Blue Ribbon Dive Resort
National Road, Mabini, Luzon 4202 Philippines
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$81
Free cancellation until 12/10/22
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Free cancellation until 12/10/22
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#1 of 13 hotels in Mabini
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Blue Ribbon Dive Resort has moved it’s business from Puerto Galera to Anilao in 2018, seeking better diving opportunities. Anilao is often debated to be the top dive destination for muck diving, with a vast number of critters most sought out by underwater photographers. Anilao, and the neighbouring Tingloy island also has world class Coral reef diving, with some exceptional sites close to the resort and a little further away. The Verde Island passage brings clear waters to Tingloy, and its famous Sombrero island, offering some amazing coral dives with some exceptional visibility. Blue Ribbon Dive Resort has been totally renovated in 2018, including the addition of a training pool, new bar and restaurant, and a lounge area overlooking the ocean. A fully fitted camera room has been designed by one of the owners, to meet every underwater photographer’s needs. Blue Ribbon Dive Resort offers PADI Freediving courses, the only resort in Anilao to do so. We are proud of our high standards
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Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
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We visited November 2021 and again in April 2022. Our first family trip in November was for our quadruple birthday celebration. We were looking for a small resort as it was our first family trip during the pandemic. We chose Blue Ribbon based on Trip Advisor reviews and I'm thrilled to say they didn't disappoint. With less than 10 rooms, the resort is very cozy and the staff make you feel right at home. Service is highly commendable as they go out of their way to make your stay extra-special. You can always tell when people enjoy what they do for a living, and the Blue Ribbon Team are definitely happy folks. We loved our trip so much in November, we booked again for January, but had to hold off til April because of Omicron. Our second trip was just as fabulous. We did several dives on both trips and their dive shop crew is awesome. On top of the daily sea turtle sightings and all the other majestic sea creatures Anilao is know for, the Blue Ribbon dive masters all have the ability to spot the tiniest and rarest sea creatures. If you're into macro diving, you'll want their DM's on your team! We love both their seaview and standard rooms, they're always immaculately clean with quality linen and mattresses. They have local and international food on the menu but can also accommodate special requests if you place your orders at least a day in advance. Have I mentioned they're pet friendly? They have resident dogs and cats who were also gracious hosts to our little poodle. ALSO, their sunset view is out of this world! To pass on this amazing Trip Advisor referral: YES, we absolutely recommend Blue Ribbon Dive Resort for everyone looking for a second home in Anilao - from single to family to group bookings!…
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Date of stay: April 2022
Value
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Had a great time staying and diving at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort! The room was clean and cozy with a great balcony with a view. Sunsets were spectacular. Diving was great - got my advanced open water certification and also enjoyed some new and different underwater experiences. The staff was excellent - very friendly and accommodating. Definitely recommend!
