Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Sitio Dacutan, Barangay San Rafael San Rafael, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island 5400 Philippines
Full view
View all photos(48)48
Pool & Beach (7)
Room & Suite (7)
View prices for your travel dates
Contact accommodation for availability.
There are similar hotels available.
View allDid you already book this hotel?
About
4.0
#23 of 50 small hotels in Puerto PrincesaLocation
Cleanliness
Service
Value
The resort has eight air conditioned rooms en-suite with hot water showers. All rooms have double beds. Additional beds can be installed on request. Children under 5 years free. 5 to 12 years full. The resort also has 5 fan rooms en-suite with cold water showers. We arrange tours and are close to all the major tourist activities.
Read more
Suggest edits to improve what we show.Improve this listing
Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Restaurant
Beach
Babysitting
Business Center with Internet Access
Spa
Baggage storage
Parking
Wifi
Massage
Non-smoking hotel
Laundry service
Room features
Air conditioning
Desk
Private balcony
Room service
Seating area
Bath / shower
Complimentary toiletries
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Quiet
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English
Location
Sitio Dacutan, Barangay San Rafael San Rafael, Puerto Princesa, Palawan Island 5400 Philippines
Getting there
1 Restaurant
within 10 kilometers
2 Attractions
within 10 kilometers
44Reviews1Q+A8Room tips
Reviews
Traveler rating
- 19
- 12
- 4
- 5
- 4
Time of year
Traveler type
Language
Selected filters
- Filter
- English
Sort by:
Detailed Reviews
We just finished up our four night stay at the Villa Leonora - and we had a blast. As I looked at different places in Palawan, I was struck by how divided the reviews (both here on TripAdvisor and elsewhere) seemed to be on this property. Now that I've stayed there, I think I understand what's driving that to some degree, and as much as to report our stay, I'd like to address some of the complaints that have been lodged by some other reviewers.
DO:
Stay at the Villa Leonora if you want an out-of-the-way place to stay while you're in Palawan.
Stay in the air conditioned rooms, not the fan rooms.
Expect that the property is a good ways (an hour plus) out of Puerto Princesa - so if it's nightlife you are looking for, do find somewhere else.
Tell the staff what you want. Room cleaned? Breakfast at a certain time? Day trips to make? Just let the folks know, and they will be all over it.
Understand that the road is not far away, and there's no way to avoid hearing it. At this point on the island you have the road and you have the ocean, and there's not much that separates the two. We were so exhausted after every day, you could have run a semi truck by our beds and we wouldn't have heard it. But it's there. The resort in general is so quiet - but the road prevents it from being silent - so just be prepared.
Know that there aren't TVs in the rooms and there isn't WIFI either. But there is WIFI in the restaurant area.
Appreciate that Arthur is an authentic character. A happy-go-lucky guy who is fun to hang out with, but a human being like all of the rest of us. That means there will be times he might rub a person the wrong way. But his is a good guy - and the world needs good guys.
DON'T
Expect a resort like the Sheridan. It's not that. It's just a little hotel right on the ocean.
Expect it to be in the heart of Puerto Princesa, because its not.
Be surprised that it takes longer and costs more to get there because of its location.
Stay in a fan room unless you are budget constrained. They are bamboo instead of concrete and that's going to mean more bugs and more noise.
At the end of the day, it's a lovely place. The physical plant is well-maintained, the staff are very friendly, and anything you want to do, they can arrange for you. Could you find other ways to do your Island Hopping, etc? I'm sure you could. Could you find ways that cost a few hundred pesos less? Probably? But for me, my vacations are not exercises in "How many pennies can I return home with?" They are a chance to relax, unwind, and get away from the regimen of daily life. And for THOSE things, the Villa Leonora, Arthur, and his staff were just right.
One last thing - if you want to go on the Underground River Tour (we did - and had a great time) PLEASE let the Villa Leonora folks know 2-4 weeks ahead of time. Nothing is surer to disappoint then to arrive there and think that you can start working on getting your passes then. They are limited and these folks need as much lead time as you can possibly provide them.
DO:
Stay at the Villa Leonora if you want an out-of-the-way place to stay while you're in Palawan.
Stay in the air conditioned rooms, not the fan rooms.
Expect that the property is a good ways (an hour plus) out of Puerto Princesa - so if it's nightlife you are looking for, do find somewhere else.
Tell the staff what you want. Room cleaned? Breakfast at a certain time? Day trips to make? Just let the folks know, and they will be all over it.
Understand that the road is not far away, and there's no way to avoid hearing it. At this point on the island you have the road and you have the ocean, and there's not much that separates the two. We were so exhausted after every day, you could have run a semi truck by our beds and we wouldn't have heard it. But it's there. The resort in general is so quiet - but the road prevents it from being silent - so just be prepared.
Know that there aren't TVs in the rooms and there isn't WIFI either. But there is WIFI in the restaurant area.
Appreciate that Arthur is an authentic character. A happy-go-lucky guy who is fun to hang out with, but a human being like all of the rest of us. That means there will be times he might rub a person the wrong way. But his is a good guy - and the world needs good guys.
DON'T
Expect a resort like the Sheridan. It's not that. It's just a little hotel right on the ocean.
Expect it to be in the heart of Puerto Princesa, because its not.
Be surprised that it takes longer and costs more to get there because of its location.
Stay in a fan room unless you are budget constrained. They are bamboo instead of concrete and that's going to mean more bugs and more noise.
At the end of the day, it's a lovely place. The physical plant is well-maintained, the staff are very friendly, and anything you want to do, they can arrange for you. Could you find other ways to do your Island Hopping, etc? I'm sure you could. Could you find ways that cost a few hundred pesos less? Probably? But for me, my vacations are not exercises in "How many pennies can I return home with?" They are a chance to relax, unwind, and get away from the regimen of daily life. And for THOSE things, the Villa Leonora, Arthur, and his staff were just right.
