A boutique resort in the more quiet side of what is popularly known as Anilao, Batangas. Portulano Dive Resort provides snorkeling and scuba diving services to Anilao/Mabini, Bauan, Tingloy popular dive sites. Wake up to the gentle sound of the waves with rooms directly fronting the sea with a bedside view of the ocean. It's a great place for both divers, non-divers having lots of private space to lounge and relax. Design and architecture is inspired by mediterranean colors accented by local materials and artistry.
My husband and I stayed at Portulano Dive Resort for two nights in November. There was ample parking provided and we were picked up by their small boat. The boat trip is only 5 to 10 minutes up the coast line. The moment we arrived we felt welcomed and at home, the check in procedure was seamless. The room we stayed in was clean and a generous size, with a very comfortable bed and a beautiful sea view. We chose a room with no air conditioning and were pleased to have the doors wide open all night, enjoying the fresh sea air. Mosquito netting was provided, which we used, but we didn’t notice any mosquitoes at all. There are also rooms available with air conditioning. The rates include 3 meals a day. The food is delicious and there is enough of a selection to please everyone. On the first night there was a seafood barbecue which was a delicious surprise! Breakfast is cooked for you, while you wait. The kitchen staff were friendly and helpful, they let me know what the gluten free options were and took care with my food! Much appreciated!! The resort has many cozy nooks to curl up with a book or have a nap. There is also a pool table, dart board and children’s toys in the open air, recreation area. The salt water pool is a decent size on the waters edge. The dive staff are extremely professional and the equipment was good quality. You can dive and snorkel right in front of the resort, if you choose to. We were pleased to meet the friendly owners/operators of the resort and must compliment them on how well run and clean the resort is. We have just booked a second stay and are excited to go back!
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Date of stay: November 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.
Response from Carmela Sevilla, Owner at Portulano Dive Resort
Responded May 31, 2022
Thank you for your kind words, we are glad you enjoyed your stay.
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This place is lovely. The owner has beautiful taste and decorates it very well. This is not 5-star hotel, but you will find it cozy, comfortable, cute. The whole atmosphere is warm. Every person is welcoming and friendly. I feel very safe there and keep coming back. The rooms are different sizes and you pay per person, not for the room. Please choose wisely and count the exact number of people including kids who will travel. They need to know to accommodate you all. It's a diving resort, you can take a trial lesson and learn how to dive or you can take a whole 3 days course. They also have a kayak and paddle board. It's a best kept secret, so go and don't tell anyone else.
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Date of stay: February 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â Bigger room with aircon directly facing the ocean on 2 or 3rd deck.
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.
Response from Carmela Sevilla, Owner at Portulano Dive Resort
Responded May 31, 2022
It was great to meet you Anastasia, we are happy to be your hideout while you were here. Please please touch base and visit us again soon when you are in town!
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Been coming here since 2017 (then pandemic happened). Always always a lovely stay! Simple, no frills quick getaway. Short straight drive from Manila, parking is readily available and safe. Short 5 min boat ride and you're already transported to this secluded place. All rooms with an ocean view. Great for solo, couple, friends. Food is great (serving, portion size, variety, and taste). You should also try the short orders for snacks! Sunset view always amazing. Try their mocktails/cocktails while sunset viewing too.
Cell signal for smart/globe working. Suggest to bring your own portable wifi if you plan to work remotely like I usually do. No prob doing zoom calls, online consults (use pldt home wifi latest ver or globe)
Got my Padi Open water license here (very thorough and proper). House reef is good, great even for non divers if you just want to snorkel. Theres a saltwater pool (usually for dive training but can also be used for just swimming). All equipment readily available for rent and use.
2 loveable labradors (Tank and Snork, between the two, itll be just Snork who will play with you).
Stay-in owners are excellent divers/instructors who will always make you feel welcome.
Do come even for an overnight stay! 💯
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Date of stay: March 2022Trip 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.
Response from Carmela Sevilla, Owner at Portulano Dive Resort
Responded May 31, 2022
Thanks Mara, we're so glad you were able to get dives in despite your super busy schedule and we are glad to be part of your discovery of the underwater world. We hope to be able to do more dives together and dive trips as well! How nice to see you getting really good at diving! Always so good to have you over, see you soon!
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Great diving location in Bauan. The divers seemed to be happy with what they saw and the PADI instructor couple that also runs the accommodation side of the business. I have not gone diving in at least 40 years so I can't comment on the diving part. The accommodation side of the business was very owner/family-centric and ran as an extension. As with all family-operated businesses, there were functional and dysfunctional aspects. A good building needs a good foundation to upscale as does a good business. Some of the staff are very helpful whereas others give you instructions to do the work they are responsible for. I found the front desk very confused and poorly coordinated. Food was good and they try to accommodate your needs when the "right" person is in the kitchen. The trip from Manila takes a good 3.5 to 4 hours and Lipa City traffic in the direction of Manila during weekdays is a good 4 hours plus. They have a nice secured parking lot where you can leave your car. Internet is a bit of an issue and they charge P300 for wifi that's only accessible in the common area with speeds of 700kb. Globe data plans work well enough in the rooms. They keep two very well-behaved black labrador dogs that are delightful. Do come here for the diving. Thank you, Candy and Shale Mae, for your sincere efforts to make us more welcome, and wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Avoid rooms next to the common areas. Guitar practice starts at six a.m. and someone else plays...
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.
Response from Carmela Sevilla, Owner at Portulano Dive Resort
Responded May 31, 2022
Thanks for your review, we will try to figure out how to improve based on it. In case you still find time please do tell us the experience you had with our frontdesk that was not quite in place so we can improve. You can email it to carmela@portulano.com. We have also been in the process of transition and re-training due to the up and downs during the pandemic, all the way up until 2022! We will do what we can to get better, thanks again for the feedback.
