NYCDiveGuy
Registered
Hi everyone,
I know there are a lot of questions on Anilao so i figured i'd contribute A report detailing mytrip from last month.
Overall the diving was really nice - not like Lembeh or Dumaguete - but still very enjoyable. I did have some hiccups but they were worked out. What i really liked about Anilao is that there is a good combination of muck and reef diving. The conditions were good and visibility generally ranged from 30-50ft. One day we have excellent visibility on Sombrero Island +70ft
I stayed at Acacia Dive Resort. The resort is touted to be the best in Anilao - my dive guide mentioned it was one of the most luxurious resorts in the area. At first impression I
would agree. The grounds are nice, the staff extremely friendly, and the
food both good and plentiful.
the transfer to Anilao from MNL was easy - the driver met us outside of NAIA terminal and quickly transported us to the resort in about 2 hours.
The rooms are small, basic, but adequate. The AC works! My room was a
small twin room with 2 beds divided by a night table. there was also a
small desk, closet, and en-suite bathroom. Wifi works in common areas but
spotty. There resort uses a wifi hotspot that only allows a certain number of devices to connect - you may have to ask staff to disconnect their device so you can get access!
The dive facility was very good and staff always available to help. There
are 4-5 camera desks out in the open in the dive area. I booked 8 nights
with 5 days of diving 3 dives a day through a dive travel agency in USA.
Additional day dives were $40/person and night dives were $45/per person
with a surcharge for only 1 diver. The prices seemed steep to me for
Philippines but slightly less than Lembeh. My dive buddy and I had 1 dive
guide and boat for the 2 of us the entire trip.
My biggest issue was with the way diving is arranged with freelance dive
guides and boats. When you book a package, the dive resort then contacts
dive guides/boats and negotiate a rate to accommodate the package. They
may negotiate a much better rate than what you are paying per dive. I
traveled to Anilao to see critters - this was my sole purpose as I love
muck diving! Unfortunately though, when i met my guide he quickly
informed us that he is not a good critter finder. My dive buddy and I were
hoping he was just joking - sadly he was not. The first 3 days with our
original guide were decent, but we were underwhelmed with the diving.
On our 4th day we arranged a private dive trip to verde island with an
independent dive guide Dennis though his website Anilao Critters. The
diving was great and we asked him to take us to a muck site for our last
dive. During this dive alone, Dennis showed us small, obscure creatures
that our previous guide would never have found. I immediately asked if he
was available for the rest of the week. When i returned to resort i
informed front desk that i wanted to change guides as the previous guide
was nice but not good at finding critters and Dennis was fantastic. The
front desk agreed but insisted that he was "more professional"
and insisted on a $5/dive/person surcharge to book. I tried to fight but
the resort wouldn't budge. I also didn't want to book independently as i
already had a package booked through them and didn't want to lose out on
pre-paid diving. As a freelancer, Dennis stayed out of the negotiations as
to not upset either party. I visited his website and noticed his direct
fees are only about $35/dive/person .$10/dive cheaper than the $45 we each
needed to pay to dive with him.
In the end it was worth paying the premium mid-trip as Dennis really turned
the trip around showing us some great rare critters including the bumble
bee shrimp, simplex shrimp, boxer crab, nudibranchs the size of rice grains
etc Dennis is an enthusiastic and passionate diver. He get just as
excited as his guests when he finds special critters. He is also a photographer and will provide tips to photographers and share photos of everything he shows you post dive. I highly recommend him for anyone traveling to Anilao.
In the end I could not help and feel as if i paid too much money to stay at
Acacia. As i don't have any comparison in the area, I can't judge what
other resorts provide and if the value is there. I've stayed at Atlanis in
Dumagete in past and feel that thought the price is similar, Atlantis
provides a much better experience overall which translates into overall
value given the quality of food, rooms, service, and dive operations.
My recommendation - Acacia is ok but expensive. Just book with Dennis
directly! Also, if your trip is limited to Anilao and you have time, i highly recommend a day trip to Verde Island for some big fish current diving ($185/person for a private 3 dive trip).