One last thing - if you want to go on the Underground River Tour (we did - and had a great time) PLEASE let the Villa Leonora folks know 2-4 weeks ahead of time. Nothing is surer to disappoint then to arrive there and think that you can start working on getting your passes then. They are limited and these folks need as much lead time as you can possibly provide them.
Read more
Date of stay: March 2013Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Air con rooms only....
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 villaleonoraresort, Owner at Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Responded Mar 30, 2013
Hi Ted, hope the rest of your stay in the Philippines worked out well. Thanks for the honest informative review. Yes we are a little more expensive than going island hopping from Puerto Princesa, but you wont be sitting in a boat with 20 or 30 other tourists, so you get a bit more of the personal touch. Cannot stress enough how important it is to book the U/G River as far in advance as possible as there are times when it is fully booked up to 3 weeks in advance, especially during holiday periods. Regards to you and your wife. From The Staff, Arthur and Leonora
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed at Villa Leonora four nights and had a very relaxed and enjoyable time! The grounds are beautiful and it's right next to the beach. The rooms are clean and nice and the atmosphere is really chill and relaxed. If you want to stay out of Puerto Princesa and relax for a few days or just break up the trip going up north, then Villa Leonora is the place. Be aware though that there are no minimarts or shops in the area, but then again, you can get everything you need at the resort restaurant. There is a water cooler in the restaurant/reception area where you can fill up your water bottle for free.The staff is super friendly and Arthur, the owner is the best! Such a fun guy who really helped us with everything we needed from arranging accomodation to transport. We took a jeepney to Port Barton and Arthur made sure we had a seat on it (as there is only one/day and is already full once it gets to San Rafael..) but not just any seats! We got the best ones; right up front, next to the driver! Thank you Arthur for all your help!! Cheers and stay cool!! :)
Read more
Date of stay: February 2013Trip type: Traveled with friends
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Due to problems with my flights, i ended up arriving 12 hours later than my friends, but i still had a driver come to pick me up which was a good welcome.
Not really wanting too much of a hassle holiday, we chose to go through the hotel for our day trips to Honda Bay and the Underground River - perhaps if we had chosen to do it privately, we would have had a slightly cheaper deal, however we all got in the minibus and were transported no problems - the vans were a bit rough and ready, but this is the Philippines, and I didn't expect any fancy cars ferrying us about. The views to and from the locations were amazing, as well as the scenery once we arrived at Honda Bay. We had to wait quite a while for the boat which was a bit of a pain, but let us stock up on sun cream and try some local goodies from the nearby stalls. Once on the boat, we were taken to a reef to see the fish - nice, but very busy. Then took a trip to Starfish island which was very picturesque. We then went to another island for lunch, where we had a fantastic dinner of grilled fish, pork, rice and vegetables - excellent food. Accompanied by a banana fruitshake or fresh coconut, it was perfect! We then had a few hours to sunbathe and swim in the crystal clear waters before heading back.
Sabang for the river was also great fun - we did the Zipline (extra to the river package, but we couldn't resist) as well which had fantastic views, but involved a bit of a sweaty walk through the jungle to the platform. After that, a lunch similar to the day before with drinks was all included and tasted excellent. The boats to the river had to be pre-booked so we had a timeslot - this was all pre-arranged by Arthur at the hotel. We had no problems, and the river (and monkeys) were great!
The sunsets and lightning storms across the water from the hotel were phenomenal. The scenery of Palawan truly is spectacular.
Unfortunately, the restaurant seemed to take forever to cook the food, however after the first night, we just booked it well in advance and enjoyed some drinks whilst we waited! The rooms were fairly basic, but with good air conditioning. As we were only there for a few days, we weren't bothered about having any cleaning done, however the bathroom issue of not being able to dispose of the toilet paper in the bowl and putting in a basket should have been disposed of daily and wasn't - in a hot country, not a good idea.
I was a bit disappointed with the distance away too, as it seemed to take forever to get there - i think you could get somewhere better for similar money nearer to Honda Bay which would be better. The food quality was very good, but selection was limited. The rooms were very basic but (fairly) clean. I think we ended up paying more for the trips, but we enjoyed the day so were happy.
The beach was a bit rough and pebbly, but once in the sea, it was lovely and sandy underfoot, and very clean. Most of the time the beach was underwater, but not a problem as there were sun loungers you could lie on.
The best bit...a massage! Get them to arrange a time with you - the girl was absolutely fantastic, and for an hour PHP800 - although 'expensive' compared to some asian prices, it was heaven.
All in all, we had a fantastic time, but that was due to us being a large group of friends and ignoring the annoying parts of the trip...would i go back to Palawan? Most definitely yes, but Villa Leonora...probably not.
Not really wanting too much of a hassle holiday, we chose to go through the hotel for our day trips to Honda Bay and the Underground River - perhaps if we had chosen to do it privately, we would have had a slightly cheaper deal, however we all got in the minibus and were transported no problems - the vans were a bit rough and ready, but this is the Philippines, and I didn't expect any fancy cars ferrying us about. The views to and from the locations were amazing, as well as the scenery once we arrived at Honda Bay. We had to wait quite a while for the boat which was a bit of a pain, but let us stock up on sun cream and try some local goodies from the nearby stalls. Once on the boat, we were taken to a reef to see the fish - nice, but very busy. Then took a trip to Starfish island which was very picturesque. We then went to another island for lunch, where we had a fantastic dinner of grilled fish, pork, rice and vegetables - excellent food. Accompanied by a banana fruitshake or fresh coconut, it was perfect! We then had a few hours to sunbathe and swim in the crystal clear waters before heading back.
Sabang for the river was also great fun - we did the Zipline (extra to the river package, but we couldn't resist) as well which had fantastic views, but involved a bit of a sweaty walk through the jungle to the platform. After that, a lunch similar to the day before with drinks was all included and tasted excellent. The boats to the river had to be pre-booked so we had a timeslot - this was all pre-arranged by Arthur at the hotel. We had no problems, and the river (and monkeys) were great!
