By the sea resort is Italian corner in Philippines paradise. Italian management.Front beach. Cottages 40smq, have see view . Our restaurant serve homemade traditional italian food. Only 2,00 hours from Boracay by boat and 15 minutes from Romblon Airport + 30 minutes from Looc (Tablas island)by boat.
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I spent a long weekend at By The Sea Resort during which I had the pleasure to meet Flavio and Chiara and enjoy their great hospitality. I have never been in Tablas before and I had the luck to explore it with help of Flavio and Chiara who took me around by boat, by motorbike almost everywhere around Looc, Odjongan and Santa Fe. Nature , Sea and Beaches are here at their best and when coming back from exploration it was even better to taste the delicious italian food that Chiara prepare with so much passion and care. I am italian and I can tell this is the best I ate in the Philippines. The 5 cottages are beautifully located on the hill behind the beach and they offer astonishing views, especially at sunset. Everything in the resort was pefectly arranged and there are many activities available for guests (snorkeling, diving, waterfalls, sunbathing, shopping in local markets etc). During my stay in this little paradise by the sea I really felt like home . I will come back soon and recommend to all my friends. Thank you again Flavio and Chiara. Mandi Stefano
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Date of stay: April 2016Trip type: Traveled with friends
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We came to By the Sea Resort for a day trip from Boracay. And we didn't want to leave! After a longish boat ride from Boracay, we met with Chiara who then came onto the boat to take us to a bamboo snorkelling platform near a local village. The waters were crystal blue, and there were an array of fish and clams to see. After snorkelling, we enjoyed some of the antipasto treats and soft drinks and beer Chiara has packed into our picnic. We then went back to the resort and despite the fact we had only booked the trip at 5pm the day before through My Boracay Guide, Chiara had an amazing spread of vegetarian food for my wife, and meatballs and pizza that brought me back memories of my Nonnas cooking when I was a child. There was unlimited red wine which was also tasty! We swam in the seawater pool, walked along the beach to talk with the cute local kids, and enjoyed conversing with Chiara and Flavia. And we were so so full!! We had a beautiful trip home, watching the sunset and the moonrise with Remy and his son providing a lovely and safe boat ride. We will be back for sure, and this time we will bring our kids and stay longer for a few days of simple paradise!
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Date of stay: May 2015Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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Amazing nature, food, and people; what else can you ask for? All of the positive reviews here are spot on. The value you get for your money is astronomical, and the owners will treat you like family. Boracay was uninspiring by comparison. If I'm ever again in Philippines, I will visit Flavio and Chiara for sure!
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Date of stay: May 2013
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled solo
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Room 2/10 Old room, dark and gloomy, bed is big but mattress has seen better days. Full of termites. Walking over wood spittings from termites not the most pleasant feeling. Ceiling fan is a good touch but could do with greasing. Bathroom is dreary. Ours had a water leak on the first night from the toilet flush but the shower has no guard so it leaks everywhere as well resulting in fully wet floor. 3rd night, no water pressure. In all 4 rooms. Ended up taking a cold water bucket shower... Sliding door to the balcony can barely be opened and closed. No noticeable room cleaning from day to day: dust and termite wood piles up. Walls are very thin: motor boats from neighboring village can be heard til late and early. Strong smoke smell from daily morning and evening burning in the village. Construction of new hotel rooms can be heard from 0730 in the morning until 1700 in the evening. They want to build tens of extra rooms when they can't handle the 4 they currently have. Dogs intermittently barking throughout the night.
Clearly not worth the money charged for a "suite". Granted this is a relatively remote spot of a lesser travelled island. But there are much better rooms available elsewhere in Tablas for a fraction of the price. Or rooms with full modern amenities at the same price point.
Food 7/10 If you are looking for Italian food in the Philippines. Not sure why the dogs are allowed into the dining area, or worse, in the kitchen...
Owners relatively friendly and helpful arranging for transport etc. Not so much at actually solving problems related to room or following up on the status...
