Polaris Beach and Dive Resort

Polaris Beach and Dive Resort

Scacchiera per partire all'aria aperta
Traveler (135)
View from pool through to grass area
Pool & Beach (31)
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Room & Suite (13)

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About

#2 of 3 small hotels in Cabilao Island
4.4 of 5 bubbles
Location
4.2 of 5 bubbles
Rooms
4.4 of 5 bubbles
Value
4.7 of 5 bubbles
Cleanliness
4.8 of 5 bubbles
Service
4.5 of 5 bubbles
Sleep Quality
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HOTEL STYLE
Family
Mid-range
Property amenities
Free internet
Wifi
Pool
Bar / lounge
Beach
Airport transportation
Non-smoking hotel
Laundry service
Outdoor pool
Restaurant
Room features
Air conditioning
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms

Location

Pantudlan, 6327 Philippines
Traveler rating
  • 73
  • 40
  • 5
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  • 1
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Detailed Reviews
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Cathy RG wrote a review Mar 2024
Beausoleil, Monaco
+1
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We loved the relaxed atmosphere of the place, the smiling staff and the tasty dishes. The "Mars" room was perfect, intimate, large in size, with a good mattress. We had excellent cocktails during sunsets overlooking the sea. A wonderful time!
The massages are very good too.
We snorkeled every morning and afternoon. And even though the reef is slowly recovering from the passage of Typhoon Odette in December 2021, we are discovering turtles, moray eels, frogfish, etc. which brought joy to our go pro underwater.
The Polaris Beach and Dive Resort is an excellent address for anyone looking for relaxation in a haven of peace.
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Google
Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Prendre une banka au port de Sandingan et se rendre directement au pied de l'hôtel.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dougro wrote a review Mar 2020
5.0 of 5 bubbles
If one is considering going to Bohol to relax we can most definitely recommend Polaris resort. The staff have this friendly persona which radiates around the resort. We stayed in one of the tree houses which was spotlessly clean. The main activity there is undoubtedly diving (which we did not do), but there is also a great beach and some nice walks.
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Date of stay: March 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ScubaSue49 wrote a review May 2009
Captain Cook, HI
5.0 of 5 bubbles
We just returned from a one month dive trip to the Visayas. The only place that we went back to was Cabilao. The other locations (Dumaguete: El Dorado Dive Resort was great & Moalboal) were new for us. Staying at Polaris Dive Resort was once again just amazing. If you're looking for sharks, this is not the place. However, if you want incredibly beautiful wall dives with LOTS of nudis, ghost pipe fish, pygmy seahorses, and lots more, then you will love it there. The owners, divemasters (all of whom are local guys), and employees are all friendly and warm. Personally, I think that Polaris has the best location on the island. The diving is the best, the food is all homemade, and the rooms are very comfortable, though not fancy. For me, it's paradise!
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Date of stay: March 2009
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
3.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WCUSA wrote a review Feb 2014
Sydney
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Excellent resort in Cabilao. 1/2 of the reefs were damaged by the earthquake, but the wall near the resort was in great shape. Dive guides were excellent. Reckon this is the best choice of resort on the island. Easiest to travel to resort directly from Cebu through the hotel.
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Date of stay: November 2013
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
4.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
4.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bkker wrote a review Apr 2013
Zurich, Switzerland
5.0 of 5 bubbles
The best service we experienced during our 3-weeks-trip in the Philippines was at Polaris Resort. Staff is very friendly and helpful but never intrusively.

We stayed in a tree house room which was a variety from the “normal” standard rooms in other resorts. There is no AC in the room but as there was always some wind in the evenings, we did not miss it. The room was well equipped with a fan, fridge, a double and a single bed with mosquito net and a large bathroom. It also had a large veranda with comfortable seating.

The food in the Restaurant is excellent. The selection is big and the food always fresh and tasty. Try the Mango Float!

We did dives at several spots in the Philippines. Cabilao was our favorite. Short boat rides, good dive guides, beautiful coral gardens and a lot of marine animals.

Summarized, Cabilao and the Polaris Resort was a highlight of our Philippines trip and we would definitely come back.
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Date of stay: April 2013
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
4.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
5.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
5.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer Widom wrote a review Jan 2009
Stanford, CA
4.0 of 5 bubbles
We stayed at Polaris for a week in late December 2008. We're a family of four, all divers. We had a great time and recommend Polaris highly.

At the reasonable price of $1850 for the four of us we had a week-long package that included boat transfers from the closest point on Bohol, a spacious two-story air-conditioned "family room", daily breakfast, and 11 dives each. While Maria (the wife half of the owner couple) is wonderful in person, she was minimally communicative when we were booking by email. There were some surprises on the bill, including the price charged for the considerable number of extra dives we did, and surcharges for night dives and certain dive sites. The owners were gracious in modifying the bill due to the misunderstandings. If you book, we suggest you set out the costs very clearly before your stay.