The sunsets and lightning storms across the water from the hotel were phenomenal. The scenery of Palawan truly is spectacular.
Unfortunately, the restaurant seemed to take forever to cook the food, however after the first night, we just booked it well in advance and enjoyed some drinks whilst we waited! The rooms were fairly basic, but with good air conditioning. As we were only there for a few days, we weren't bothered about having any cleaning done, however the bathroom issue of not being able to dispose of the toilet paper in the bowl and putting in a basket should have been disposed of daily and wasn't - in a hot country, not a good idea.
I was a bit disappointed with the distance away too, as it seemed to take forever to get there - i think you could get somewhere better for similar money nearer to Honda Bay which would be better. The food quality was very good, but selection was limited. The rooms were very basic but (fairly) clean. I think we ended up paying more for the trips, but we enjoyed the day so were happy.
The beach was a bit rough and pebbly, but once in the sea, it was lovely and sandy underfoot, and very clean. Most of the time the beach was underwater, but not a problem as there were sun loungers you could lie on.
The best bit...a massage! Get them to arrange a time with you - the girl was absolutely fantastic, and for an hour PHP800 - although 'expensive' compared to some asian prices, it was heaven.
All in all, we had a fantastic time, but that was due to us being a large group of friends and ignoring the annoying parts of the trip...would i go back to Palawan? Most definitely yes, but Villa Leonora...probably not.
Read more
Date of stay: April 2012Trip type: Traveled with friends
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 villaleonoraresort, Owner at Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Responded May 10, 2012
It is nice to receive a constructive opinion such as this review. The food in the restaurant is prepared and cooked from scratch, it is not a Macdonalds. We do advise guests to try and order in advance. The issue of the wastebaskets in the bathrooms how now been resolved. Also the issue of waiting for a boat for island hopping, as we now go direct from the resort by boat. The guests plane had been delayed several hours , yet the driver was waiting. When a person who has waited for so long for their flight is tired, then any journey seems to take forever. Thank you for your constructive comments and also the good things you pointed out
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I think that this hotel needs to be reviewed by a recent guest there so that no one else gets scammed by the hotel owners.
Firstly, THIS IS NOT A RESORT; it is just a regular hotel on the beach. We arrived at the Villa Leonora Beach Resort on August 22, 2010 and stayed for two nights. When arriving at the hotel we thought the place looked nice. We were welcomed with a drink and then shown our room. The Rooms are a nice size and somewhat clean. When checking the room we noticed that there were ants on the counter and around the bed. This was a little irritating because waking up with ant bits is never fun. The bathroom is small, dark and damp. Also the water pressure is very very low so taking a shower is quite difficult.
This hotel has a restaurant and a bar but the prices are 3 times the regular price. As a guest you are forced to buy all of your food and drinks at the restaurant because there are no other restaurants or stores in a 5-7 km radius. The food is basic not that good not that bad, but for the price you would think it would be great, its not. Also, the hotel suffers from frequent brown/black outs. They do have a generator but the owners only use it to power their personal house not the guests’ rooms. You would think that a “RESORT” would try to provide power to their customers before powering there personal room. When it is raining or you just finished Island hopping and you don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount of money to have some drinks you would think that you could go to your room and relax and watch some TV but there is no TV in the Rooms. So, when it gets dark there really isn’t much to do because there is NOTHING around you for about 5-7km.
At any normal resort or even a hotel you would think that they would provide some amenities to keep their guest entertained well this place has some but they charge you for EVERYTHING. In the restaurant there is a pool table but they charge 30pp per game. They have a dart board and charge 30pp per game. They have internet but they charge 30pp for 15min and 100pp for 1hr. This place even charges their guests 30pp to swim on the beach (They have a sign at there counter stating this). The beach is ok if you don’t look to the south because of the construction and materials on the next lots beachfront. Every other resort that I have stayed at provides all of these things for free even guesthouses and small hotels provide most of these things for free.
There are two options when getting to the hotel. The first is take the local bus at Puerto but these busses fill up very fast and most of the times people ride on the roof of the bus. Most travelers that are going to stay at a resort won’t like this option. The Second is to have the Hotel pick you up. PLEASE NOTE THAT THEY DO CHARGE YOU about $100 (3500pp) for a return trip. This is where the hotel is a SCAM because a normal bus ride costs about 60-80pp. He charges you the cost of 2nights stay for the city transfer.
Prior to our stay at the Villa Leonora Beach resort, I requested the city pick up/return service. We received a kind email telling us not to worry about anything and they would pick us up. They NEVER once said in the 4 emails that they would charge us for the transfer nor does there website mention these charges. We didn’t find out about the charge until 9:00pm the night before we were due to leave. When I was told about this I told the reception lady that we were never told about this and that it was never mention so I assumed that this was a service the hotel “Resort” provided. The lady then got the manager and he told me that his associate had made a mistake by not mentioning the pick up/drop off charge and that we had to pay the full amount. He even told me that he check all of our emails that we had sent to one another and he admitted that this was his mistake At this point I was getting upset because it was there mistake and there are no signs telling me the real price of this service. I felt like the owner just chose a price to charge us because he knew that we had to pay in order to catch our flight in the morning. At this point in our trip we were 18 days into a vacation and the cash was running low. We still had to pay the airport exit fee at 2 airports. We finally came to an agreement that I would pay him 2000pp ($50) for the pick up/drop off service. I felt that this was fair because the resort is kind of far from the city and he should get some compensation for this service. We thought this was settled but we were wrong.
