Going to Anilao solo... ...recommendations please

[Nettie-NZ]

I've got some very well priced tickets (including 30 kg baggage allowance ) to Philippines for late Oct/ early Nov this year and I'm very keen to dive Anilao. I've spent quite a bit of time at Lembeh and I thought I'd try somewhere different for macro for a change. This is going to be my first time in the Philippines.
I'm looking for advice please on which places offer the best value for money for someone travelling solo. So far I'm intending on sending enquiries to Buceo Anilao, Crystal Bay & ASDC. Unsure about whether I should look at Club O or anywhere else?
It would be great to know whether they have Nitrox & if there are any issues with analysers.... ....also comments on whether I need to bring my own stash of coffee too please - I have a serious caffeine addiction! I'm pretty happy with Indo/ Malay style kopi (the real grounds stuff), but instant coffee just ain't gonna cut it!
I've got roughly two weeks, is it also worth taking a slight diversion to Puerto Galera or just maximise my time in Anilao? (At the mo gut feel and advice from others says stay in Anilao...)
Oh and how do people get on with getting ear infections in Anilao? I always get ear infections at Lembeh so I travel prepared with antibiotics.

Thanks in advance!

 

[WetPup]

I put my vote in for Buceo Anilao.

Stayed there in January for a week - diving disrupted by the typhoon though. Loved it regardless. Returning for another 2 weeks in June to try and make up for disruptions

The resort is well setup to cater for solo travellers. They also have a pod coffee machine (you pay a little extra for the pods). Or instant Nescafe Blend 43 swill which is included in the price of your stay. I too am a caffeine snob. Use the coffee pods.

Also, no ear infections in Anilao. I found the water to contain significantly less garbage than Lembeh.

 

[Centrals]

1. If you have about 2 wks to spend then couple of days in PG won't hurt. It is completely difference both above and below water. If you never try you will never know.
2. Pre-treat your ear before every dive. Keep your ear wax.

 

[KDAD]

Batangas, the region that Anilao is in, is known for their coffee (so I was told by the local I was with). On our way back to Manila from diving down there we stopped at a road side stand selling locally grown and roasted coffee and bought a kilo to take home. Good stuff. You should be fine with coffee there.

We stayed at Acacia Dive Resort. No instant coffee there. Nice place with good food at a reasonable price including dives.

 

[dlofting]

We were at Buceo Anilao at the end of February. I'd definitely recommend them. Nitrox is available in both 80 & 100 cf tanks. The shop has an analyzer that is used to verify your tank contents prior to it being loaded on the boat.

Coffee is available free of charge in the restaurant as well as tea, water, milo and cookies. Breakfast is a buffet of Filipino and Western food and is included with your room. Unless you have a large appetite I'd suggest you eat off the menu....it cost my wife and I about 1500php a day for meals.

We were in their least expensive room and it was fine for us. No balcony but there are plenty of places around the pool or just outside the restaurant to sit and enjoy the outdoors.

If you do plan to stay at Anilao for your entire vacation, take advantage of Buceo Anilao's unlimited diving option.

If you go to Puerto Galera/Sabang Beach I would highly recommend South Sea Divers. They will also make arrangements for accommodation for you, if you like. The diving is quite different there than at Anilao, so you may want to see for yourself.

 

[MV Dive]

If you fancy jumping over the Verde Island passage please consider a stay at Marco Vincent dive resort, you can have a look at our facilities here www.mvdive.com

 

[fmerkel]

Oh and how do people get on with getting ear infections in Anilao? I always get ear infections at Lembeh so I travel prepared with antibiotics.
Thanks in advance!

You can get outer ear infections anywhere you are diving a lot. Make up some 'ear beer" (50:50 white vinegar+isopropyl alcohol). Get a small bottle of some kind of ear dry from the drug store with a pointy end. Throw contents away, it's about 97% alcohol. Apply ear beer after each dive to clear the water out and lower the pH of the ear canal. Do a 2-5 minute soak in each ear at the end of the day. With that schedule you are very unlikely to have a problem.
Alcohol cuts surface tension and gets the water out. Vinegar is a very good disinfectant, and excellent for the organisms you get tropical diving.

Note - This will do nothing for middle ear barotrauma, for the folks that seem to have trouble telling the difference.

 

[Nettie-NZ]

You can get outer ear infections anywhere you are diving a lot. Make up some 'ear beer" (50:50 white vinegar+isopropyl alcohol). Get a small bottle of some kind of ear dry from the drug store with a pointy end. Throw contents away, it's about 97% alcohol. Apply ear beer after each dive to clear the water out and lower the pH of the ear canal. Do a 2-5 minute soak in each ear at the end of the day. With that schedule you are very unlikely to have a problem.
Alcohol cuts surface tension and gets the water out. Vinegar is a very good disinfectant, and excellent for the organisms you get tropical diving.

Note - This will do nothing for middle ear barotrauma, for the folks that seem to have trouble telling the difference.

Thanks for this. My problems do seem to be a bit dependent on location (Lembeh I always (!) get ear infections, other places not so much - but I really do like the diving at Lembeh) but I do have a tendency to forget to 'dose' my ears. I really do need to get more rigorous on dosing my ears in when diving tropical locations!

 

[Nettie-NZ]

Have sent off 5 different enquiries and within three hours all my enquiries had replies - very impressed! Ok the time zone I'm in helped but it's still an impressive response! Now I've got to spend the time going through them.

Thank you everyone for your help - looks like Buceo Anilao gets some great reviews!

 

[Dive-Boarder2]

I hope you have read my trip report regarding ASDC; this also compares pricing with Buceo. ASDC is cheaper; the prices I quote apply to solo travellers, and there are no supplements for single occupancy. Buceo is a top end resort if you are interested in swimming pools and 'nice' rooms etc.

Your experience as a solo traveller is likely to depend on the number of other guests at your chosen resort, particularly during the week. I was a solo traveller at ASDC, and felt very welcome. Although there were plenty of other guests, I was treated to various little trips into the local town and restaurants, and it was also easy to walk into Mabini. At the weekend we had a fun night with guests from the neighbouring two resorts, and many locals from Manila. I like to feel a little integration with the locals when away. I have not stayed at Buceo, but I wonder whether it would be the same there? I think Buceo is more 'isolated'; ASDC has several resorts within a short walk, so you may find some company elsewhere if the resort is quiet.

As for coffee, there is no problem bringing your own supply; hot water is freely available. They have NItrox at ASDC (see review for costs), but I am not sure of the need to use it here.