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Justina B
London, United Kingdom

Great hospitality, best live entertainment, delicious food and superb location!

5.0 of 5 bubblesReviewed Feb 18, 2019
Myself & my partner have decided to take a little break from our online jobs and find a little escape on a gorgeous island of Malapascua. Whenever we travel around South East Asia, we don't focus on the actual accommodation that much, since we are always out and about exploring, and we think that the basic amenities such as bed, shower, toilet & air-con is a must, everything else is a bonus. However, Hippocamus not only met all of our expectations but they actually went above & beyond.

When we arrived, we realised that the resort is right on the beachfront of Bounty beach so it only took us 1 minute to walk from where we got dropped off. Super easy!
We were welcomed by lovely staff of Hippocampus, they all had lovely smiles and seemed to be very approachable. We've also met up with the owner of the place - Lee. He kindly showed us around and told us what is there to do on the island and around which was super nice of him!
We stayed at this resort for two nights and we couldn't be happier! We had a room with a sea view, it looked like a picture rather than a window, couldn't believe it ourselves how beautiful it was! Our room was very spacious, perfect temperature, the bed was extremely comfortable, big and soft and the water pressure was very strong in the bathroom.
We have also enjoyed some live entertainment at the resort, they had a live band on which was very engaging with the public and we danced the night away with some delicious mojitos in our hands!
In terms of food, they serve a variety of items, from Filipino to Western food. We highly recommending trying their 'all meat pizza', pork chop, pork adobo and Caesar salad. In terms of breakfast, go for eggs Benedict and mixed fruit granola bowl - to die for!
We have truly enjoyed every single bit of our stay at Hippocampus and there is nothing bad that we could say about this place. Great atmosphere, amazing ambiance during the evening, easy to meet foreigners and locals and very comfortable rooms with stunning views!
p.s. if you collect a bag of rubbish, you can get a free coffee and they also use bamboo straws which helps to save the environment! They focus on plastic-free environment which is a very nice aspect of their ethics!
We will be back! Best wishes from Micha & Justina ( Beer For Breakfast )
Date of stay: February 2019
Room Tip: We highly recommend staying at room 17
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
5.0 of 5 bubblesValue
5.0 of 5 bubblesCleanliness
5.0 of 5 bubblesService
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hipporesort, Manager at Hippocampus Beach Resort, responded to this review
Responded Mar 23, 2019
Thank you so much guys!!!
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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Reviewed February 7, 2019 via mobile

A great spot to see live music in the outdoor bar under the stars, right next to the sea. The cocktail list is a must with well trained and tentative staff this place is a must every Saturday and Wednesday night. During the day the food menu has been well designed offering local and more well know dishes. There is a kiteschool next the the main reception offering lessons or you can just chill out on the Stand Up Paddle boards. The Hippocampus is a must for anyone visiting Malapascua island.

Date of stay: December 2017
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
1  Thank C4039DRdavidb
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.
hipporesort, Manager at Hippocampus Beach Resort, responded to this reviewResponded March 23, 2019
Google Translation

Cheers Dave!

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Reviewed December 25, 2018 via mobile

I stayed at the Hippocampus as part of a package with Devocean. This is a good option if you are diving as you can come and go easily from dives. Note that my friend stayed 5 mins away and used Devocean with ease, so if cost is an issue, there might be better options nearby.

The rooms are basic but clean with air con and fan. The water pressure was very low, so there is hot water but expect to take a long shower to shampoo and wash.

Note: The property would be MUCH better with concrete paths from the restaurant or a water rinse in front of each room. I ended up with way too much sand in the room even after trying to rinse at a single tap in front of the rooms. This is an easy fix which should be done.

There is a nice bar next to the dive shop that has lots of activity from 5pm onwards. There is live music on Wed and Sat nights. This is easy to hear in the rooms so expect to be up until 11pm on these nights.

The restaurant serves a mix of Western and Asian food. The breakfast is the best part in my view. The pizzas are forgettable (well mine stayed with me for a few hours after lunch), especially when compared with Angelina’s, a 10 min walk down the beach. I would put Angelina and Ocean Veda above Hippo for food quality but otherwise eating here is okay, especially when combined with drinks. Service could be better but is inline with other options on the island.

Overall, the Hippocampus is a decent option on Malapascua’s main beach. Small fixes around the sand, water pressure, and food would easily place this resort in the top spot.

