Holy Smithereens!

Travel Ideas for the Luxurious Adventurer

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • PR / Media
  • Contact

Accommodation Review: Balinsasayaw Resort. Coron, Palawan

June 25, 2013 by Jean Holy Smithereens 8 Comments

The wonders of Facebook led me to Balinsasayaw Resort. A few months back, I was very overwhelmed searching for accommodation in Coron. I didn’t want a place that was in the middle of the city, nor did I want something 5 star. I was about to book into this resort that I was feeling kind of so-so about when I saw a friend post photos of his Holy Week Coron holiday on his personal Facebook page. They stayed at Balinsasayaw Resort, and I immediately got in touch.

a0443432-.jpg

COMMUNICATION

It was a breeze to communicate with Balinsasayaw Resort. Despite having a generic email account (ymail) and the reservations person replying via mobile phone, it was all prompt, quick, and accommodating. She did apologise for a couple of days’ non-reply as they are located in a private island and reception is sporadic.

Joanne, who I’d been corresponding with, was so graciously accommodating even with me ammending our itineraries a number of times (their rate includes all day trips ). The most surprising part, at this day and age of downpayments and such, she didn’t ask me for downpayment or even a credit card to guarantee the booking. She herself said that they will just go on a “trust basis” and advised that we can settle our bill when we actually get there. Sweet!

GETTING THERE / LOCATION

20130520_090644
Francisco B Reyes- Busuanga Airport

Well I have to say, this “trust basis” and I had problems getting off to a good start. When we arrived in Busuanga Airport, our airport to pier pickup (which was included in the booking), was missing! There were a few other drivers and vans at the airport and one of them kindly rang the resort for us and offered to give us a ride to the pier.

** fast forward to our checkout day, when we were being transferred from the pier to the airport, I found out from the actual driver that he was meant to pick us up back in day 1. He said he knew of our arrival, and when he was about to leave for the airport, his boss told him to skip this pickup (us), as we were only 1 group and therefore not worth the drive!! Geez. THANKS, BOSS! On this note I am totally Not impressed, Balinsasayaw.**

coron6

Waiting for us at the pier though, was Balinsasayaw Resort’s boat to transfer us to the actual resort. The entire resort is in a small island that is privately owned. And I immediately saw the advantage. All the island hopping and main attractions are near the resort. Which means if you are staying in the ‘mainland’ where most of the other hotels and accommodation places are, you have a longer boat journey getting to all the attractions. Not to mention that if you were staying on the mainland, everytime you get picked up, you may have to wait for other people (either from the same hotel or others), and then go to the pier, and then hop on a boat. We fully enjoyed the convenience of staying in a private island. We were the only group on every boat trip and excursion.

WELCOME!

20130520_104657

We were warmly greeted by a staff named “Diosa” (which means Goddess!) who explained to us the basic ammenities, etc. She promised us a welcome drink that will be served later in the afternoon. We arrived around 11AM, and they didn’t have cold water or ice at the time. (lets see how many one liners we can come up with…”I’d give you a drink , but…..”)

Our bags were delivered straight to our rooms.

ROOMS

IMG_20130520_141702

We stayed in a 2-bedroom family villa. Each room had their own bathrooms. Non-adjoining. One room had 1 Queen sized bed, and the other room had 2 single beds.

image credit: agoda.com
image credit: agoda.com

The rooms are fine, the airconditioning works well, and I liked the firm mattress. However, one important thing to know: Balinsasayaw Resort, being an island of its own, runs on a generator powered electricity. And as such, there is no electricity in the island from 730 AM – 500 PM. Assuming that you are out the entire day, this shouldn’t really bother you that much. There are times, however, when you will feel the discomfort of having no electricity. Such as that time when our day trip finished early, and we were on the boat going back to the resort. Exhausted from the day’s activities, we were saying “Man, I can’t wait to go back have a shower and sleep inside the cool room!” then that 4 second moment of silence when you all remember that it’s 2 more hours till electricity comes.

In the main dining/receiving area though, you can ask them to charge your phone/camera during the day (they use solar power).