The resort grounds are extensive considering the (relatively few) number of rooms. Everything has been developed with good taste and is maintained with care. The swimming pool is large, clean, and nicely landscaped. There's a pool table, badminton court, soccer area, massage gazebo, and so forth. Nicest of all is a large grassy area with hammocks and lounge chairs, adjacent to the open-air bar overlooking the ocean.

The restaurant menu is extensive -- although not every item was available every day, most were, and the food was consistently good. On Christmas eve an elaborate party was thrown for the guests and staff alike.

Our room was at the upper end of the cost spectrum and was not fancy, but it was clean and pleasant, and perfect for a family of four: a king-size bed downstairs and two single beds upstairs. We didn't see inside any of the smaller and more budget rooms, or the treehouses (which are more like rooms on stilts than actual treehouses).

Outside of the resort it's fun to walk around the interior of the island to see the villages and friendly people, and there's a nearby lake with good bird-watching. The resort offers a few tours to keep the non-divers busy.

The dive operation was run very efficiently and competently. Our family was assigned a dive guide just for us for the entire stay. Boat dives were available throughout the day, usually two of them in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at night. They had two comfortable speedboats and did a good job coordinating the diving needs of the various groups. They may use their bigger "bangka" (outrigger) boat for diving at times, but not while we were there. Dive sites are 2 to 10 minutes away. The dive staff will set up and manage all of your gear -- true pampering.

Don't expect to see pelagics or even large numbers of fish at Cabilao, but the macro and interesting critters are exceptional. There are dive sites surrounding the entire island, but we (and other divers) thought the "house reef" on the doorstep of the resort was one of the best! Much of the island has a vertical wall lush with hard and soft corals. Although our children are experienced divers we picked Cabilao in part because it promised relatively shallow and low-current diving, and it delivered.

Overall, Polaris offers a pleasant, spacious resort with thoughtful owners, attentive and friendly staff, good food, and excellent, convenient, easy diving. We've only been to one other dive resort in the Philippines (Peter's in Southern Leyte; see our separate review) so we can't compare extensively, but we are well-traveled divers and we certainly recommend Cabilao and Polaris.
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Date of stay: December 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tants_bsac wrote a review Jun 2016
Singapore
+1
4.0 of 5 bubbles
The resort is very well run, clean, and everything works! For the room, hot water, air-conditioning, and even a fan is provided. No TV, but more important,they provide good free wifi, Remember to get your 2-litre glass bottle of drinking water for the room at the restaurant, refillable at the bar. The resort restaurant serves great food, both German and Italian, I even had shashlik for a dinner. If doing night dive, order dinner first before diving, then things will be ready faster after finishing the dive.
Diving is great here, but the sanctuary taxes are ridiculous: 1st there is an entry tax of 100 PP to the island, this will be charged to your resort bill; then there is a daily diver tax of 200 PP, and daily underwater camera tax of 500 PP, collected by men paddling boats around the dive sites. Always remember to ask for a receipt, because there are several boats, and they don't communicate with each other, when moving to another dive site, another boat will try to collect the tax again.
The resort is good overall, the diving is great, but the tax, RIDICULOUS!
I wouldn't advice divers coming here if you are not ready to pay.
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Date of stay: June 2016
4.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
5.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sul_042 wrote a review Jun 2016
Manila, Philippines
4.0 of 5 bubbles
My family stayed 7 nights; with our two sons, 2 and 4 years old. The staff were all really helpful, friendly and just went out of their way to make our stay pleasant. My boys loved playing in the sand overlooking the water; and exploring the beach for crabs and other shell fish at low tide.

This is really a dive resort, more than a beach resort. The diving is really good, but probably best for more experienced divers rather than beginners. The dive shop is fine and the dive guides really good at spotting things; but my experience is that this is a fairly loosely run establishment, though that may be typical in the Philippines.

Snorkelling however is really easy and great - it's a short swim from the shore out to the reef for some really nice snorkeling. I snorkeled a few times with my 4 year old son - he loved it.

The beach isn't pristine and it isn't fine white sand. It is really nice at high tide; but at low tide; think of rocks, sea weed and corals being exposed. If you are considering to visit and the beach is important to you then you might want to avoid times when there are big low tides in the middle of the day.
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Date of stay: June 2016
4.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
4.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
catergrape wrote a review Dec 2010
Hong Kong, China
3.0 of 5 bubbles
I traveled here over the Christmas holiday of 2010 to dive. This isn't the easiest place to get to. Took a car, small boat another car - but I guess that is the price of being on a remote island.
My friend and I have done many dives across the region, most notably in Palau (which is pretty much certifiably the best). I will start with the pros - WiFi - its pretty amazing you can get free WiFi in the middle of no where. 2) we stayed in a tree house - literally in a tree, there was no air conditioning, which was fine (fan provided). the staff are friendly people and service is good. If you want to be totally removed, no TV and just internet and sun - this is the place. However, if you like good food...
Cons - The diving is certainly not the best or even good. It is definitely just average. If you choose not to dive and lying on the beach is no ideal as it is quite rocky, but I managed. 2) the food was not good, it was slightly below average considering the amount of international people that run through the doors. they do try to make themselves as good as possible, with a wood burning oven - but all the dishes tend to fall short of flavor. i will recommend the garlic shrimp - safest bet :)

Overall, I would say this place is above average for the price you pay. Recommend for those who want to be off the grid. Food could have been better - but then I found out what bad food was in Balicasag.

