning though, the pool is filled with salt water!
Aside from the amenities, the staff is friendly. They are all accommodating and always have smiles on their faces. Service is prompt, food is good. Portulano doesn't feel like a commercial establishment, it feels like home. You will see the owners Carmela and Arnel walking around, talking to friends, guests and getting ready to dive. You'll also see their son hanging around the resort.
As to the diving part, their dive masters are great! The equipment was well maintained and renting equipment from them was easy as pie. Dive sites were great, very mild currents and perfect for beginners.
Can't wait to go back!
The first thing I noticed and loved about the resort was that it did not stick out. The resort looks like it's part of the landscape. There aren't too many rooms, so it's best to reserve in advance (usually, this resort is fully booked). They have rooms with air conditioning and rooms without. I chose to reserve a room without air conditioning. At first I was worried because it might be hot, but surprisingly there was a great breeze. Also, since the resort is small and multi-level all the rooms have a great view!
Aside from the rooms, there is a dining area and a veranda area. You'll find this on the 2nd floor. It's nice to relax a the veranda and just chat with friends. Portulano also has a game room, which you can find on the 3rd floor. In the game room there is a ping pong table, a billiards table and a dart board. There are also board games. Also on the 3rd floor is an area with hammocks, perfect for afternoon naps. On the ground floor is a pool where you can hang out and where the dive masters conduct their contained water dives. Warning though, the pool is filled with salt water!
Aside from the amenities, the staff is friendly. They are all accommodating and always have smiles on their faces. Service is prompt, food is good. Portulano doesn't feel like a commercial establishment, it feels like home. You will see the owners Carmela and Arnel walking around, talking to friends, guests and getting ready to dive. You'll also see their son hanging around the resort.
As to the diving part, their dive masters are great! The equipment was well maintained and renting equipment from them was easy as pie. Dive sites were great, very mild currents and perfect for beginners.
Can't wait to go back!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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We decided to take our kids back to the Philippines where we lived 10 years ago, and take them to our favorite dive spot on Luzon. You never know what happens with a resort over such a long period but the owners are a couple of fantastic people with a passion for scuba diving. Our experience was even better than a decade ago! The area is fantastic, away from the overpopulated Anilao-proper dive sites, only accessible by boat. The accomodation is beautifully constructed with all rooms directly looking out over the ocean, each night a more stunning sunset than the previous one. They have all the equipment needed including a Nitrox filling facility, and the boatrs take you anywhere in a vast area of top notch dive sites. However you can just as well jump in from the pier as the reef in fromt of the house is beautiful (great for night doves) and has plenty of life including turtles. They also have their own pool which is excellent for dive training, and the reef in fromt has some sandy spots that are great for beginners boyancy and skills training. They really build confidence for beginning divers, the training is excellent.The owners are super friendly, think safety first in a demonstration of responsability that unfortunately is not always guaranteed elsewhere in the Philippines. Our kids went snorkeling and loved it. It's a great place to unwind in a simple but very comfortable and friendly environment, with great scuba diving on top. Highly recommended.
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Just spent a weekend at Portulano to grab a few dives after being in Manila on business. Used the resort to arrange a driver and took about 2 hours to get there from Makati followed by a short 10 min boat ride (the resort is completely cut off from any roads which means no traffic noise and a very peaceful environment).
Arrived in time for dinner and like all the other meals which are included in the room rate there is plenty to eat and a surprising variety for such a small place. Rooms are simple but clean and I regarded the absence of a TV or any phones as a plus rather than a disadvantage. There is a lounge area and a games room at the top with table tennis and a pool table. Dive shop is well run and Choi is an excellent dive guide with sharp eyes, probably the best diving I have done around Anilao.
Only one small gripe which is that wifi is patchy and very slow but that is not the resort's fault and it just means you can spend time reading a book or talking to other guests instead.
Would go back
Arrived in time for dinner and like all the other meals which are included in the room rate there is plenty to eat and a surprising variety for such a small place. Rooms are simple but clean and I regarded the absence of a TV or any phones as a plus rather than a disadvantage. There is a lounge area and a games room at the top with table tennis and a pool table. Dive shop is well run and Choi is an excellent dive guide with sharp eyes, probably the best diving I have done around Anilao.
Only one small gripe which is that wifi is patchy and very slow but that is not the resort's fault and it just means you can spend time reading a book or talking to other guests instead.
Would go back
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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