In the morning we got our stuff ready and went to eat breakfast. While we were eating the manager came to me and asked if we could talk. We went to the corner of the restaurant and he began calling me a liar. He said that I lied to him about not having a credit card. I did have a credit card but why should I use my card to withdraw money for a charge I new nothing about (Also I don’t keep my CC pin number because of the extra charges on cash advances). He also told me that I lied to him about how many days I stayed in the city because I told him in an email before our trip that we were going to stay in the city for 1 day. (Later in the planning of our trip we decided that we didn’t have enough time to go to El Nido, so we ended up staying in Puerto for more nights. I really wanted to tell him that this was irrelevant to the transfer charge but at this point we felt like we were being held hostage because we had to catch our flight in 3 hrs and if I said anything to make him angry he would not take us to the airport). So I told him that we stayed an extra night and he stormed off saying F this and F that, “Very professional and hospitable.” By that time we were getting worried so I waited 5 min then asked to speak to him again. He sent his wife out to speak with us and all she said is “are you going to pay or not”. I told her we are going to do what we agreed and that was to go exchange money and pay. After a horrible and uncomfortable ride to the city I exchanged money and asked him once again if we were going to settle this like we said last night. He said “NO my wife is demanding all of the money”. At this point we had 2 hrs before our flight and we were getting nervous so we paid the full amount ($100). This was a horrible way to end a great vacation!!!
PLEASE DON’T STAY HERE. There are other hotels within the city or a little out of the city to stay at for the same price. If you do stay at the Villa Leonora Beach “Resort”, GOOD LUCK.
Thanks for reading hope it helps
Firstly, THIS IS NOT A RESORT; it is just a regular hotel on the beach. We arrived at the Villa Leonora Beach Resort on August 22, 2010 and stayed for two nights. When arriving at the hotel we thought the place looked nice. We were welcomed with a drink and then shown our room. The Rooms are a nice size and somewhat clean. When checking the room we noticed that there were ants on the counter and around the bed. This was a little irritating because waking up with ant bits is never fun. The bathroom is small, dark and damp. Also the water pressure is very very low so taking a shower is quite difficult.
This hotel has a restaurant and a bar but the prices are 3 times the regular price. As a guest you are forced to buy all of your food and drinks at the restaurant because there are no other restaurants or stores in a 5-7 km radius. The food is basic not that good not that bad, but for the price you would think it would be great, its not. Also, the hotel suffers from frequent brown/black outs. They do have a generator but the owners only use it to power their personal house not the guests’ rooms. You would think that a “RESORT” would try to provide power to their customers before powering there personal room. When it is raining or you just finished Island hopping and you don’t want to spend a ridiculous amount of money to have some drinks you would think that you could go to your room and relax and watch some TV but there is no TV in the Rooms. So, when it gets dark there really isn’t much to do because there is NOTHING around you for about 5-7km.
At any normal resort or even a hotel you would think that they would provide some amenities to keep their guest entertained well this place has some but they charge you for EVERYTHING. In the restaurant there is a pool table but they charge 30pp per game. They have a dart board and charge 30pp per game. They have internet but they charge 30pp for 15min and 100pp for 1hr. This place even charges their guests 30pp to swim on the beach (They have a sign at there counter stating this). The beach is ok if you don’t look to the south because of the construction and materials on the next lots beachfront. Every other resort that I have stayed at provides all of these things for free even guesthouses and small hotels provide most of these things for free.
There are two options when getting to the hotel. The first is take the local bus at Puerto but these busses fill up very fast and most of the times people ride on the roof of the bus. Most travelers that are going to stay at a resort won’t like this option. The Second is to have the Hotel pick you up. PLEASE NOTE THAT THEY DO CHARGE YOU about $100 (3500pp) for a return trip. This is where the hotel is a SCAM because a normal bus ride costs about 60-80pp. He charges you the cost of 2nights stay for the city transfer.
Prior to our stay at the Villa Leonora Beach resort, I requested the city pick up/return service. We received a kind email telling us not to worry about anything and they would pick us up. They NEVER once said in the 4 emails that they would charge us for the transfer nor does there website mention these charges. We didn’t find out about the charge until 9:00pm the night before we were due to leave. When I was told about this I told the reception lady that we were never told about this and that it was never mention so I assumed that this was a service the hotel “Resort” provided. The lady then got the manager and he told me that his associate had made a mistake by not mentioning the pick up/drop off charge and that we had to pay the full amount. He even told me that he check all of our emails that we had sent to one another and he admitted that this was his mistake At this point I was getting upset because it was there mistake and there are no signs telling me the real price of this service. I felt like the owner just chose a price to charge us because he knew that we had to pay in order to catch our flight in the morning. At this point in our trip we were 18 days into a vacation and the cash was running low. We still had to pay the airport exit fee at 2 airports. We finally came to an agreement that I would pay him 2000pp ($50) for the pick up/drop off service. I felt that this was fair because the resort is kind of far from the city and he should get some compensation for this service. We thought this was settled but we were wrong.
In the morning we got our stuff ready and went to eat breakfast. While we were eating the manager came to me and asked if we could talk. We went to the corner of the restaurant and he began calling me a liar. He said that I lied to him about not having a credit card. I did have a credit card but why should I use my card to withdraw money for a charge I new nothing about (Also I don’t keep my CC pin number because of the extra charges on cash advances). He also told me that I lied to him about how many days I stayed in the city because I told him in an email before our trip that we were going to stay in the city for 1 day. (Later in the planning of our trip we decided that we didn’t have enough time to go to El Nido, so we ended up staying in Puerto for more nights. I really wanted to tell him that this was irrelevant to the transfer charge but at this point we felt like we were being held hostage because we had to catch our flight in 3 hrs and if I said anything to make him angry he would not take us to the airport). So I told him that we stayed an extra night and he stormed off saying F this and F that, “Very professional and hospitable.” By that time we were getting worried so I waited 5 min then asked to speak to him again. He sent his wife out to speak with us and all she said is “are you going to pay or not”. I told her we are going to do what we agreed and that was to go exchange money and pay. After a horrible and uncomfortable ride to the city I exchanged money and asked him once again if we were going to settle this like we said last night. He said “NO my wife is demanding all of the money”. At this point we had 2 hrs before our flight and we were getting nervous so we paid the full amount ($100). This was a horrible way to end a great vacation!!!