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
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Response from chiara b, Proprietario at By The Sea Resort
Responded Feb 25, 2020
Thanks to take time for this review.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
It was mainly because of the reviews in Tripadvisor raving about its food and hospitality that a couple of months ago my wife and I decided to book with By The Sea resort for a stay from 18 to 25 December. During the booking exchanges I informed the resort (which is managed by an Italian couple) that we would bring our small child with us and also that we were not keen on risking at sea, so much so that we had given up coming during rainy season to avoid unpleasant surprises on the rough stretch of open sea between Caticlan and Tablas Island. Since I am Italian as well (and the whole exchange took place in Italian), I assumed mutual understanding was a straight forward thing and when I was asked to pay a deposit to secure the booking I did it without hesitation.
The departure day finally came and in the morning, while still in Manila, I received a call from the owner informing me that the weather was windy but boats were travelling normally. I didn't make much of it there and then. However when we landed in Caticlan I started getting a bit more concerned because it was not just windy: the weather was plainly awful, with strong gusts of wind and showers. You can then imagine our shock when we arrived at Caticlan's sea shore and saw our transfer boat to Tablas. It was a smallish fishing boat with no cover apart from a plastic sheet which had been rolled away as the boatman said it was too dangerous to leave it on because of the strong wind. That boat could have been fine to make an around the island excursion in Boracay in good weather, but it was obviously totally inadequate for a 2 hour open sea crossing in bad weather coming from the airport all dressed, with luggages and a small child in tow. They never told us they were going to transfer us from and to the airport with a boat in which you are bound to get soaked. Had they had just basic customer orientation, they would have provided at least disposable raincoats for us and dust bags for the luggage, but they didn't. We asked the boatman whether he had a radio but he only had a mobile phone which was of no use in open sea where there is no signal. As far as I know, this was a breach of basic maritime safety regulations, considering the route and the length of the journey. I then called the owner of the resort and that was the first time she unceremoniously told me that their usual boat (shown in their fb page) was broken and that we could stop at a hotel in Boracay's Diniwid beach, should the sea become too rough. It was about 3:30 pm, we had no other choice (as Caticlan has no accomodation) and therefore reluctantly boarded the boat. After three minutes it started pouring down and another two minutes later we were completely soaked. And so were our wallets, our mobile phones and our camera. The kid was terrorized because of the waves and I lost a contact lens because of the sprays of water which were covering us from every direction. It didn't take us long to decide not to continue our boat trip to Tablas and to stop at the resort in Diniwid beach suggested by the owner of By The Sea Resort. After a painful and scary 30 minute ride, we finally reached Diniwid beach. We were in a state of shock and in pitiful conditions, but alive. The following morning the manager of the resort in Tablas wanted us to continue the trip on the same boat and was even asking me why we didn't bring any raincoats (sic). I refused to continue the trip, also because the weather was still bad, and I told her we would continue only if they provided us with a bigger and covered boat. They replied that unfortunately there was none available. After several calls and discussions we decided to wait until a couple of days later when the resort was expecting a group of about 30 tourists on a day trip from Boracay for whom they had rented a big boat and which we could join. But the problem still remained for the return trip, because, according to the resort, the big boat was still under repair. We eventually decided not to pursue our planned stay in Tablas as there was no suitable means of transportation to and from Tablas (the only other option was to take a ferry line, but it was too cumbersome because it would have entailed going back to Caticlan fist; also, the timetable was not convenient and it was not what we had planned) and I informed the manager's wife accordingly. Nonetheless, soon after, I did make a last attempt to push through by offering them to pay half the rental cost of a suitable boat for the return. They didn't even bother to reply. Since I could not change our flights back to Manila, and since it was peak season, we found ourselves stuck for a week in an overpriced and smoke infested hotel in Boracay's Diniwid beach, wasting money for a holiday we did not plan nor want. Since I had little cash with me (because we had agreed to pay the balance in Tablas by check), I sent an sms to the owner in Tablas asking if I could get back the money of the deposit. He replied a few hours later with an angry call in which he aggressively asked me why we didn't join the group that had come that morning (this was despite I had already informed his wife that we couldn't make it because they were not providing us with an adequate boat), why I thought I was entitled to get the deposit back since it had been our decision not to come (sic), and whether I had any intention to pay for the 'service' we had gotten from Caticlan to Boracay. After a nasty conversation, I outlined in a facebook message my very obvious reasons: it had not been our decision not to come, but we were forced to give up in view of the totally inadequate means of transport provided, of which we had never been informed; as for the 'service' we had availed of from Caticlan to Boracay, far from deserving a payment, it had actually caused us grief and damage. Eventually the owner back tracked and offered to pay me back in full in cash. The following day he came to Diniwid beach with his wife and, during a brief and less than friendly encounter, he handed over the money to me and walked away without an apology nor a greeting. The last straw for us was to realise that he had actually come to Boracay from Tablas with the very boat which they claimed was being repaired! It was in fact anchored by the beach where we had just met (see second picture). As a matter of fact, when I had that phone conversation with him the day before he did shout at me 'why did you assume I would pick you up with the boat in the website?' Obviously, in his view, paying clients deserve (or love?) to get totally soaked during airport transfers and risk their lives in a dinghy. So at the end I did get the deposit back, but they completely ruined our holiday and made us waste money to stay in a place we would never have chosen for our holiday. Bottom line, it was our worst holiday experience ever, all courtesy of By The Beach Resort.