There are only 3 resorts on this remote island. And this is definitely the top choice.

I think the photos that are posted up are far nicer than in real life.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2010
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
3.0 of 5 bubblesRooms
4.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
4.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
4.0 of 5 bubblesService
4.0 of 5 bubblesSleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vlad wrote a review Nov 2015
Prague
4.0 of 5 bubbles
I decided to get to Polaris on my own from the Tagbilaran airport. First I took tricycle to local jeepney station (50 php 10 minutes), took jeepney all the way to Mocpoc (40 php, 2hrs) - it's a final stop right at the boat jetty so no worries about missing the stop. Then hop on the boat across the bay to Cabilao (80 php, 20 minutes). Boat men may try to talk you into "private boat" all the way to Polaris for 600php, but there's no reason for doing so, usually wait for enough locals to fill up regular boat is no more than 20 minutes. Finally once I arrived to Cabilao jetty, I took a motorcycle ride to the Polaris resort (60 php, 10 minutes) - it's on the back of a motorcycle on very little dusty path, so probably not good if you have suitcase (I had backpack).

Enough was written about polaris itself - it's very well maintained and run with very friendly staff. Diving is mostly on walls, full of little critters (even lembeh sea-dragon), and magnificent reefs. 1st dive is typically at 9am, second at 2pm - all fairly short boat ride. Guides had no problem with dives up to 100 minutes long :)

There are fairly frequent power outages, but resort's generator kicks in quickly. Wifi is ok, but in the reception area only. I was staying in one of the "tree houses" and found it excellent choice - very spacious and I wasn't missing AC at all. Lots of mosquitoes though, not a problem at night as beds have nets.
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Date of stay: October 2015
4.0 of 5 bubblesLocation
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
4.0 of 5 bubblesService
Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip: Treehouse is very good choice
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Answer from Tatiana_Woznes
Bad Homburg, Germany34 contributions18 helpful votes
I mailed Maria at an email at the web page. got an answer within couple hours.
stobby2014 asked a question Dec 2018
Sint-Gillis-Waas, Belgium90 contributions68 helpful votes
Hallo, Welke stoomvoorziening is er : 220 V en 50 hrtz ? En is er een multi-reisstekker nodig ? Dank voor uw antwoord,Pascal
stobby2014 asked a question Dec 2018
Sint-Gillis-Waas, Belgium90 contributions68 helpful votes
Hallo, Welke stoomvoorziening is er : 220 V en 50 hrtz ? En is er een multi-reisstekker nodig ? Dank voor uw antwoord,Pascal
MaddyNie wrote a tip May 2018
Madison, Wisconsin77 contributions46 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
"family rooms are big - 2 floors, lots of space."
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arleanmd wrote a tip Feb 2018
New Lenox, Illinois51 contributions18 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
"tree house"
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bob1cat wrote a tip Apr 2017
Chicago, Illinois80 contributions52 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
"The more expensive rooms are very big with lots of room"
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Stuart C wrote a tip Dec 2016
Carson City, Nevada20 contributions4 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
"We liked the tree house because it sat back a bit. That being said, the whole resort is so peaceful I don't think you can go wrong."
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YM2540 wrote a tip Apr 2016
Antwerp, Belgium255 contributions132 helpful votes
5.0 of 5 bubbles
"Mars room is quiet and OK"
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Not the right property for you?
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PRICE RANGE
₱2,153 - ₱2,385 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
polaris beach and dive hotel cabilao island
LOCATION
PhilippinesVisayasBohol ProvinceCabilao Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
22
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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POLARIS BEACH AND DIVE RESORT - Hotel Reviews & Price Comparison (Cabilao Island, Philippines) - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Polaris Beach and Dive Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Polaris Beach and Dive Resort?
Nearby attractions include Vita Isola Leisure Farm (6.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Polaris Beach and Dive Resort?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a pool, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
What food & drink options are available at Polaris Beach and Dive Resort?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant and a lounge during their stay.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Polaris Beach and Dive Resort?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Polaris Beach and Dive Resort have airport transportation?
Yes, Polaris Beach and Dive Resort offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Does Polaris Beach and Dive Resort have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the ocean view available here.
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