PLEASE DON’T STAY HERE. There are other hotels within the city or a little out of the city to stay at for the same price. If you do stay at the Villa Leonora Beach “Resort”, GOOD LUCK.
Thanks for reading hope it helps
Read more
Date of stay: August 2010Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 villaleonoraresort, Owner at Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Responded Feb 26, 2011
I fail to see how Tripadvisor is acting impartialy in that they allowed this person to add a review in August then add the exact same review in December, he was only there once. Anyone reading this review can't fail to see that it is totally malicious.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This is in no way a "resort", it is more like a sub-1 star hotel and we wanted to leave after the first day but unfortunately we had already paid in advance through Agoda so it felt like we were in a prison. The owner no longer charges to use the "beach" or pool table but:
1. The owner rips off all of his guests:
- The hotel's airport transfer fees are PHP2000 one way/PHP3,500 return. He claimed that the cabs outside the airport would charge PHP2,500/3,500 one way and whilst we did not investigate this, see later comments regarding the Honda Bay island hopping excursion. The bus and multi-cab/tricycle only costs PHP70 per person.
- For Honda Bay island hopping, the hotel charges PHP2,000, which includes entrance fees to all islands, boat and car transfers and a packed lunch but no drinks. The owner said that this was a good price as it would cost PHP2,500 if we booked through a tour company - this was a LIE. I had checked the prices on sites such as gopalawan.com and 3BS previously, and for exactly the same package as he was offering but with the added bonus of a freshly cooked lunch on Starfish Island with drinks, it was only PHP1,100.
- We booked Honda Bay island hopping with 3BS but since we had to be at the tour agency at 7am and didn't want to worry about being late, we asked the owner if he could arrange for us to be driven there. He said it would cost PHP2,000 one way. Then he said to the travel agent that he would drop us off at Santa Lourdes pier, which is where we were going to go from the travel agency, at 7.30am because it was closer to the resort (rather than going an hour in to Puerto and then half an hour back to get to the pier). When I asked him about this cost the next day, he said it was PHP2,000 despite the fact that Santa Lourdes pier was only half an hour away - so he was charging the same price for the hour-long transfer to the city proper or the airport.
- For the City tour, the hotel charges PHP2,000 but you also had to pay for the return transfer at PHP3,500. On other tour sites, e.g. gopalawan, it costs PHP600 for everything.
- For the Underground river, the hotel charges PHP1,950 with only a packed lunch and no drinks. On other tour sites it costs PHP1,500 and includes a buffet lunch at Taraw resort with drinks.
2. There was actually no beach (only sea) and no swimming pool. When the tide is in, which is most of the day, there is no sand as the sea comes right up to the hotel wall. In the late afternoon, when the sand does appear, it is pebbly and obviously not dry.
3. Outdated bamboo nipa huts with bamboo floors with gaps so insects could go inside, despite there not being any food in the rooms. There were hundreds of red ants all over the bathroom and every night I got bitten at least twice per night and the bites were clearly from ants. We mentioned this to the owner but his response was "what do you expect, this is a rainforest" - hardly sympathetic. He could have suggested I buy some Off! lotion (local insect repellant lotion because the stuff we bought from the UK was not effective), which is what another hotel owner from a separate resort suggested when we happened to talk on the island hopping tour. We were offered a brick building when we mentioned our unhappiness with the state of our rooms but at a cost of PHP3,800 extra for a smaller place. We had already paid over PHP21,000 for the 6 nights. There were hundreds of hornets and ants also just outside the huts, which were sprayed with harmful chemicals and the large dead hornets were left lying all over the floor outside the doors - particularly dangerous because someone could have stepped on them with bare feet and one person was allergic to those types of stings.
4. There was NO hot water (not even a hot water tap) and hardly any water pressure.
5. The drainage system was such that toilet paper had to go in an uncovered bin in the bathroom, which was disgusting, especially since this was located under the towel rail (because there was nowhere else to put it) where we hung clothes and towels, which once fell in.
6. Inadequate lighting in the rooms, no TVs, no fridge, no shampoo/shower gel or any basic offerings. Towels and bedsheets were thin, ripped and spotted with stains despite supposedly clean. We also had to specifically ask for the rooms to be cleaned every day. On our last day, they didn't bother even though we gave our keys to the cleaner in order for them to do so.
7. Regular brown/black outs, sometimes for several hours - not great when there is nothing to do after dark except stay in your room to read a book. The brown/black outs were also particularly concerning in respect of restaurant food storage - meat etc.
8. Expensive food, which took about an hour after ordering for it to arrive, despite us being the only guests and on one occasion we only ordered chips. There is also a mandatory service charge imposed on everything plus a separate tip box at the reception desk!
9. This place is advertised as being in Honda bay but it's about half an hour away by car.
10. The hotel is at least an hour away from the city proper and is located on a main road - you can hear the cars/buses/motorbikes on the road from the rooms.
11. Towards the end of our stay, they claimed to have run out of nearly every item we wanted to order, e.g. fresh fruit such as bananas for milkshakes and calamansi. Though there was a store down the road, they didn't stock up on subsequent days after we had asked for these things.
12. One of our party had a stomach upset and luckily they had bought their own toilet roll because the cleaners had not replenished the toilet roll and they had not even provided a spare.