PS: the first picture shows a boat which is very similar to the one they provided us for the 2 hour open sea airport transfer Caticlan-Tablas, although it is NOT the actual boat they sent as we didn't manage to take pictures considering the situation. The second picture is the actual boat the owners used to come from Tablas to Boracay which they were claiming was being repaired.
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Date of stay: December 2014
Service
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.
Response from chiara b, Direttore at By The Sea Resort
Responded Jan 9, 2015
We are really sorry about your bad tentative transfer experience. We take care about every needs our guest. The weather was bad in Caticlan but not here, we send you the only boat that we have available in that moment and we told you if your wife has scare, the boat will wait, for your . This boat is not fisherman boat. In Philippines it's considerate medium/big boat. Unfortunately other boat that you see in picture was under reparation and not was ready yet. I told you that we was planning to be ready for your arrival, but not was so. I told you also, that about this, I cannot to be sure that this boat could be ready for your transfer back to Caticlan. After two days the boat was ready. We suggested you a nice resort not expensive, waiting the good weather and my boat was waiting for you until the afternoon day after. Then, was available the transfer as your description, but you didn't like this suggestion. If really do you like to come, this way, was a good solution. You was worry for back transfer, but maybe, if the weather was bad, you was able leave the day before. Anyway, nobody took aggressive with you. This not is our way, never. You want only back your advance and I explained you ( when you booking) that in pick pick season this isn't possible, if you delete your booking the same day of your arrival. I think your Philippine wife loves stay in Boracay and every excuse was able to stay there in that hotel ( there where rooms also in others hotels). If your cellphone and camera was wet, I'm sure not on the boat because my crew always put in dry place guest's luggage, dresses included. So if your dress was dry, I cannot understand why not cell[hone and camera. We tried every system to transfer you here, we have had a empty room because you didn't come, in pick season. We really loose money for not your stay here, but we give you back advance because not was way to take according with you and we tried to be nice with you ( sorry, for this). Anyway, thanks for you comment. We learn something with you. We can be able to take care better, next our value guests
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We did a day trip to Tablas Island sponsored by this resort. Our experience was nothing less than amazing. This is a small resort with EXCELLENT accommodations and food. The restaurant has the best Italian food in the Philippines! The chef is the owners wife straight from Italy! All the food is made fresh each day with local ingredients...simple amazing! If you are looking for a quite getaway...this is the place!
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Date of stay: November 2012
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:All rooms are located on the hill that overlook the ocean!
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 for 4 nights in April just to relax and enjoy some great hospitality. Chiara and Flavio (The Owners) certainly provided us with both, not to mention the fabulous food we were presented with at each mealtime, they even provided free flow beer, red and white wine with your lunch and evening meal. Her homemade bread, ice cream and cakes were incredible - we just couldn't so no to them. We stayed in the top bungalow which had fantastic views and was well worth the hike to get up there, it was wonderful to laze on the verandah listening to the birds and the sea whilst reading a book. The resort has a small pool to cool down in which was much appreciated as it was very hot when we were there. Chiara and Flavio have a wonderful relationship with the villages and are always invited to their festivals - they even invited us to go along and enjoy the celebrations. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with Chiara, Flavio and their staff and hope to return again to experience such wonderful hospitality.