20130523_094901-001

It’s breezy outside the rooms so that’s where we hung out while waiting for electricity.

siesta's calling.
siesta’s calling.

and there’s also hammocks by the main area facing the sea where you will inevitably fall into a deep siesta once you start swinging. No electricity = natural seabreeze. Not a bad deal. Not bad at all.

BATHROOM

6432519
image credit: booking.com

Now this is one area where some serious renovation could come in handy for Balinsasayaw as a resort/accommodation. I don’t have a personal photo as the bathrooms were really dark (the photo above was brighter than in real life). There were ammenities like toothbrush and soap. There was hot water too. But as the water comes from a natural well, it was yellowish in colour and had a taste of salt in it. It IS Clean, but can be unnerving if you’re not used to it. . The toilet had some flushing issues in day 1, but it was fixed immediately. The tiling looked old and honestly, quite gritty. We had to use our slippers while showering. You wouldn’t want to go barefoot in it.

FOOD

We got an all-inclusive package for this resort. There’s almost a universal understanding that if your resort includes all meals, expect the meals to be so-so or ordinary at best. Well, I can’t even begin to tell you how much we all loved Balinsasayaw’s food. ALL OF IT!

the glorious, wonderful food of Balinsasayaw Resort
the glorious, wonderful food of Balinsasayaw Resort

The abundance of seafood was just amazing. AMAZING! Grilled whole fish, squid, fresh fruits..gosh meals became something that we always looked forward to. If you are a seafood lover like me, you’d be in seafood heaven. To the carnivores, do be aware that meat is very scarce. We did get the occassional adobo but it was in a small bowl. But you would NOT want to eat meat as really, I tell you ALL their seafood was cooked to absolute perfection. Generous portions too!

I am super duper trooper in love with your food, Balinsasayaw!
I am super duper trooper in love with your food, Balinsasayaw!

We later found out that Balinsasayaw first started as a restaurant in Tagaytay. No wonder food is their specialty! TIP: even if you’re staying in the mainland, I urge you to TRY to make a restaurant booking in Balinsasayaw. I’m pretty sure that at this stage, they do not accept walk-ins/ non-guests. (hence, TRY) But the food is seriously worth trekking for.

SERVICE

lunch at a raft on a whim? no problem!
lunch at a raft on a whim? no problem!

The staff of Balinsasayaw are very accommodating and flexible. From email to face-to-face encounter, interaction was consistently polite and accommodating. An example of how accommodating they are- As we were returning from Kayangan Lake to have lunch at the resort, we passed by a raft floating near the resort and our divemaster just casually asked if we want to have lunch there. Sure why not? Minutes later, an entire boat came with all of our food, utensils, drinks. Amazing service!

ARCHIE

Archie is Balinsasayaw Resort’s in-house Divemaster (and Dive Instructor and Nurse/Qualified Rescuer/ Part Owner!) Β and deserves a whole section of his own! He really made our diving experience one of a kind.

My friend Mary and her fiance Sherard came with us. Mary is not a diver but wanted to experience diving. Balinsasayaw offers DSD – Discover Scuba Diving, perfect for those who are non-divers but would like to experience limited diving for the day.

DSD- Discover Scuba Diving
DSD- Discover Scuba Diving

I’m so glad that Mary’s first scuba experience was such a positive one that she’s inspired to get her certification soon. Archie was very thorough, patient and knowledgeable. How awesome that her first dive was a shipwreck!

And Archie also dove with Zombie and I to East Tangat wreck, where we explored the insides of a sunken gunboat: (second part of the video)

 

And when Zombie and Sherard felt like night fishing, Archie quickly arranged our boat and came with us too.

coron8

Archie also knows the awesome places to snorkel/dive and swim. If we had more days in Coron, we’d love to see all the other shipwrecks!

SURROUNDINGS/ MISCELLANEOUS

20130523_094948-001

You are surrounded by nature in Balinsasayaw and as such, there’s plenty of insects/bugs/mosquitoes. Be armed with loads of insect repellent.

And if you are into the nightlife, cafe’s and bars, well I would advise you to stay elsewhere. Zombie and I are not so much into the nightlife so a quiet night is alright for us. If you are craving for munchies, you can ask the staff specifically what you want and they will try to get it from the mainland.