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I have been going back to this resort 2017-2019, and have been recommending to friends because of the nice room with a view of the beach, really good food and the house reef. Owners are super friendly too.
Everything changed when we visited Jun 2023. We were with friends, snorkling in their house reef as usual, but somehow the waves changed, and became strong. Note that there was no sign that we can't snorkel that day. We had a hard time going back and climbing the entry/exit point of snorkling because of the waves. Though we asked for help, the staff didnt do anything and just watched us and shouted at us where we should go without realizing it's impossible for us to go to the direction they were pointing as because of the waves. Good thing one of my friends was a free diver, and had her fins with her, she helped me get back to the exit point and I was able to climb back. My friend had to go back though unsafe because the staff isn't doing anything to help my husband get back to the shore. We survived but had bruises, still no assistance from the resort staff.
Not sure if its because the owners werent there back then (they were on vacation diving somewhere that time) that the staff didn't mind us and didn't check on us, but this incident changed our perspective of this resort.
If you are a swimmer/diver who can handle uncontrolled waves on your own, then I can recommend staying here. But for non-swimmers, exercise caution.
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep 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.
I last visited Portulano Dec 2022 and like always, it didn't disappoint!
If you're looking for a place to relax, or snorkel, or dive, or unplug, or any combination of those, this is the place.
The staff is great, the food is good. They have vegetarian options. They source everything locally and they seem to keep a fairly healthy menu.
As far as diving is concerned, they have rentals available and they take safety seriously.
And then the lounges! They're everywhere! They're so many places to hang out and relax and read a book or have a nice chat. Portulano's vibe is very cozy and inviting. It embraces you if you welcome it. I'd go every weekend if I could!
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Date of stay: December 2022
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.
Portulano is tucked above a marine protected area along the beautiful Bauan coastline. From the moment we stepped onto the Portulano boat, we were welcomed by the staff—they helped carry our bags, cooked special meals to accommodate some of our family members’ dietary restrictions, and traded stories with us. The individualized dive instruction from Arnel and Carmela is careful, thorough, and fun! All the dive masters are extremely knowledgeable about the local area, and it shows during the dives—each dive was full of discoveries of different wildlife, from numerous nudibranches to octopi. We can truly say that the Portulano community welcomed us into the fold and we can’t wait to return!
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Date of stay: December 2022
Value
Location
Service
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 had the chance to spend 3 days at Portulano Resort with our 3 small kids and a big group of friends and loved it!! This is a very nice hotel, only accessible by the sea which makes it very special. The view is amazing, the staff is LOVELY and we had very relaxing time while enjoying snorkeling, diving etc. The staff was always there to make the best of our stay: they found a babysitter for our kids when us parents wanted to dive, they let us decorate the place and prepared cocktails when we organized a theme party with our friends one evening etc. The food is all home made, simple and good. The cook was lovely and shared some of her recipes when we asked her :) ... and last but not least 🤪 they prepared banana sticks for our snacks everyday 😋😋😋😋😋
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Date of stay: October 2019Trip 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.
Response from Carmela Sevilla, Owner at Portulano Dive Resort
Responded May 31, 2022
Thank you so much for your kind words, we hope you can visit us again soon.
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The resort was beautiful. If you value peace and quality time for yourself. You come to this place. You get to know the staff and owners of the resort as well. All of the members of the staff were accommodating and friendly. However, it was not the same case with the female owner of the resort. She could have made more effort to make the guests felt more welcome.
If you're not picky or fuzzy with the food, this place is fine. However, there is a fine line between healthy food and cheap food.
I particularly like their labrador, Snork.
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Date of stay: April 2022Trip 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.
Response from Carmela Sevilla, Owner at Portulano Dive Resort
Responded May 31, 2022
Dear Janine, I saw you gave us a low review on Tripadvisor. I'm sorry you felt negative about me, the female owner. When did you visit us? i couldn’t find your registration. I am usually swamped and stressed with juggling resort back end duties plus homeschooling during these times and sometimes don’t have time to chat, or say hi and can't be as attentive and friendly as our dog, Snork. For perspective, we have been running the resort on recovery mode due to the pandemic: operational restructuring, retraining, re-organisation & back end work is mostly my duty & is no walk in the park, or the beach. Do consider also that many resort owners don't even interface with their guests, or that personalities differ. So it may not be a fair expectation and reason for a low rating. A little "benefit of the doubt" for others always help us all move forward during these challenging times.
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This place is around 2 hours 15 minutes drive from Manila. 10 minutes boat ride provided by the resort. Great place to stay over the weekend even if you are not divers. However, I regret I didn't try. I will definitely come back and try to dive. The place is very calm, rooms are charming with Spanish-style decor. Food is excellent and they accept special requests. From the minute we were there it feels like we are in friends or even a family house. Kitchen open and friendly. You can make a coffee or tea anytime or just hang out there. No tv in the rooms, but they have one in the open space. But I doubt anybody will have the desire to use it when you have such a beautiful view from your balcony. Love everything about it.
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Date of stay: February 2021
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Â We stayed on the second level. The room and view were excellent. You don't need A/C. It's...
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.
Response from Carmela Sevilla, Owner at Portulano Dive Resort
Responded May 31, 2022
Thank you Anastasia! Glad you enjoyed your stay and we appreciate your kind words.
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Yes, we offer PADI Courses. Please check out the details in our website, you can also reach us through our website, you can google Portulano Dive Resort as website links and email addresses are not allowed to be posted here.
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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