Date of stay: November 2018
Trip type: Traveled with friends
3  Thank Cornell_Hotelie_94
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.
hipporesort, Manager at Hippocampus Beach Resort, responded to this reviewResponded December 27, 2018

Hi there! Thanks for your review and your constructive feedback! You say it is written for travelers, but it is also great for us owners to read to get your ideas and feedback on positive change in the resort.

As for comparison of our pizza to Angelinas.... well, let's just say that they are an Italian Pizzeria and we are a beach resort with a mixed menu. Pizza is their specialty, so naturally their pizzas are very delicious! However, we still think our pizzas are yummy too -we apologize if yours was not :( We are continually working to improve our food here and always working with our kitchen and consultants to provide a better experience for our guests. We are making small adjustments almost every day, tweaking recipes here and there and trying to get it just right. We hope that next time you come back we can win you back :)

As for the concrete paths or the rinse area in front of the rooms - this is a great feedback and something we started working on already! We don't want to put concrete paths everywhere because we want you to feel like you are on the beach, hence the sand. However, we WILL be installing a new rinse system for each room to make sure you can get that sand off before getting in the room! We hope you can come back to test it out next time and we invite you for a free cocktail to enjoy for giving us honest feedback and a great idea.

Thanks and we hope to see you again!
Hippo Team

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Reviewed November 30, 2018 via mobile

After meeting the dashingly handsome Canadian owner and manager I had to stay for his charming personality and militant Acouting.

The cocktails were delicious with the best happy hour on the island using premium import alcohol instead of the local poison the other places seemed to all be using.

The menu was great but the specials they offered were on another level. Who ever the chef was behind those specials was a culinary master of the highest regard. I hope the owners pay him well because that’s one asset you don’t want to loose. Just to die for!

The accommodation was beautiful and clean. Right on the beach with air con and hot showers. Looks like the place had just been overhauled and everything looked so new and shiny. What a great price for such high end accommodation and super fast and reliable internet. I’ll be back again on my holiday and wouldn’t stay anywhere else.

Date of stay: November 2018
1  Thank keeno233
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.
hipporesort, Manager at Hippocampus Beach Resort, responded to this reviewResponded December 4, 2018

Thanks Roberto for your excellent review - and thanks for your binge drinking in our bar. I think you hold the record for highest tab ever accumulated! We never went through more Jagermeister than when you were here - you must be a hunter?

Yes, our food specials are outrageously good and the good news is that they will be hitting the regular menu soon!

See you next time, gangster!

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Reviewed November 5, 2018 via mobile

My girlfriend and I stayed here in October. It is located right next to a beach, and has loungers for bathing. The room was comfortable and spacious. The food is good, and to top it off you get free breakfast

Date of stay: October 2018
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
1  Thank BennersHean
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.
hipporesort, Manager at Hippocampus Beach Resort, responded to this reviewResponded December 4, 2018

Hey there! Thanks for the kind words, we are glad you enjoyed your stay! See you next time!

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Reviewed October 18, 2018 via mobile

This is where we stay for 2 days and
room is clean, location is great, ambiance is peaceful because of near in bounty beach but all in all experience is great. They have mini bar and restaurant,you dont need to go anywhere. Just a little bit pricey on their drinks and food.

Date of stay: July 2018
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Thank graziosalynda
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.
hipporesort, Manager at Hippocampus Beach Resort, responded to this reviewResponded October 18, 2018

Hi there! Thanks for the great review about our rooms, location, ambiance, and the beach! We are sad to hear that you viewed our menu as too expensive - if you will compare us to other restaurants in the same location and same quality/service level, you will see we offer the same prices, but even better quality food and service :) We are actually one of (maybe the only) restaurants in the island who serve romaine lettuce, and not old iceburg lettuce. Our kitchen was overhauled in the last two years including a new menu from a very experienced chef and training our kitchen staff on different cooking methods. Our food is in the upper level of price on the island sure, but it's also in the upper level of quality and taste. We also offer buy one get one free cocktails using premium alcohol and ingredients from 4-7pm everyday which is unworldly prices for what you get. I know I would pay 15$ for a Mojito like that at home! ;) Anyhow, It's your preference where you choose to eat, we are glad you enjoyed your stay. Thanks and we hope to see you again!

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