Here’s what kept us entertained on those quiet nights:

20130523_105356-001

Now the big question is:

WOULD I STAY AT BALINSASAYAW RESORT AGAIN?

Here’s my short and simple answer: If the bathrooms were improved, YES!Β I am a stickler for being comfortable in the loo. So if things were improved in the bathroom end, without any hesitation, I would happily stay there again. I mean, I had such a great and awesome time that I even forgot about the hiccup in the beginning of them ‘forgetting’ to pick us up at the airport. And the food was just too good to be true! And Archie is such a great divemaster / tour organiser that we will no doubt contact him again should we decide to go back to Coron to dive. The electricity issue is something I can overlook because we are away most of the day anyway.

Balinsasayaw Resort

Brgy Lajala Uson Island, Coron , Palawan

————————————————–

What’s a deal-breaker in accommodation for you? Bathrooms? Electricity? Do share!

«
»

Filed Under: Philippines, Resort, Reviews

About Jean Holy Smithereens

Jean is a lover of luxury travel and adventure, always looking for that "Holy Smithereens"-inducing moment on her travels. Follow the blog and other social media pages of Holy Smithereens to get the ultimate travel ideas for the luxurious adventurer!

Comments

  1. Marcia says

    June 25, 2013 at 4:42 pm

    Guess it depends on how long I’m staying and the type of accommodation it is as I’ve done without both before. Balinsasayaw looks heavenly and I’d handle the no electricity quite fine. Nice review. Now you’ve made *me* want to go there!

    Reply
    • Jean | Holy Smithereens says

      June 25, 2013 at 9:34 pm

      Hi Marcia! Wow that must be quite an experience (like camping)! I can do without electricity but not without bathroom/toilet. Yes it is a lovely place, close to ‘getting there’ with a few improvements. Just the food alone makes me want to go back!

      Reply
  2. Steve says

    July 14, 2013 at 4:00 pm

    My wife and I were considering Boracay for next year, but it does not look like my style with the crowds. Maybe go back to one of the resorts on Samal. Malapasqua is nice although primitive, but it WAS cheap! The wife says Palawan may be a better choice, but it sounds like that island is going the way of Boracay. Kahn sa ham ni da for the nice blog!

    Reply
    • Jean | Holy Smithereens says

      July 16, 2013 at 9:54 am

      Hi Steve, I would realy urge you to consider Palawan rather than boracay. I wouldnt mind the crowds in Boracay if the underwater offered a drawback but it was just quite bad. Palawan may have the potential to go the Boracay way especially now that theyve announced it as “best island in the world”- i do agree so go now while it’s not as touristy yet πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Nenette says

    July 24, 2013 at 5:15 pm

    I love Coron too! Been there twice and look forward to a third time. Next time, try Dindo Narciso’s Busuanga Island Paradise. A family can stay at their La Vista rooms or couples can stay at their casitas. First class! Stayed there both times!

    Reply
    • Jean | Holy Smithereens says

      July 24, 2013 at 10:11 pm

      Thanks for the suggestion Nenette! Will look into Busuanga Island Paradise when we plan to see Coron next, we loved loved Loved Coron! πŸ™‚

      Reply
  4. Grace @ Sandier Pastures says

    March 10, 2015 at 5:20 am

    Hi Jean,

    I am reading your Philippines trip archive posts to see where to go when I go back there in July this year. I love your courage in the water! I am scared to swim in the deep but Pristine is not and when I showed your video to her, she immediately declared, “I wanna do that when I grow up, like her!”. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
    • Jean Holy Smithereens says

      March 11, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Hi Grace, have you decided where to go / what to do? How long will you be there for? Haha Pristine is so cute πŸ™‚ Im so happy I’ve made her even want to explore the ocean more! She’s such a brave young girl. Next she’ll be asking to get her scuba diving license πŸ™‚ — Go for it!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LET’S GET SOCIAL

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

INSTAGRAM

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • PR / Media
  • Contact

Copyright © 2021 · Web Design by Fancy Girl Design Studio