13. The owner seemed to drink heavily (even from midday) and appeared drunk at most times and on the first night admitted he was drunk so to wait until the morning to ask him any questions. He also kept pestering us - appearing then going away then reappearing several times while we were trying to have dinner, in the same way an annoying old drunk would down the pub. He was also moody, intimidating and rude whenever we had any queries. He was extremely condescending and spoke to guests as thought they were stupid. On our first night, during dinner, we also heard him loudly swearing down the telephone at someone from a tour agency in the middle of the restaurant. He acted inappropriately and unprofessionally. He said he was trying the sell the place so it seemed as though he couldn't be bothered.
14. Transfer cars were dangerous - no seat belts, windscreen wipers were broken so they smeared the windscreen and one car had been smashed at the back but was still in service.
15. Our driver was late in arriving to take us to the airport on our way home and someone had to contact him at the time we were supposed to be leaving to get him to come to the hotel. Then during the journey, he kept stopping - seemed as though he had been drinking the night before and also alarming is that he decided to put on some spectacles half-way through the journey!
1. The owner rips off all of his guests:
- The hotel's airport transfer fees are PHP2000 one way/PHP3,500 return. He claimed that the cabs outside the airport would charge PHP2,500/3,500 one way and whilst we did not investigate this, see later comments regarding the Honda Bay island hopping excursion. The bus and multi-cab/tricycle only costs PHP70 per person.
- For Honda Bay island hopping, the hotel charges PHP2,000, which includes entrance fees to all islands, boat and car transfers and a packed lunch but no drinks. The owner said that this was a good price as it would cost PHP2,500 if we booked through a tour company - this was a LIE. I had checked the prices on sites such as gopalawan.com and 3BS previously, and for exactly the same package as he was offering but with the added bonus of a freshly cooked lunch on Starfish Island with drinks, it was only PHP1,100.
- We booked Honda Bay island hopping with 3BS but since we had to be at the tour agency at 7am and didn't want to worry about being late, we asked the owner if he could arrange for us to be driven there. He said it would cost PHP2,000 one way. Then he said to the travel agent that he would drop us off at Santa Lourdes pier, which is where we were going to go from the travel agency, at 7.30am because it was closer to the resort (rather than going an hour in to Puerto and then half an hour back to get to the pier). When I asked him about this cost the next day, he said it was PHP2,000 despite the fact that Santa Lourdes pier was only half an hour away - so he was charging the same price for the hour-long transfer to the city proper or the airport.
- For the City tour, the hotel charges PHP2,000 but you also had to pay for the return transfer at PHP3,500. On other tour sites, e.g. gopalawan, it costs PHP600 for everything.
- For the Underground river, the hotel charges PHP1,950 with only a packed lunch and no drinks. On other tour sites it costs PHP1,500 and includes a buffet lunch at Taraw resort with drinks.
2. There was actually no beach (only sea) and no swimming pool. When the tide is in, which is most of the day, there is no sand as the sea comes right up to the hotel wall. In the late afternoon, when the sand does appear, it is pebbly and obviously not dry.
3. Outdated bamboo nipa huts with bamboo floors with gaps so insects could go inside, despite there not being any food in the rooms. There were hundreds of red ants all over the bathroom and every night I got bitten at least twice per night and the bites were clearly from ants. We mentioned this to the owner but his response was "what do you expect, this is a rainforest" - hardly sympathetic. He could have suggested I buy some Off! lotion (local insect repellant lotion because the stuff we bought from the UK was not effective), which is what another hotel owner from a separate resort suggested when we happened to talk on the island hopping tour. We were offered a brick building when we mentioned our unhappiness with the state of our rooms but at a cost of PHP3,800 extra for a smaller place. We had already paid over PHP21,000 for the 6 nights. There were hundreds of hornets and ants also just outside the huts, which were sprayed with harmful chemicals and the large dead hornets were left lying all over the floor outside the doors - particularly dangerous because someone could have stepped on them with bare feet and one person was allergic to those types of stings.
4. There was NO hot water (not even a hot water tap) and hardly any water pressure.
5. The drainage system was such that toilet paper had to go in an uncovered bin in the bathroom, which was disgusting, especially since this was located under the towel rail (because there was nowhere else to put it) where we hung clothes and towels, which once fell in.
6. Inadequate lighting in the rooms, no TVs, no fridge, no shampoo/shower gel or any basic offerings. Towels and bedsheets were thin, ripped and spotted with stains despite supposedly clean. We also had to specifically ask for the rooms to be cleaned every day. On our last day, they didn't bother even though we gave our keys to the cleaner in order for them to do so.
7. Regular brown/black outs, sometimes for several hours - not great when there is nothing to do after dark except stay in your room to read a book. The brown/black outs were also particularly concerning in respect of restaurant food storage - meat etc.
8. Expensive food, which took about an hour after ordering for it to arrive, despite us being the only guests and on one occasion we only ordered chips. There is also a mandatory service charge imposed on everything plus a separate tip box at the reception desk!
9. This place is advertised as being in Honda bay but it's about half an hour away by car.
10. The hotel is at least an hour away from the city proper and is located on a main road - you can hear the cars/buses/motorbikes on the road from the rooms.
11. Towards the end of our stay, they claimed to have run out of nearly every item we wanted to order, e.g. fresh fruit such as bananas for milkshakes and calamansi. Though there was a store down the road, they didn't stock up on subsequent days after we had asked for these things.
12. One of our party had a stomach upset and luckily they had bought their own toilet roll because the cleaners had not replenished the toilet roll and they had not even provided a spare.
13. The owner seemed to drink heavily (even from midday) and appeared drunk at most times and on the first night admitted he was drunk so to wait until the morning to ask him any questions. He also kept pestering us - appearing then going away then reappearing several times while we were trying to have dinner, in the same way an annoying old drunk would down the pub. He was also moody, intimidating and rude whenever we had any queries. He was extremely condescending and spoke to guests as thought they were stupid. On our first night, during dinner, we also heard him loudly swearing down the telephone at someone from a tour agency in the middle of the restaurant. He acted inappropriately and unprofessionally. He said he was trying the sell the place so it seemed as though he couldn't be bothered.
