Three Little Birds Resort

I liked the design and cute architecture, the tasty food, and the really friendly staff. It's a five-minute walk to the beach, and fairly close to town: about 5-10 minutes by tuk-tuk, or a 30-minute walk along the beach at low tide. The two cats and one dog are a real bonus if you like animals. The little road to the hotel is full of potholes and makes for a very uncomfortable drive in. It isn't the hotel's fault, but it's good to know. The bar was underwhelming: I had one of the worst G&Ts I've tried, so I stuck to beer after that. Coming back to my room at night, I found a big bunch of flies, which was unpleasant. The air conditioning felt weak, and honestly I preferred my one night in a fan room to the two nights with air conditioning. We also had a brief power outage during my three-night stay. The bathroom faucets were awkward too, as another review mentioned. In my first room there was a separate hot-water knob. In the second, I had to turn the cold-water knob very precisely to stop the water. I had to go back to reception for help stopping it, which was mildly annoying.

The laundry and bike rental prices were much higher than elsewhere, though I can understand that. The really disappointing part was leaving two swimsuits in the bathroom and contacting them right away. They said the swimsuits had disappeared, and got very aggressive when I asked them to double-check and ask housekeeping.

The garden and architecture are so thoughtfully done that I kept noticing new little details, and the coffee is amazing. The pool was lovely too. Staff, including the manager, were approachable, respectful, and extremely helpful whenever we had an issue. We arrived after many overpriced, disappointing hotels and resorts during our three-month trip through the Philippines, and this place felt like an oasis. We extended our stay twice, to 12 days in total, and we'll always remember the time here. Our kids had toys to play with, which are otherwise rare in the Philippines, plus hotel pets, Lala the dog and two cats. We had a peaceful spot to get some work done and rest. At low tide, the walk to Anda is a must if you're visiting the area. There's also a great scuba-diving option within walking distance. We'd come back anytime. Thank you for being here.

The best part was that better restaurants are nearby, and we had a good dinner at The Old Plantation restaurant of Island View Beachfront Resort. The place itself is attractive and very close to the beach, but we had several problems during our stay. The reception and restaurant lounge smelled of mold and dust, which seemed to come from furniture that wasn't clean or well maintained. I hope the manager or owner doesn't excuse that as being a “NATURE LOVER.” Mold and dust smell bad and aren't good for your health. At check-in, we were told about the resort rules and restaurant hours, and that breakfast was included starting at 7 a.m. The next morning, we asked the waitress which breakfast menu items came with our stay. She said anything on the breakfast menu, so we ordered the continental breakfast and pancakes. The coffee was good, hot, and nicely served. After we left, though, they charged us for breakfast, saying they hadn't told us it was included, despite what we'd been told before check-in and what the waitress had confirmed. Our room looked nice, but the air freshener combined with a moldy, dusty smell. They could have aired it out or turned on the AC before we arrived so the smell didn't stay trapped and the room wasn't so hot. The towels also smelled strongly of fabric conditioner. I think the room should have been ventilated before guests arrived. The shower faucet wouldn't shut off, so we told the manager and staff, who responded right away. But the manager seemed to accuse us of breaking it by twisting too hard. The faucets and water heater were old, cheap-looking, and poorly maintained. She also said there was a special technique to operate the shower faucet, which I found frustrating. I've never needed a technique to use a faucet. To me, that sounded like an excuse for using cheap materials and not maintaining them for guests. We were also told to turn off all the power whenever we left the room, in the name of “ECO FRIENDLINESS.” It felt like saving on energy costs was taking priority over guest comfort, especially in a hot room when we had a small dog that needed ventilation. The power was shut off, yet the broken faucet kept wasting clean water.