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Date of stay: November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
+1
Blue Ribbon Dive Resort is a perfect place to take a breather during this pandemic. Just Wow! Beautiful sunset, live corals and colourful fishes just a few steps from the shore. Jonathan was so kind to manage a short notice dive. My first timer daughter learned some good skills and was instantly hooked. Thank you! You’re the best! No kidding. We sure will be back for more OW+Advance course & will tug along a few young divers. And oh the staff are very friendly, helpful and kind. Very safe and relaxed atmosphere! And of course, The Breakfast! Jon, you made the right decision, because you knew that you are right at the doorstep of the Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity and as the Center of the Center of the Marine Biodiversity of the World. Hope soon it will be a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I also learned Blue Ribbon Dive Resort is very much on hand in helping the community around the area esp. the victims of the recent typhoons. So come and dive for a cause!…
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
We recently spent 5 nights and 6 days with Blue Ribbon during Covid and during one of the most impactful typhoons to hit Luzon, and this area specifically, in quite some time. The weather impacted our dive plans and everything else for 24 hours and the Blue Ribbon staff were up to the task before, during, and after. These are trying times and Blue Ribbon is a great example of adapting to the ever-changing regulations and requirements with the commitment of bringing diving and dive training to customers amidst the challenges. Getting over and through some of the hurdles placed by the local government was a bit of challenge and Blue Ribbon guided us through that well so that we could safely join their bubble and finally get some dives in this year. The staff are all incredibly helpful and the atmosphere is relaxed and they work with the customers in a way that is refreshing and can-do (within reason). We are very experienced independent-minded divers and it is worthwhile to call out the excellence of the DM and the boat staff. The dives were at our pace, well-led, and the DM adapts fabulously to the skill level he is dealing with. The boat staff are very helpful, recognize preferences in set-up, and manage any issues efficiently. What can we say, giant Hawksbill turtles finding us over and over again, mating octopi, schools of baby barracuda, dogtooth tuna, squid families, more morays and variety of morays than we can count, magical nudi-branchs, blue spotted sting rays, incredible reef dives and the magical creatures of the muck dives in Anilao...joy! All in all, a wonderful experience and we are very grateful to be able to do some incredible diving in 2020 when all of our prior plans fell apart due to Covid. Thank you!…
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Date of stay: November 2020
Rooms
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
I'm so lucky to find this dive resort amidst the pandemic. Staff and even the owner Jon were friendly and accommodating to their guests. Rooms are spacious and clean. Food serving is very generous (this includes their free breakfast). I also had my DSD with them and Jon was patient with me all throughout the process. It's a perfect place for divers and people who just want to relax near the sea. Of course I will not forget that they have 4 dogs who are really sweet and will greet you first thing in the morning. I'll definitely go back in this place and stay longer next time.
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Date of stay: September 2020Trip type: Traveled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
Response from Jonathan Venn, Owner at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort
Responded 15 Sep 2020
Thanks, Kaye, It's comments like this that makes me glad we didn't decide to go out of business when the Pandemic started and we fought through it. Glad to get back to what we love to do!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I spend one week at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort with my hubby. We were looking for a cozy place where we could dive and relax but we got a lot more than we could have ever imagined. The minute we arrived to Blue Ribbon we realized we’d made the right choice. The welcome was very warm. You can see it right away that these people want to take good care of you. The whole staff is friendly and extremely professional. We did two morning dives a day, except on the last day when we also did a night dive. The gear was in mint condition. The diving instructors take their job’s seriously but with a smile on their face. They made sure that we got to dive in a different place everytime. We always felt safe, both during the boat rides and also during the dives. The staff were always there to help when we had to get the gear on or off. The dive sites were all different from each other. We saw sharks, turtles, sting rays, sea snakes but also a ton of nudi branchers. We ate at Blue Ribbon every day and appreciate the effort they have made with the food menu. You have a lot to choose from and it was all delish. The dishes we enjoyed the most were the lovely, huge and fresh salads and local dish, bicol express. All in all we couldn’t be happier with the whole experience. On the last day I felt super emotional as I felt that these people I just met had become my friends and I had to leave them. When I return to Philippines Blue Ribbon Dive Resort is the place where I'll be, no question about it.…
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Date of stay: March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
This the second time myself and my girlfriend have stayed and dived with Blue Ribbon and the experiences keep getting better. Diving alone the staff are amazing, incredibly helpful and whom I now see as friends. Anilao diving needs no introduction, world class muck diving, great walls and coral reefs. Try a black water or bonfire dive while you are visiting, you won’t regret it. All in all, the Blue Ribbon Dive Centre is highly professional and I would recommend to all levels of divers from open water to pro. Highlights: Small diving groups, experienced guides, safe boats and dedicated crew, amazing food and drinks, lovely and personable staff, huge rooms, pool by the beach, hammocks and chill areas, camera and light rentals, private transfers.
