Prior to starting this review, i read some previous reviews, and i have to say, most of the negative ones are either without foundation completely, or were written by overly pretentious people. It's island accommodation, it's cheap by western standards, yet some people seem to expect 5 star luxury for $40 -$50 a night ? Please, be serious people ! In any case, we booked a 3 week stay at KokosNuss, and our positive opinion of the place started before we even checked in ! Applied for the S-Pass twice before leaving Australia, the 2nd time being immediately before boarding our flight to Manila. Was rejected both times, reason unknown. On arrival in Manila, it was supposed to be a few hours in a hotel then a morning flight to Coron, but we still didn't have an S-Pass, and i was at a loss as to what to do. As a last resort, and out of desperation, i messaged KokosNuss to tell them of the issue. Keep in mind that by this time, it was around 11.30pm. Luckily for us, Alma was the one who responded, and assured us that she would get it sorted on our behalf, and she said to check our S-Pass account by 6.30am. Sure enough, when i checked at around 6.30, the S-Pass was approved. Alma was an absolute angel and our saving grace. Staying up to nearly midnight to help us out ! I/We...Prior to starting this review, i read some previous reviews, and i have to say, most of the negative ones are either without foundation completely, or were written by overly pretentious people.
It's island accommodation, it's cheap by western standards, yet some people seem to expect 5 star luxury for $40 -$50 a night ?
Please, be serious people !
In any case, we booked a 3 week stay at KokosNuss, and our positive opinion of the place started before we even checked in !
Applied for the S-Pass twice before leaving Australia, the 2nd time being immediately before boarding our flight to Manila.
Was rejected both times, reason unknown.
On arrival in Manila, it was supposed to be a few hours in a hotel then a morning flight to Coron, but we still didn't have an S-Pass, and i was at a loss as to what to do.
As a last resort, and out of desperation, i messaged KokosNuss to tell them of the issue.
Keep in mind that by this time, it was around 11.30pm.
Luckily for us, Alma was the one who responded, and assured us that she would get it sorted on our behalf, and she said to check our S-Pass account by 6.30am.
Sure enough, when i checked at around 6.30, the S-Pass was approved.
Alma was an absolute angel and our saving grace.
Staying up to nearly midnight to help us out !
I/We can't speak highly enough of Alma, and she is the epitome of true customer service.
After a stressful night with the S-Pass situation, we finally arrived at KokosNuss the next morning, and were greeted by really friendly staff.
We were shown to our room, with staff taking our suitcases and backpacks for us which was nice of them.
The room itself was quite nice, with a big bed, and the bathroom was a tastefully decorated room, separate to the bedroom.
One of the first things we needed was a good shower, and while the water wasn't hot, and the pressure wasn't great, it did the job for sure.
We sat down for dinner that first night, and when our ordered meals arrived, i was gobsmacked by the serving sizes.
I've travelled extensively around Asia (and the rest of the world) and nowhere have i been, particularly in Asia, where the serving sizes are a huge as at kokosNuss.
Eateries/Cafes/Restaurants around Asia typically have serving sizes akin to what the locals would eat themselves, and as we know, Westerners/Europeans tend to eat bigger meals than Asian people, so you tend to order more to compensate.
No need at KokosNuss, the meals are massive ! (and the range is good)
Not only are they massive in serving size, they are all freshly prepared and cooked, hence why some reviews mention having to wait a while for your order.
To have a freshly prepared and cooked meal, I’m quite happy to wait that little bit longer.
In terms of value, the meals are really well priced, especially considering that you won’t finish any of the meals still feeling hungry.
The next morning (our first full morning at KokosNuss) we ventured downstairs to the Al Fresco meals area for breakfast, and I mentioned to Alma about the water pressure in the room, and she moved us to a bigger family room upstairs.
For breakfast, we had a pot of freshly brewed coffee and plate sized Banana Pancakes.
Both of which were really good.
While having breakfast, a little Filipino girl, all of 3 years old, started chatting to us in near perfect English.
She told us her name, and was proud to tell us what the colour of things were, how many siblings she had and their names etc.
A very chatty and smart little girl for her age.
It turns out that she is Alma’s daughter.
Over the course of our stay, we saw the little girl every morning at breakfast, and every night at dinner.
When one of us wasn’t there, she would ask where the other one was.
Such was how used to us she became as she got to know us.
Interacting with her was one of the highlights of our stay for sure.
Aside from Alma, and the owner Bhaves, all other staff were really nice people and looked after us well.
Always friendly and smiling, and making sure we had what we needed.
True Filipino hospitality is how I would describe it.
All in all, I’d rate KokosNuss a solid 3.5 star across the board.
Like I said earlier, KokosNuss accommodation is basic but perfectly fine, so please don’t go there expecting everything to be 5 star or beyond.
The food is excellent, as is the staff, the well maintained pools were really enjoyable on the super hot days, and it’s a very easy 10 min walk into town.
The only 2 suggestions I could make would be that they look into how to get water pressure to the showers, and consider re-introducing the ability to settle bills by EFT.
Apart from those 2 minute things, we really enjoyed our stay at KokosNuss, and can’t wait to go back !More