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Date of stay: April 2017
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Bungalow "Aloe Vera" at the top has the best view and privacy
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.
From the moment we got on the boat the took us to this resort everything was fun and relaxing. Chiara had a lunch waiting for us complete with red wine and Flavio offered to accompany us on a trip to the waterfalls the next day. Whatever we wanted they helped us do. They made their boats available and looked after us in every way. The service and hospitality are second to none. Its a piece of Italy in the Philippines.
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Date of stay: December 2015
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.
Spent 6 glorious days at this remote resort on Tablas Island in June. From the first email I sent with initial enquiries regarding accommodation and transfers, I was impressed with Chiara's quick response and helpful advice. We chose to make the trip to Tablas Island from Caticlan on board the '2GO' ship (check the 2GO website for sailing times), which pretty much guaranteed we wouldn't be delayed by the sometimes rough seas in June. We were met at the arrival port of Odiongon (on Tablas Island), by Flavio who also had a car arranged to take us to the smaller port town of Looc from where he transfered us to his resort by outrigger boat, (all of this included in the room rate). We soon became aquainted with the very friendly and relaxed nature of our hosts Chiara and Flavio, who both made us feel very much at home. It was on our arrival that we first experienced Chiara's cooking - sensational to say the least, with something different every day (except I did request my favourite for our last night). If you are lucky enough to taste Chiara's cooking, make sure you try her homemade ice cream. All this delicious food (and drinks)- as much as you can eat all day is included in the room rate. We often talk about the food we had there with our family and friends back in Melbourne. One of the things I was initially concerned about was that being so isolated, we may of not had enough to see and do during our stay- well how wrong was I. Flavio was more then happy to show us around Tablas, either on his boat or with a vehicle (we chose to ride on a motorised trike to visit an inland waterfall). Flavio is very proud of his adopted home and with good reason. One of the highlights was accompanying Chiara on her fresh food shopping trip to the Looc markets and to see how she interacted with the Philippine locals. This also gave us time to experience true Philippine village culture without a western influence as it is truly off the tourist trail. On the return boat trip we stopped off at a pontoon in Looc bay which is on the edge of a very large marine park where we could snorkel (in the warm water) and view multitudes of colorful fish, coral and giant clams. Part of the charm of staying at the resort to us, was the small fishing village alongside the resort where we were able to meet and talk to the families who showed us how they made the thatch which they supplied to local towns for additional income. The children were so happy and well behaved and it was an absolute joy to see their beaming faces whenever we said hello. Leaving was very sad and I think By The Sea Resort, Chiara and Flavio will remain in our hearts and memories for the rest of our lives. A true human experience that was priceless. Chiara and Flavio, if ever in Melbourne, we would be honoured to be your hosts!
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Date of stay: June 2015
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:All rooms looked great. We had the highest for the views, but further to walk
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 stayed for 5 nights at the By The Sea Resort with a friend after staying in Boracay for 4 nights. I did like Boracay for its beautiful beaches but it looks more like a spring break destination now. However, going to this hotel and discovering Tablas island, following Flavio's (the host) pieces of advice, you get to meet not only a genuinely nice Italian couple in a beautiful location, but you also get to see the real Philippines. We are not divers but several opportunities there. Take the available motorcycles, drive around the Island. You will see adorable people, taste very cheap and delicious local food, see amazing landscapes and go back to the resort to have amazing dinners cooked by Chiara (the host). Enjoy the sunsets every night (best I have ever seen) and sleep in the comfortable bungalows overlooking the ocean. The swimming pool available is nice and fits well in the environment. Do not expect a city around the resort for shops/restaurants but you don't need it. Wifi available, quite surprising considering you are in the middle of nowhere and working ok. If you want to see the real Philippines while having a quiet, relaxing and enjoyable time, book!!!! I really had an amazing time. Thank you to Chiara and Flavio for welcoming us in their little paradise. I will come back :) Grazie!
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Date of stay: April 2015
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with friends
Room Tip:great sunsets
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 Tablas Island area.
LOCATION
PhilippinesVisayasTablas Island
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
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