I know there are a lot of questions on Anilao so i figured i'd contribute A report detailing mytrip from last month.
Overall the diving was really nice - not like Lembeh or Dumaguete - but still very enjoyable. I did have some hiccups but they were worked out. What i really liked about Anilao is that there is a good combination of muck and reef diving. The conditions were good and visibility generally ranged from 30-50ft. One day we have excellent visibility on Sombrero Island +70ft
I stayed at Acacia Dive Resort. The resort is touted to be the best in Anilao - my dive guide mentioned it was one of the most luxurious resorts in the area. At first impression I
would agree. The grounds are nice, the staff extremely friendly, and the
food both good and plentiful.
the transfer to Anilao from MNL was easy - the driver met us outside of NAIA terminal and quickly transported us to the resort in about 2 hours.
The rooms are small, basic, but adequate. The AC works! My room was a
small twin room with 2 beds divided by a night table. there was also a
small desk, closet, and en-suite bathroom. Wifi works in common areas but
spotty. There resort uses a wifi hotspot that only allows a certain number of devices to connect - you may have to ask staff to disconnect their device so you can get access!
The dive facility was very good and staff always available to help. There
are 4-5 camera desks out in the open in the dive area. I booked 8 nights
with 5 days of diving 3 dives a day through a dive travel agency in USA.
Additional day dives were $40/person and night dives were $45/per person
with a surcharge for only 1 diver. The prices seemed steep to me for
Philippines but slightly less than Lembeh. My dive buddy and I had 1 dive
guide and boat for the 2 of us the entire trip.
My biggest issue was with the way diving is arranged with freelance dive
guides and boats. When you book a package, the dive resort then contacts
dive guides/boats and negotiate a rate to accommodate the package. They
may negotiate a much better rate than what you are paying per dive. I
traveled to Anilao to see critters - this was my sole purpose as I love
muck diving! Unfortunately though, when i met my guide he quickly
informed us that he is not a good critter finder. My dive buddy and I were
hoping he was just joking - sadly he was not. The first 3 days with our
original guide were decent, but we were underwhelmed with the diving.
On our 4th day we arranged a private dive trip to verde island with an
independent dive guide Dennis though his website Anilao Critters. The
diving was great and we asked him to take us to a muck site for our last
dive. During this dive alone, Dennis showed us small, obscure creatures
that our previous guide would never have found. I immediately asked if he
was available for the rest of the week. When i returned to resort i
informed front desk that i wanted to change guides as the previous guide
was nice but not good at finding critters and Dennis was fantastic. The
front desk agreed but insisted that he was "more professional"
and insisted on a $5/dive/person surcharge to book. I tried to fight but
the resort wouldn't budge. I also didn't want to book independently as i
already had a package booked through them and didn't want to lose out on
pre-paid diving. As a freelancer, Dennis stayed out of the negotiations as
to not upset either party. I visited his website and noticed his direct
fees are only about $35/dive/person .$10/dive cheaper than the $45 we each
needed to pay to dive with him.
In the end it was worth paying the premium mid-trip as Dennis really turned
the trip around showing us some great rare critters including the bumble
bee shrimp, simplex shrimp, boxer crab, nudibranchs the size of rice grains
etc Dennis is an enthusiastic and passionate diver. He get just as
excited as his guests when he finds special critters. He is also a photographer and will provide tips to photographers and share photos of everything he shows you post dive. I highly recommend him for anyone traveling to Anilao.
In the end I could not help and feel as if i paid too much money to stay at
Acacia. As i don't have any comparison in the area, I can't judge what
other resorts provide and if the value is there. I've stayed at Atlanis in
Dumagete in past and feel that thought the price is similar, Atlantis
provides a much better experience overall which translates into overall
value given the quality of food, rooms, service, and dive operations.
My recommendation - Acacia is ok but expensive. Just book with Dennis
directly! Also, if your trip is limited to Anilao and you have time, i highly recommend a day trip to Verde Island for some big fish current diving ($185/person for a private 3 dive trip).