Apo Island, located in the Philippines, is rated one of the top 10 dive sites in the world. Surrounded by hundreds of species of fish and marine life, the island is a jewel of the underworld. Spectacular diving is usually accessible at deep sea level, but a beautiful reef is found right beyond the shores of Apo Island Beach Resort. Apo Island Beach Resort is nested in a private cove within unique rock formations on a beautiful white beach.
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HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Quaint
Languages Spoken
Filipino
Location
Dauin, Negros Oriental Philippines
Apo Island Beach Resort
110 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
I backpacked from dumaguete city to apo island. Here are my tips:
1. If you are travelling tourists, and on a tight budget, I suggest riding the jeepney at robinsons mall bound for malatapaya market. Its cheaper. Only Php20.00 for a one way ride to malatapaya. Compared to the Php700.00 payment to the habalhabal driver for a roundtrip fare to and fro malatapaya market. 2. Make sure you are 4 in a group or at least go there early if you are aiming to be chance passenger for the boat so its easier on the pocket. One roundtrip boatride for apo island (4passenger) is Php2,000, while 6 passenger is Php3,000.00. 3. Prepare to get wet whilst riding the boat to and fro the island. The normal waters between the island of dumaguete and apo is wavy. And its windy. Gather your things and prepare them to be waterproof. 4. Prepare the following: underwatet camera and snorkling gear and water booties. If you don't have one, you can rent for a price. The booties and snorkels as well as life vests costs Php100.00 each. The underwater camera (go pro) is a Php1,500 for the memory card and the camera man. 5. Snorkling guide is Php300.00 6. Bring water. Drinking water is hard for the island. Even the well water is salty there and not recommended for drinking. 7. If you are planning to stay overnight, bring a flashlight. Electricity over there is only from 6 pm to 9 pm. 8. Enjoy swimming with the pawikans.
I met my island guide, kuya robin, on a friend's blog. He was very nice and hospitable. He arranged for my boatrip so someone was already waiting for me at the port with 3 other passengers. I was able to save Php1,500 for the ride. I ate lunch at his wife's eatery for 200.00 only each person (rice, vegetables and adobong manok) - well we are four people (i met 3 chinese tourists on the boat ride there). Cottage rental is Php300.00 (kuya robin guarded our bags) I don't really advertise anyone but if you happen to go to apo island, you can contact him. He really extended a hand for me. I gave him a tip (php300.00) because my trip there was so worth it!! Just send me a private message for his number. In case any one is interested.
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Date of stay: December 2015Trip type: Traveled solo
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.
Stayed overnight here with wife and 3 kids on Oct 30, 2011.
Some important bullet points:
- Apo Island beach Resort is a diver's paradise. If you're a diver then the accommodations here are as Shangri-La as you can expect! - People who have negative comments about Apo expected its facilities to be similar to Boracay, Cebu, Palawan or Bohol 4- or 5-star resorts since Apo's reputation has been hyped up by guests who have experienced its rich beauty. - Going to Apo is going for an experience that has NOTHING to do with its facilities and EVERYTHING to do about its rich marine life (begging to be discovered), cool lazy afternoon winds (but not in the evenings), small-town backdrop and sincere local service. To be realistic, this includes the no-electricity experience that can be expected from a far-flung, simple, and still-unspoiled island. - My kids spent 2 whole days at the beach and chalked up a snorkeling experience they've never seen before - at a much much relatively less cost than if we were to do this in comparable markets! - Food was definitely good - our meals were no more than USD 8.00 per plate, including drinks. Something good to note for a place that's not that easy to reach. - The rooms were quite comfortable. The description about the lack of airconditioning and tackiness are accurate - but for the beach and marine experience, the negative comments are worth ignoring! If you're smart you can just bring the mattress, pillows and blankets out of the room and onto the beach beds and sleep there under the stars while being lulled by the sound of the waves! Now that experience is priceless! - Staff service was excellent! I have nothing to complain about. Everybody is always well-meaning and can do nothing wrong. - All in all I will go back to this place is only to forget about a modern world that's passing us by, and to bring back perspective to a worn and beaten daily life.
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Date of stay: October 2011
Value
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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.
If you need to stay in a place away from people and the craziness of modern world, then stay on this island. First, let me tell you the things that they do not have: no 24 hour electricity. Power is available only from 6pm-9am. So no TV, no cable, no radio. Just pure sound of the waves crashing onto the rocky surface of the island. No water from the faucet. Clean water for bathing is supplied by a near by sister resort and Drinking water comes in bottles. Water for flushing the toilet is the sea water. No air-conditioned huts. Fresh air is courtesy of the cool air from the sea breeze. Menu is also limited and it takes awhile for the cook to prepare it. No wifi and the only Smart network has coverage in the area. So if you need to hide from the hustle and busy city life, then by all means stay in Apo Island. Frankly, I never thought I would love the place. It was a great way to commune with Nature.
