We arrived at Hayahay after spending 2 weeks in Palawan where we stayed in some really nice resorts, so on arriving we were a little bit hesitant because of the older, tired room (and no view of anything really) but as it turned out the location made up for all of the shortfalls. Just a short note on transportation, we had arrived at Cebu airport and paid P270 for a taxi to ferry terminal 1 where we were charged P10 for the taxi to come into the port with our luggage which was great. We opted for the open air class (P450) rather that the inside tourist class (P500) which provided a covered seating area and is a good choice. You also are charged the port fee P25 pp and a baggage fee P50. On arrival at Tagbilaran we arranged a tricycle to Alona Beach for P300. Note that you need to carry your baggage about 100m along the sandy track to the hotel from where you are dropped off. On arrival the hotel staff were not overly friendly but still ok - I had to keep asking about the wifi and they would reset the router, but in reality don't expect any great internet connection here. The rooms are old and a bit worn out, but still clean and comfortable and a little cramped. Its all about location location location - the hotel is right amongst everything that you would need - there are small shops nearby for snacks, beers, etc, plenty of restaurants / bars to choose from, and you are right on the beach as soon as you walk out of the hotel. It is surprisingly quiet at night (no roads) apart from the music next door, but thankfully it was always shutdown before 11pm each night. A quick word on wifi - most of the bars / restaurants have wifi and it is so much better than the hotel. There are a few bars offering happy hour with beers for P50 and cocktails P100 so worth a visit even if it is only for the wifi .....Most of the nearby restaurants are relatively expensive as you would expect - if you shop around it is surprising that some restaurants charge so much more for a particular dish, so check a few out depending upon what you want to eat. We didn't eat at Hayahay as we found it overly expensive for their seafood dishes. There is also a 7-11 nearby and a McDonalds under construction ...... Note that on the corner where you are dropped off in Alona Beach there are many touts selling boat tours, transfers, motor bikes, etc. I chatted to a few and this is where I organised a motorbike to hire as well as our transfer back to Tagbilaran pier for the ferry back to Cebu. I also organised a private boat to take us to the Balicasag Marine Sanctuary for P2000 (whole boat) plus entrance fee P250pp - if you need to rent a snorkel and mask it will cost you P150pp. There are many people trying to sell you a similar boat tour but even though you may save a little it looks to be very very crowded. This marine park is definitely worth the effort to visit. Even though this hotel has its drawbacks, I think that it is a good place to base yourself for a few days and is of reasonable value.

We didn’t expect too much coming in to this hotel but liked a lot about it. It’s in one of the best locations and the rooms are comfy. Yah there’s a few quirks like the wifi being weak and the rooms not being cool enough, but sometimes I think people forget when they come to these countries it may not be up to our normal standards. I would recommend this stay if I had friends coming here.

Visited Hayahay five years ago. The clean rooms, friendly and helpful staff, and package rates (room, diving, and food) comparable to last visit. The dive shop is a lot smaller. All dives (five in total) were with five or fewer divers which I liked. Saw other dive parties further down the beach with over 20 divers on the boat. Equipment was very good and dive master accomidating as to what type of dive you wanted. Food at the restaurant was good but be careful when picking out your seafood. A lobster I choose was dated and the meat was to old. Prawns were the best and as good as I remembered them. The ambience of Alona Beach has changed from very international (european, south pacific, asian, some western) to almost all asian (korean, japanese, chinese) and three times as many people on the beach. Despite that, it is still a place to get away and experience the south pacific. Stayed five days, wish it was more.