We started our vacation with an out of town trip to Pura Vida in Dauin, Negros Oriental. From Bacolod City, it took us about 5 hours to get to the place. The husband and my MIL booked this resort ahead of time since March in the Philippines is the start of the peak season for summer, thus the need to get ahead by doing the reservations early on. Although this place is not the usual beach resort because it is a dive resort. Most of the people who come here don't just want to relax and lounge around. They come here to dive and dive and dive.
We were initially assigned to two different units and far from each other. Luckily, there were guests who didn't push thru and there were two adjacent rooms that were free for the whole time we're there. It was a good thing that we requested for another room, if not, it would be very inconvenient especially there are children with us.
Since this is a review, I will be pointing out the items that I was happy and disappointed about the resort. And given that this is a dive resort, I won't take it against them that the place is not child friendly. Most of the guests were foreigners and divers. We only saw one other group who had a child with them.
First, I was happy that the place accommodated our request to change rooms for more convenience. Also, there were welcome drinks for all of us. They were concerned for their guests' safety of valuables that's why they provided safe vaults in each room. The husband is a diver and he was given a good service for his dives. He was quite happy with the service provided by Sea Explorers, the company tied up with Pura Vida to provide diving services.
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| Entrance |
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| Facade of the room |
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| A personal touch |
There were several things that I didn't like about our stay in Pura Vida. I know that they are not family/child friendly however, they primarily didn't allow us to bring a big gallon of water for the two toddlers that were with us. Also, they do not provide complimentary water in the rooms! I was appalled that each bottle costs Php45 for the 500ml bottle. You can have it refilled with purified water for Php20. If I remember correctly, it is a mandate by Department of Tourism that all restaurants, hotels and resorts should provide guests drinking water for free.
The toilet in our room was leaking and had a problem with flushing. We had to call their staff and they spent over an hour to fix it. I'm not so sure if it had a big problem or the staff was just unsure of what he was doing.
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| Shower area |
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| Toilet |
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| Provided safe and a walk in closet attached to the toilet |
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| Swimming Pool |
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| Beds on the beach front |
As for the food, they serve international cuisine. However, the prices are of the normal beach resort range but I wasn't really blown away with their food. I was frustrated that during breakfast, they would charge the toddlers (aged 2 and 3) half of the adult price which is Php145. I mean, what would these kids eat? It's not even going to cost them Php50 for 2 pieces of bread and some fruits. And the food they serve in the morning is very simple -- assortment of breads, pancakes (which I think lacks baking powder), three kinds of fruit (watermelon, ripe mango, pineapple), bacon, ham, egg station, cucumber/cheese/tomato, cereals and juices. Still, no water.
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| Food for breakfast - hohum. |
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| Welcome drinks - fresh watermelon juice |
Overall, I wouldn't recommend this place to friends who want comfort and leisure. If you're a diver and you want good service, then go ahead. I guess the best feature they have is you can transfer to their partner resorts in Moalboal, Cabilao, Panglao, and Cebu for a minimal fee. You have access to 6 dive resorts with just one booking. Just keep in mind, the place is not for families or fussy people. :)
Contact #: +63 35 425 2284
Room Rates:
Single Double Triple Quadruple
Family Room 5,500.00 6,000.00 6,500.00 7,000.00
Standard Without Aircon 2,800.00 3,300.00
Standard With Aircon 3,400.00 3,900.00
Deluxe 4,200.00 4,700.00
Suite Room 9,300.00 10,000.00
IDC Room A & B 1,500.00 1,900.00
IDC Room C & D 1,200.00 1,600.00
Extra Mattress 1,100.00
Extra Bed 1,500.00
Website: http://www.pura-vida.ph/
mukhang ok yung resort pero no consideration naman. may toddler na kasama so need talaga ng water and 2&3 yrs old may charge sa food, lugi ako sa son ko niyan na mahina kumain. sa ibang buffet restaurant nga walang charge pag kasama ko anak ko. (3yrs old) =)
ReplyDeleteOk naman yung resort, actually dapat maging ok talaga kasi ang mahal ng rates nila. lugi talaga sa buffet pag kids, kaya nga i thought it should've been FOC na. hay.
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