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Date of stay: January 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.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
My wife and I had a great nine days stay thanks to the friendly and capable people at Blue Ribbon! Despite two cyclones within a month, the diving was really good and was lead by Laura, Jeff and Dan😀 🤿. Our favorite dives were Sombrero Island, Kirby’s Rock and Arthur’s Reef. For a really different experience, do a nighttime BONFIRE 🔥 dive to photograph really cool gelatinous zooplankton! Search on YouTube for our Bonfire video on our “Blown Away” channel! Enjoy 😉!!!
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Date of stay: January 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.
Helpful
So I am going to leave an honest and detailed review. Blue Ribbon was not all bad but I would not go there again. I will explain why. THE BAD: 1) The shower in our room had almost no water pressure, and minimal hot water The only real hot shower was one single shower down by the wetsuit drying area. 2) The mattress was very stiff 3) We reserved a dive computer in advance but they did not have one for our first day. We only did the two morning dives and had to avoid the afternoon dives to be safe. 4) The restaurant (which really is your only option) is extremely hit & miss. The Tikka Masala and Chicken Fajitas were superb, but other things like the Ham & Cheese Sandwich was a very expensive joke - literally one half of one slice of ham in the whole sandwich - and cost $10 US. Same goes for the tuna sandwich - two forkfuls of tuna in the whole sandwich. 5) Although our dive guide was good, the other deck hands were very hit and miss. Some were helpful while others just stood there and watched as you struggled carrying heavy gear up a gangplank a hand-span across if that. 6) Sorry but "muck diving" is crazy over-rated. Thankfully we did this on a night dive (easily the most boring dive of the three days) where you drift at 15 feet max depth over an extremely polluted, garbage covered sandy bottom near the pier. Pass. 7) As described above, aside from the outer reef, there is a LOT of pollution & garbage. 8) Besides from our assigned wetsuit and mask, they did not assign anything else for your stay. So if a regulator or BC fit just right, good luck getting the same one next time you go out in the boat. Constantly changing, and some of the gear like one of the BCs I had was bordering on non-functional, like it was a "second" - the "adjustable" straps were locked in place and it could not be adjusted. THE GOOD: 1) Minor but a nice gesture - they give you a free metal water bottle to keep 2) Friendly restaurant staff 3) GREAT breakfast is included. 4) Small dive groups - average 4 people + guide (Good) 5) The reefs were quite a few nice dive sites (aside from the trash on the ones closer to shore) 6) Our Dive Guide was good 7) The wetsuits were good, that masks were good.…
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Date of stay: November 2019
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from BlueRibb0n, Owner at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort
Responded 4 Dec 2019
Thanks AJ for your stay and your review. I'd just like to respond to a few points you made. 1. Water pressure in the upstairs rooms we know can be a bit weak, and we are overhauling the water system with our new extension, so sorry about this, but it is in process of being fixed. Small little correction, we have three hot showers at the Dive Shop area. 2. Never heard any complaints about the mattresses before so this is new to me, I personally love our matresses, I have a bad back, and these mattresses have the perfect level of softness to allow me to wake up without back pain, compared to my bed at home that I would say is still stiff, I guess everyone is different and you prefer super soft mattresses. Each to their own I guess. 3. As of the dive computers, we've been having constant problems with our brand new Aqualung dive computers we bought a year ago, some of them always being in the shop waiting months for repairs. We have now replaced our last one and bought a new one, using Suunto Zoop computers now. I apologize for this, I would just strongly recommend anyone never to buy an Aqualung dive computer, they have been a constant problem for us over the last year. For years we have used Suunto, and only this year we tried out Aqualung, which I am pretty sure bought the old oceanic line. Wish I had to stuck to what I know best, that have always been reliable, Suunto. 