14. Transfer cars were dangerous - no seat belts, windscreen wipers were broken so they smeared the windscreen and one car had been smashed at the back but was still in service.
15. Our driver was late in arriving to take us to the airport on our way home and someone had to contact him at the time we were supposed to be leaving to get him to come to the hotel. Then during the journey, he kept stopping - seemed as though he had been drinking the night before and also alarming is that he decided to put on some spectacles half-way through the journey!
Read more
Date of stay: April 2012Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 villaleonoraresort, Owner at Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Responded May 10, 2012
Wow! Long story. Bit more like a fairy tale though. When people want to crowd 5 adults in one room of course it will not be as comfortable. Their choice. If anyone can get a tricycle and shuttle van for 60/70 pesos I will give them the transport for free. We don't own the vans we just have an agreement with them which favors our guests. It is possible to get cheaper tours when you join a large group through a travel and tour company but as a resort we tend to be more personal and we do and have always include a grilled cooked lunch as other reviews will testify to. Had they asked the tour company to pick them up from the resort they would have been charged 3,500 peso. It is possible to make some people happy some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I had seen one or two poor reviews for this place, but it didnt bother me as I like to give places a chance....big regret. After travelling around the Philippines in budget guest houses, I wanted to splash out and have a really nice end to my trip, but it just left me bitterly disappointed.
Firstly the place was dead, we were the only guests and there was no atmosphere whatsoever. There isnt anything close by and at night it is completely pitch black. There is a tiny tv at the bar which is hijacked by the workers so You are forced to watch their choice.
Wifi is not available in all areas, as stated..Its run from a portable personal router which the young girl switched on for us. It is only available in the restaurant area so again, You are forced to sit there and do not have an option to go to Your room. Its 2015! and for 2500p a night I expect mod cons, as I said it is pitch black so You cannot even relax with a book as the bar lighting is so poor.
The rooms are expensive for what they are, and do not reflect the cost they are asking. I have received much better service and rooms all around the country. For example no fridge, no TV, a shoddy bathroom with water that was luke warm. The quality of the room is on par with a 1000p/ night guest house.
The food was very expensive for what it was, again like everyone says it took forever. Yes it is fresh, but food is cooked fresh every day all around the world....still doesn't take that long and lets be honest, Pancit really doesn't take that long.
Tours - We were told to be ready for 8am for the river tour. Got to the reception at 7:45am, and waited for the owners wife to drive us to the meeting point. We arrived at the meeting point at 8:25am to be met by a furious tour guide?! She blasted us for being late and the entire group was annoyed at us?! I explained that I did as I was told,...to be ready at 8am. The tour guide said we were to be at the meeting point for 8am but the hotel had ignored this request. We looked like complete idiots.
Im disappointed because it should have been great and it could have! It really could, The potential is there, the location is far but its still nice to be by the ocean and very calming, and I may add its not too far from the Tour meeting point which is nice. However the place is tired, Its like the owner had given up and cant be bothered any more....I dont like giving such low reviews, but I really cant justify anymore. I would not come back here, and I just really hope that the owner finds his enthusiasm again :(
Firstly the place was dead, we were the only guests and there was no atmosphere whatsoever. There isnt anything close by and at night it is completely pitch black. There is a tiny tv at the bar which is hijacked by the workers so You are forced to watch their choice.
Wifi is not available in all areas, as stated..Its run from a portable personal router which the young girl switched on for us. It is only available in the restaurant area so again, You are forced to sit there and do not have an option to go to Your room. Its 2015! and for 2500p a night I expect mod cons, as I said it is pitch black so You cannot even relax with a book as the bar lighting is so poor.
The rooms are expensive for what they are, and do not reflect the cost they are asking. I have received much better service and rooms all around the country. For example no fridge, no TV, a shoddy bathroom with water that was luke warm. The quality of the room is on par with a 1000p/ night guest house.
The food was very expensive for what it was, again like everyone says it took forever. Yes it is fresh, but food is cooked fresh every day all around the world....still doesn't take that long and lets be honest, Pancit really doesn't take that long.
Tours - We were told to be ready for 8am for the river tour. Got to the reception at 7:45am, and waited for the owners wife to drive us to the meeting point. We arrived at the meeting point at 8:25am to be met by a furious tour guide?! She blasted us for being late and the entire group was annoyed at us?! I explained that I did as I was told,...to be ready at 8am. The tour guide said we were to be at the meeting point for 8am but the hotel had ignored this request. We looked like complete idiots.
Im disappointed because it should have been great and it could have! It really could, The potential is there, the location is far but its still nice to be by the ocean and very calming, and I may add its not too far from the Tour meeting point which is nice. However the place is tired, Its like the owner had given up and cant be bothered any more....I dont like giving such low reviews, but I really cant justify anymore. I would not come back here, and I just really hope that the owner finds his enthusiasm again :(
Read more
Date of stay: January 2015Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
Room Tip: Not at this place!
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 villaleonoraresort, Owner at Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Responded Apr 29, 2017
Wow where to start? It is stated that wifi is available in public areas. PHP2,500/night? The most expensive room is A/C room PHP1,950. You booked to go to U/G River at less than 24 hours notice, you are lucky we have the contacts to do that. The request was for 8-30 AM that is when you arrived at the meeting point. No one asked about the TV, all you had to do was speak and they would have offered you the remote. You stayed in a fan room PHP1250/night and it tells you cold water shower, if it was luke warm you were lucky. You never mentioned any of this when you were there, perhaps if you hadn't have been so shy somethings mught have been solved to your liking.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stayed there with my family. The resort is decent enough, rooms are spacious and comfortable. We slept well because there's really not much to do but eat and sleep. It is located one hour away from the city and very remote. Beach is not that great, wave too strong most of the times so we couldn't swim. Plus there's construction in the next resort so it felt awkward to sun bathe and swim in our bikinis since male construction workers kept ogling at us. Nothing to do here since the rooms have no TV, there are no entertainment facilities except the billiard. They claim they have spa but price for a massage is a rip off at P800 per one hour massage, especially since they don't actually have massage therapist and just have on-call attendants from Puerto Princesa, which is one-hour away. A swimming pool would have been great, but they don't have one either. Breakfast is P195 which is a bit steep considering some star-rated hotels in the city only charge P200 but you get to eat in an airconditioned room with complete facilities and professional servers. The food in Villa Leonora is not all that bad, just the regular stuff but a bit pricey considering they don't taste that great. Thank God the staff were friendly and accommodating. Can't say the same of the husband and wife owners. The guys is rude (he said we shouldn't go to the restaurant after swimming in the beach because the floor gets wet when we walk on it! Why operate a beach resort if you are so particular about guests swimming in the ocean and getting sand on the floor of the resort!) and the wife never smiled, not once, kept frowning!
