I joined Atlantis Puerto Galera as a dive group leader with Aqua Hut Scuba and Travel in July. I can safely say that Atlantis nearly tops every one of my trips I have been on over the years. If you are considering Atlantis...I promise you will not be disappointed.
The amazing service started off with the communication and organization prior to the trip even starting. Atlantis had a well-organized system to pre-register guests, sign up for additional activities as well as pre-arranged all transfers and diver information/registration. This significantly assisted with my job as a dive group leader getting information to my clients and ensuring a simple and easy arrival.
The staff at Puerto Galera was without a doubt top notch. From the small and simple things like remembering your name each day, to being more than helpful at any given time when needed. No matter what you were doing, or where you were on the grounds you were met with a smile, greeting and assistance if required without hesitation.
To show you an example of how great the staff are, I personally had an issue with Delta and Korean Air losing my baggage for five dives. Between the front desk staff, management and the Chief Operations Officer Steve, they worked tirelessly for five days to keep me updated. contact the airlines multiple times a day and even gave me a set of rental dive gear to ensure I didn't miss out on anything while I was there. It truly made my trip memorable, and I cannot thank them enough for their tireless work.
The resort grounds are absolutely beautiful from the moment you step off the boardwalk. Lush palm trees, thatch roofs and the architecture of the resort really add a special feeling to the resort that makes it feel like your home away from home. With everything so close including the dining area, front desk pool and dive shop you are never more than a few steps away from anything you could need on your trip.
The dive shop is conveniently located near the water's edge where your tanks, gear lockers, and dive briefings were conducted just a few steps away from the boats ready to take you diving! The dive staff was superb and knowledgeable. From the detailed dive briefings to the excellent diving, you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend the day trip to Verde Island as that was probably the highlight of my trip with Puerto Galera. The diving here is a mix of "Muck" and coral with some of the most amazing creatures to be found. Diving in the Philippines has so far been one of my favorite locations to dive. The dive staff will take care of just about all of you needs, once you set your gear up the first day, they will take care of everything the rest of the week. Their dive locker area is very large and spacious to hang all your gear and store your fins, masks and accessories each night. The camera room is a nice addition to allow your camera gear to be secured in a locked room at night and has compressed air and towels to dry everything out. The camera room also has outlets with both 220v and 125v with American and international style plugs.
The rooms were spacious and comfortable. I shared a Deluxe room with my roommate and we both found it to be perfect. The room was very comfortable temperature wise, had a small AC unit and fan that was perfect for us. Water was always warm, and we had no complaints or issues. My only suggestion is that there are not a whole lot of outlets in the room, so bring a surge protector with multiple outlets as you'll need it for your electronics. In my opinion the bed was a little stiff but for me, I am totally ok with that. I enjoyed the support and didn't mind it but a few members in our group would have preferred a softer bed, however that is just preference.
Overall, in the end we spent a total of five days at Puerto Galera before transferring to Dumaguete. The transfers to and from the resort to Manila's international airport were perfect, there were no issues and all of the staff that was meeting us were dressed in Atlantis polos, knowledgeable and helped everyone get where they needed to go without delay.
From all of us at Aqua Hut Scuba and Travel we wanted to thank the amazing staff and management with Atlantis. They truly epitomize their motto "Arrive as a guest, leave as a friend" and it was proven time and time again with our group. If you are looking for one of the best places to stay, dive and relax in the Philippines this is it. I highly recommend Atlantis and will be back again.