The island is actually a cove. The sand is not as fine as the other beaches that I have been to, it is actually rough, made of dead corals. Give it a thousand years then you can have the powdered milk consistency. I suggest every family with school age kids to stay here even just for a day. You will actually enjoy the stillness of time as you watch fishing boats pass by and witness the sun rise and set,
Well, you must be wondering why I went there in the first place. It's because of the dive site the country is famous for. Another thing, if you are into swimming or snorkeling with Turtles, Apo island is the place to be. Around 7-8 am, go to the other side of the island and you can see numerous turtles feeding near the shoreline. You can also see sea cucumber, starfishes and you can even find Nemo in his anemone.
The place is just sooooo relaxing. Despite the shortage of the necessities that we are so used to, Apo Island will give you something more than your money can buy. it can allow you to be at peace as you enjoy the serene island.
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Date of stay: January 2012
Value
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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.
Food: Very expensive and taste is poor. Rooms: No running water. Cockroach in the rooms. You have to ask for refill of bathroom water. We expect they should ask if we need more. Outrageous room rates. Beach: No sand, all pebbles. Advise: don't forget your beach shoes. Snorkeling is disappointing. Lots of plastic and trash underwater.
Overall...first and last.
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Date of stay: May 2014
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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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.
You shouldn't go here unless you enjoy paying a LOT to practically go camping. We were supposed to stay here for four nights, but left after two.
The upsides: * Incredibly nice and helpful staff! We had no problems whatsoever with the staff, on the contrary we found the boatmen, waitresses/reception and dive shop people very friendly, keen to do a good job and helpful. Top marks for them! * The beach is nice - for the area - but rocky and the water was quite rough when we were there so taking a dip wasn't easy. * The island has a fairly big population of turtles, due to restricted fishing and no dynamite fishing, so there's a good chance of seeing one diving or snorkelling. We even spotted one from our balcony.
The downsides: * It is OBSCENELY overpriced! You'll have no problem finding rooms on the mainland (around 30 minutes from Apo island by boat) in the same price range but with electricity all day, air conditioning, tv, wifi etc. We were thinking that it could be ok if it was run by locals, but alas the owner is a foreigner. * It might look isolated and private at first, but groups of people will visit during the day so don't expect to be alone on the beach. At night we heard music from the mainland, so there's really no illusion of being isolated. * There is no running water. Hence, the bathroom stinks so badly that the whole room reeks. By the second night I even woke up from the stink. You'll get a bucket of salt water and a ladle to "flush" the toilet. Though trying our best not to spill, we got salt water pretty much all over the tiny bathroom floor and visiting the bathroom was like Bambi on (filthy) ice ... For washing hands and "showering" there is a bucket of fresh water. You only get one ladle to wash up and to flush the toilet, but we asked for another in an attempt to keep things at least a little more sanitary. The buckets are refilled by two small canisters every day - if you need more water you'll have to pay extra. * Since there is no electricity apart from the few hours between 6 pm and midnight, it's going to get super hot and sticky during the night (I simply can't sleep like this, so I was happy that there happened to be a typhoon when we were there). And good luck going to the slippery bathroom in the dark.
Apart from that, the food is quite typical for the Philippines. And we had to ask for a mosquito net twice before getting one. Since there is no electricity during the night, you'll want all windows open in case there is a breeze, so obviously there should be a mosquito net from the start.
I wanted to leave the same day we got there, but the storm made that quite impossible and my boyfriend wanted to dive (which he later realised he could've done just as easily from the mainland), so we stayed for two nights. I have never longed so badly for a clean bathroom and a shower.
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Date of stay: May 2011
Value
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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.
If you are looking for a 5 star resort with all its amenities don't come here. It's one of the very reasons we keep going back.
If however you want somewhere secluded and friendly next to the sea with its own beach sheltered between limestone cliffs then this is it. Very friendly staff and a pleasant beach bar makes for a great backdrop to unwind in. Most of the accommodation is right on the beach, would suggest opting for 'stone' houses rather than more rustic huts. Power runs after 6pm for about 4 or 5 hours, gentle sea breezes generally keep the rooms cool and flying insects away at night. Fresh water bucket for the shower fine and pretty much there to rinse away the salt water you've accumulated from being in the sea all day. Great snorkeling opportunities right in front of the resort and a coral garden that hugs the coastline round to the right for a good few hundred meters, as well as the marine park coral garden only a 10 minute walk away. Onsite diving shop very freindly and flexible. Some great drift dives around Apo only 10 minutes boat ride away. The beach although 'white' is formed of coral gravel rather than fine sand, may not be so soft under foot but if the sea gets a little choppy the visibility is still pretty good - at least 10-20m normal inshore. Everyone on this island seems genuinely friendly, operate at their own pace and they welcome you back with affection when you return.
