Anilao or Puerto Galera?

[Centrals]

If I may say, no more unforeseen pricing for single divers in Anilao

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ph...ywhere-else-world-even-if-you-come-alone.html

Thanks !

US$102.00 for a single room!!!!

 

[BuceoFilipinas]

Yes Centrals, and 58US$ per person for double or triple occupancy with breakfast, from November to June inclusive, and a 30% off in accommodation during the months of July to October


Our exclusive 10 deluxe cabanas offer amazing sea/sunset views, most of them are single detached, with 45 sqm in area, with 2 double and 1 single hotel class beds, with a large CR and balcony, with aircon, safety deposit box, modern tropical furnished and with kettle and complementary coffee, tea and water for the comfort of our guests…

Hope you can have a chance of visiting us so you can see the facilities and experience our service by yourself... Thanks

 

[Centrals]

Hope you can have a chance of visiting us so you can see the facilities and experience our service by yourself... Thanks

Highly unlikely even if I had won the lottery.
Never paid anything more than US$50.00 in Philippines from La Union to Gen San and from Puerto Princesa to Southern Leyte.
I don't need luxury in scuba trip liveaboard included.

 

[Indydiver2]

If your non-diver loves you very much and has a stack of paperbacks, go to Anilao. Take her to Greenhills and buy her some pearls on your return to Manila.

+1 for Greenhills...

I've stayed at Aquaventure in Anilao for 3 or 4 separate weekends last year. The food (buffet style) was always good if you're into Filipino food. They always had a fairly regular crowd on the weekends that were friendly. Diving was great. The nightlife outside of the resort was pretty much non-existent unless you stayed at the resort and drank. But I didn't go there for the nightlife...

 

[aumexican]

I don't know about Anilao diving but it sounds a bit expensive and boring for a non diver.

I'd go with centrals suggestion for accommodation but dive with Action divers around the corner, in Sebang. I've dived with lots of macro hunters there and all have found some good critters.

As for that single diver thing, I had the same in Cebu, I rang 3-4 dive operators and all wanted me to get my own boat at great expense. One shop even had another group, which they said I couldn't join. I'll probably bypass Cebu for Bohol or Malapasqua unless I'm with a group next time and would suggest this to others.

 

[Hybrid4AGE]

Yes Centrals, and 58US$ per person for double or triple occupancy with breakfast, from November to June inclusive, and a 30% off in accommodation during the months of July to October


Our exclusive 10 deluxe cabanas offer amazing sea/sunset views, most of them are single detached, with 45 sqm in area, with 2 double and 1 single hotel class beds, with a large CR and balcony, with aircon, safety deposit box, modern tropical furnished and with kettle and complementary coffee, tea and water for the comfort of our guests…

Hope you can have a chance of visiting us so you can see the facilities and experience our service by yourself... Thanks

I hope to visit you when I go back home in September and avail of the discount during low season.

By the way, exactly where are u located?

 

[BuceoFilipinas]

I hope to visit you when I go back home in September and avail of the discount during low season.By the way, exactly where are u located?

Thank you very much Hybrid4AGE, it will be pleasure having you around any time ... We are located in Sitio Balanoy (San Teodoro), between Planet Dive - Twin Rocks dive site (to our right, facing the sea) and Sea Springs - Mainit/Secret Bay dive sites (to our left), front house reef Buceo Point (former Secret Garden)... Please let us know if you need any further info.. Thanks !

 

[Hybrid4AGE]

Oh I know the place....you're further down the road.

See you soon!

 

[knifebox]

you can try Aquaventure or Portulano. Very non-diver friendly. You can also ask if there are groups going to sombrero island, nice beach there as well as a nice dive site at Batok.

 

[PhatD1ver]

If you enjoyed Dauin and are a photographer, I'd definitely pick Anilao over PG. You are absolutely correct, though, that the weird pricing that you will only find in Anilao is a big drawback for the solo diver. Especially if you already have your dates, I'd check with Club Ocellaris to see if they have other divers staying there at the same time. If so, I've always had success joining another group or boat, and otherwise the prices are a bargain...4 dives/day accommodation and food for $165 USD/day. Fantastic guides catering to photographers and good food. Other times I've gone when Club O didn't have guests I've found Aquaventure gave the most reasonable break for a single diver in the absence of being to share a boat/guide.

Puerto Galera's diving is more varied, but with macro not even close to being on par with Anilao. True you would get varied diving options as well as well as options for night life. The whole area is a little "seedy" though.

Both are great choices, but I'd give Anilao a shot to see if you can get a reasonable deal.

I'd have to agree, Club O is a good choice, and there is also Aquaventure Reef Club where a single can stay for just a teeny bit more than a double, $125 a day for lodging, meals, diving (4 dives)... a night dive is going to add $45, transpo is the killer $180 round trip unless you catch a bus to Batangas and then get ground trans ($40)...

But the thing people paying the horrendous prices driven by the Manila weekenders is that the diving is all the same regardless of which Anilao/Mabini resort you stay at. Reality is that you can't off-gas fast enough to do six dives a day and keep it up for 5 days... so you are going to put your major dives into boat diving off the bancas, and maybe catch one or two house reef dives...

A place like Aquaventures offers a soft mattress, good food (I swear by it), great mango shakes (extra $$), and a perfect location to catch your dives from.. Joel is an excellent DM/guide who can help you find the tiny stuff.

---------- Post added August 18th, 2014 at 04:03 PM ----------

I'm well aware of happy wife= happy life!. She will put up with the remoteness of the resorts in Anilao if that makes me happy.
I 'm thinking I'll like the diving in Anilao more than Puerto Galera as I'm crazy for critters. ( I'm doing a third trip solo to Lembeh this fall.)

Is it mostly muck environment in Anilao?

I'll be checking out the resorts in more depth, I like Buceo's single diver pricing, and location but I'll be looking at others too. Some I've ruled out merely from the cost.

On another thread someone mentioned an alternative to the over $100 per person transfers from Manila is to take a JAM liner bus to Batangas. I like this idea as the transfer rates as ridiculously expensive compared to what it costs elsewhere to get around. I'll have to check this out further but has anyone else done the JAM liner bus? Is it easy to get a trike from Batangas to the resort?

And thanks to everyone for their input, it's all been of great help.That's what I love about ScubaBoard!

I'm a fan of Aquaventure Reef Club, the accomodations aren't even 3-star, but they are clean and bug free... Club O has experts on the little critters, they know where to find them... and both have decent in house food...