Anilao: Casa Escondida vs Aiyanar
- Thread starter ronscuba
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D_Fresh
Contributor
I cannot comment on Ayianar as I've not been there yet, but I can explain Casa Escondida...
I will definitely go back there again in the future. Their property is very nice. It's kind of compact in that there are a lot of floors/stairs, but that's more dictated by the landscape. The room sizes are excellent, very western style. The hotel portion is very clean, large-tiled floors in the hallways and rooms, with great dive pics of small and large creatures. The dining area/restaurant is open and spacious with large covered and uncovered areas and a dedicated bar. The food(filipino food) was really good and plentiful, served buffet style. The hospitality staff was great, very personable and friendly.
I really like the setup of the dive-op. Nice dive lockers (bins and crates, but lots of space). Great camera room with compressed air and dedicated camera towels. Nice size "locker rooms" (restroom/showers really) with individual shower stalls. I would like to see more seating in the area for donning wetsuits and such, but minor detail.
Very deep, clean, salt water pool for instruction or weight checks prior to heading off on the boat. (I really like this, no need to waste time on the boat for a weight check or adjustment.) The pool even has a high bench at the deep-end for teaching backrolls.
Their instructor is great. I didn't work with him directly, but he and his student were on our boat dives and I got to observe him above and below the surface. The DMs are chill and flexible (explain your "skills" or what you want to get out of each dive and they'll do their best to make that happen). All dives are boat dives, there's really no house reef.
All in all, I would rate Casa Escondida in my top 3 properties in the Anilao area.
I will definitely go back there again in the future. Their property is very nice. It's kind of compact in that there are a lot of floors/stairs, but that's more dictated by the landscape. The room sizes are excellent, very western style. The hotel portion is very clean, large-tiled floors in the hallways and rooms, with great dive pics of small and large creatures. The dining area/restaurant is open and spacious with large covered and uncovered areas and a dedicated bar. The food(filipino food) was really good and plentiful, served buffet style. The hospitality staff was great, very personable and friendly.
I really like the setup of the dive-op. Nice dive lockers (bins and crates, but lots of space). Great camera room with compressed air and dedicated camera towels. Nice size "locker rooms" (restroom/showers really) with individual shower stalls. I would like to see more seating in the area for donning wetsuits and such, but minor detail.
Very deep, clean, salt water pool for instruction or weight checks prior to heading off on the boat. (I really like this, no need to waste time on the boat for a weight check or adjustment.) The pool even has a high bench at the deep-end for teaching backrolls.
Their instructor is great. I didn't work with him directly, but he and his student were on our boat dives and I got to observe him above and below the surface. The DMs are chill and flexible (explain your "skills" or what you want to get out of each dive and they'll do their best to make that happen). All dives are boat dives, there's really no house reef.
All in all, I would rate Casa Escondida in my top 3 properties in the Anilao area.
I'm going back to Aiyanar next week for my third time. No complaints about anything.
borisphotosafari
Contributor
I just dove with Blue Ribbon Dive Resort last week. They were very good. It's a small resort, 7 rooms. They used to be in PG but moved to Anilao in November. I liked diving in small groups. The guides were excellent. The staff at the resort were always helpful. Breakfast was included. Food was good too.
It was my first time in Anilao, I really enjoyed it. At the start, they ask you what do you want to see.
We saw a rhinopia, mating mimic octopus, blue ring octopus, thorny sea horse, hairy frog fish, and a lot more.
It was my first time in Anilao, I really enjoyed it. At the start, they ask you what do you want to see.
We saw a rhinopia, mating mimic octopus, blue ring octopus, thorny sea horse, hairy frog fish, and a lot more.
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To tell you the truth. Casa Escondida and Aiyanar are 2 very different types of resort. Email marco.santos@aiyanar.com for more info.
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