The first review about the resort in this website is true - you should go elsewhere for your accommodation because Villa Leonora is a let down. Nothing to do here but count the minutes and hours before you go to bed. The first night there was a brown out and they didn't even have a generator or emergency light! Good thing it happened early in the wee hours of the morning, otherwise how could we survive? But the worse thing about this resort are the owners. They should take a course on customer service because they seriously don't know what customer service is about.
The first review about the resort in this website is true - you should go elsewhere for your accommodation because Villa Leonora is a let down. Nothing to do here but count the minutes and hours before you go to bed. The first night there was a brown out and they didn't even have a generator or emergency light! Good thing it happened early in the wee hours of the morning, otherwise how could we survive? But the worse thing about this resort are the owners. They should take a course on customer service because they seriously don't know what customer service is about.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2011Trip type: Traveled with family
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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 villaleonoraresort, Owner at Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Responded Mar 9, 2011
It is obvious these people have lost the art of conversation and get bored with each others company. If people are friendly, it is usual to respond in kind. They weren't happy from the word go. If they wanted somewhere with more nightlife, it is obvious this resort wasn't for them. My advice is for people to do more research into the place they are going too. As for the waves I am not King Canute and I can't control the sea. Which is calm most of the time.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My husband and I booked there for our honeymoon but wasn't pleased with everything. The beach was muddy & dirty. The whole place was not a nice area in Palawan. We booked for 4 days 3 nights but stayed only a night. We asked if we could have a refund with the days and nights we paid but the male owner said 'NO'. He was even rude when my husband talked to him. In short, we didn't got our money back! Food was expensive. They gave small servings of food. Room only average. Over-all, bad accommodation. Won't come back ever again!!! Do yourself a favour, don't book at Villa Leonora!
Read more
Date of stay: January 2014Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Rooms
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.
The rooms were OK, pretty peaceful but it's out of nowhere. There are no stores whatsoever around and your stuck with their restaurant n their food. Food is WAY TOO expensive and it was not worth it. The beef adobo was terrible, meat was too tough. Also takes FOREVER to get the food.. Only thing that was ok was the breakfast (which did not include with the room rate) few friends also complained about the food, beef and soup that they ordered. It was too watery and had no taste at all.
Read more
Date of stay: February 2014
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
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 booked for 4 nights and left after 2. That the hotels has a really bad geographic spot is ok but the service was extremely bad! We were 6 persons ( all alone in the restaurant) and it took 1 hour and 10 min to get in our food. And then it turned up that it was all uneatable. The chicken was raw inside and bloody. We mentioned it to the staff and they didn't do anything about it. Either did they a discount on the bill.
Don't stay at this hotel !! You will lost both money and time! The service was soooooo bad!!!
Don't stay at this hotel !! You will lost both money and time! The service was soooooo bad!!!
Read more
Date of stay: December 2013
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 jamaicaManila, Owner at Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Responded Jan 15, 2014
I'm sorry about the chicken, but they did offer to cook it more for you. The food is cooked fresh and is certainly not fast food as in a burger or noodle house. if there are different dishes they try to prepare them all together and not serve them piece meal. Were you not more disappointed you didn't get a discount than the meal.
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We have cabanas 300/day and 50/day for adults. It is possible to use public transport by taking a tricycle to the San Jose New Market terminal, from there take either a bus or shuttle van going to San Rafael or Roxas and asked to be dropped at 60 kilometer marker Villa Leonora Beach Resort before San Rafael. The transport stops at the main gate of the resort. There are also vans and taxis at the airport where you can bargain a price.
"V udržované zahradě jsou lehátka, možnost opalování i koupání, do vesnice jezdi "stop" za 10 PHP za osobu."Read full review
"the villas on the north are more faraway from the bar wich is lower on noise if it gets a busy day at the baar"Read full review
The Working class Traveller wrote a tip Feb 2015
London, United Kingdom506 contributions192 helpful votes"Not at this place!"Read full review
"choose a room near the city for you to have lots of choices in terms of restaurants and lots of places to go"Read full review
ALSO KNOWN AS
villa leonora beach hotel puerto princesa
LOCATION
PhilippinesMimaropaPalawan ProvincePalawan IslandPuerto Princesa
NUMBER OF ROOMS
13
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.
Is This Your Tripadvisor Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your ListingVILLA LEONORA BEACH RESORT - Hotel Reviews (Puerto Princesa, Philippines) - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Villa Leonora Beach Resort
Which popular attractions are close to Villa Leonora Beach Resort?
Nearby attractions include Puerto Princesa City Baywalk Park (0.7 km) and Palawan Waterpark (1.9 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Villa Leonora Beach Resort?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, an on-site restaurant, and a spa.
Which room amenities are available at Villa Leonora Beach Resort?
Top room amenities include air conditioning, a desk, and a seating area.
What food & drink options are available at Villa Leonora Beach Resort?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant during their stay.
Is parking available at Villa Leonora Beach Resort?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.