4. Maybe I need to review the sandwich selection, yet haven't heard a complaint before, but maybe need to make sure there is more ham and tuna inside. Cost wise is justified, as there are no local suppliers of Cheese Ham even bread. We bake our own bread and have to drive to Manila to get our imported, expensive ingredients. Anilao really doesn't have anywhere to buy anything for the western tastes, so logistics is a constant pain to maintain a western menu, 5. During your stay, we had our boat being repaired so had to rely on renting boats. We have recently bought another boat to add to our fleet, which unfortunately got extremely damaged due to the typhoon on December 3rd. Within a week it will be repaired, and then we can just use our staff, that are good deck hands and we can ensure offer the quality of service that we expect. It's hard to keep up good service for the other boats we rent, as they don't meet our expectations either, smaller boats, and less helpful staff. We will be hopefully have all staff in house when our second boat is ready, allowing a constant level of good service. 6. Muck Diving...each to their own on this one, you either love it or hate it, just like marmite or vegemite. The critters you can find our so numerous here, that we have in abundance. Anilao pier is a very garbagy (is that a word??) dive site, yet is so numerous for different species of cephalopods. Other muck dive sites are not the same. 7. Garbage in the water is a global problem, not just in Anilao. We clean our beach up every water, and often go remove ghost nets and clean up what we can on dives, yet sometimes the wind pushes in huge amounts. This is why we have more and more policies on not using single use plastics at the resort. We already have no water bottles, no straws, and now offer bamboo toothbrushes to our guests. We really do try our best to help clean up and prevent this global problem. 8. Our BCDs are all brand new, yet I think we ended up renting some local BCDs one day as we had many people of the same body size, so had to rent some extras. We have been operational for a year and this doesnt happen often, yet we will be buying more gear as soon as budget allows so we don't have to rent extra gear for people, that doesn't have the same quality to our own. We have also been talking a bout a tag system so that people don't change their gear every day, as we do acknowledge that this is an issue. We will be implementing a new system soon to avoid this. Thank you for the good points you mentioned, glad you enjoyed yourselves. And I'm sorry that we didn't quite live up to expectations, but we know our strengths and weaknesses and are always working on ways to make us better. Just one little comment, you started the review by saying detailed and 'honest'. All our reviews are honest reviews by guests that have dived with us, just wanted to clarify that. Anyway, thanks again Jon
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I've been to Philippines many times, for diving and work, and am usually a bit disappointed by the experience in terms of quality expectations, especially for service. This trip was totally different. Blue Ribbon is an excellent resort. The rooms are clean and spacious and as advertised. It is not a luxury resort but it has everything you need. More importantly, the service is superb. Everyone on staff learns your name and is very friendly and chatty. The diving is amazing, apparently all the time. I did 3 dives per day for about a week, in a variety of conditions, night and day, and took a Nitrox course. All the instructors, staff, boat crew, etc. are caring, helpful, friendly, fun, and professional. The restaurant and bar are good, and they offer a shuttle into Manila and free wifi, which works in the restaurants as well as in the rooms (good enough for video streaming). As I was staying for many days and mixing business and pleasure this was perfect for me. Also, it's a great place to meet fellow divers. There were a lot of other single and small-group divers around to meet and hang out with. This is quite nice when you are by yourself not to mention that it makes the dives much cheaper and fun! So if you are looking for a get away a few hours from Manila, with good diving and good people, look no further. This is the place!…
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Date of stay: November 2019
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: The King room is very spacious with a nice balcony, slightly off to the side.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
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PRICE RANGE
US$73 - US$98 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
PhilippinesLuzonCalabarzon RegionBatangas ProvinceMabini
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
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Frequently Asked Questions about Blue Ribbon Dive Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Blue Ribbon Dive Resort?
Nearby attractions include Mt. Gulugod Baboy Trail (1.6 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and a pool.
What food & drink options are available at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Blue Ribbon Dive Resort?
Conveniently located restaurants include OMG! Olvida & Myra's Grill, Frido's, and Kapitan Bawang Grill and Restaurant.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Blue Ribbon Dive Resort?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Blue Ribbon Dive Resort have airport transportation?
Yes, Blue Ribbon Dive Resort offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.