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Date of stay: April 2011
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Ask for the stone huts or building, all of these are right on the beach.
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.
We did stay for a day tour of the island. Took our lunch and had our snorkeling.
We enjoyed staying fronting the beach resort first for a short swim and sometime for picture taking. Nice place for a change. Then waited for our pump boat to transport us back to the mainland Negros particularly in Zamboaguita.
Very nice place for diving and snorkeling. Great view too.
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Date of stay: June 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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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.
Place where the hotel is: just great, waking up on the beach is just great! Rooms: all you need. No running water. But that you know in advance People: veeery friedly and helpful! Kitchen: thats a little bit sad, but its nothing special. Lets say average. Prices are okay. Room: now, thats the point! We were in roo. Surf cottage 1. We moved out of the hotel because we had cockroaches at night all over the room! Size up to 7cm. Horrible! They were in the bed and in my girlfriends hair while sleeping! We entered another room at 2 a.m. inside the main building. There was everything clean.
So all in all a great stay, BUT only if you dont stay in the cheapest rooms called surf cottage! Or you like the cockroaches...
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Date of stay: March 2014Trip 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.
Well, if you are looking for plush carpets, slick service, staff tending to your every need and a wide range of food, drink and entertainment … don’t go to Apo Island Beach Resort.
If, on the other hand, you want to stay in a delightfully simple, well-run and friendly little resort set in its own cove in one of the most magical places on earth … then don’t miss it.
Apo Island is tiny: 1.5 by 1.0 kilometers, with a tiny village on it and amazing diving opportunities off its shore.
Apo Island Beach Resort sits in its own small cove connected to the village and to other modest tourist accommodation by a deep gorge through a rocky outcrop.
Accommodation is in purpose built, simple nipa huts (made from rushes and bamboo). I stayed in the most magical nipa hut only a few metres from the sea. I went to sleep to the sound of waves lapping on the shore.
Very simple, but everything you need. A bed. A toilet. OK, no real toilet flush … a bin full of sea water and a tabo (plastic container) for a do-it-yourself flushing action. Oh and no real shower either. Just a separate bin full of fresh water and another tabo. By the way, all the fresh water is brought over by boat, so don’t go wasting the fresh water down the toilet!
Food is provided … and it’s good. You ask the staff what they can cook for you and hoose in advance. When it’s ready they will set up a table for you on the beach in the dark, lit by candles and lanterns.
There is a simple bar on the beach too, with everything you could want.
By the way, the electricity goes off after midnight … so plan for that. Bring a torch. You’ll need that anyway to get from beach to beach after sunset (at around 6pm).
Getting to the resort can be an adventure in itself, by the way. It is a 30-40 minute trip on an outrigger, which you catch on the opposite beach, about 30 minutes south of Dumaguete. When the sea is rough it is safe, but possibly not for the faint hearted! You WILL get wet.
I’m glad it’s all a bit difficult, really. It stops a lot of people from getting there. Just enough visitors to keep the island economy going (the island depends on it), but not so many as would ruin the place.
It’s a magical place and Apo Island Beach Resort is the ideal place to experience it.
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Date of stay: June 2012
Value
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Location
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Service
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Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:Â Ask if you can have the nipa hut nearest to the sea :-)
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.
I almost booked 8 nights at El Dorado Beach Resort in Dauin but decided to split our stay with 4 nights on Apo Island. I wish I hadn't!
The beach and view is really, truly beautiful! BUT the resort is overpriced and badly maintained! We had originally booked the "Family Room" - a mosquito filled, dark, dingy room up some dangerous steps above the dive shop. Due to cancelations we were transferred to Golen Cowrie - bottom floor. Beautiful view but the bathroom - OMG. There was brown water dripping through from what appeared to be the sewage system!
I wanted to enjoy the rustic nature of this place - washing from a bucket, no power - but the heat and noise made it quite uncomfortable at night. The first night I felt I just wanted to leave! And one morning at 4am a staff member walked past singing loudly with his phone playing music! I mean come on!!
The staff were pleasant enough but the place is poorly run by management not on the island who quite obviously don't care enough to maintain the property. It's a real shame actually because this place could be wonderful! Instead it is overpriced and we really couldn't wait to leave.
The diving was good with a genuine guide willing to meet out requirements - but sadly equipment is in poor condition.
With an overhaul this place could be good - but for now - it needs attention!
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Date of stay: April 2011
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Stay on the mainland!
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Apo Island area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
apo island beach hotel apo island
LOCATION
PhilippinesVisayasNegros IslandNegros OrientalDauinApo Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
16
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