The Beach Calatagan Mediterraneo powered by Cocotel

I paid almost Php40K in booking fees and got extremely poor customer service from Cocotel. The contact centre team was disappointing, unhelpful, and showed no empathy. I called to request a date change for a third-party booking of several rooms for an event. The woman I spoke with on September 23 had no explanation and kept saying no. I suggested booking the new rooms over the phone, as I’d done before, then cancelling the existing third-party booking, but she wouldn’t do it. She told me to email and wait a day for a reply, with no guarantee that the same six rooms would still be available. My requests through the third-party app were immediately declined too. There was no effort to find another solution or work with me. I’ve booked hotels for my family in the Philippines while overseas, and this is the only one that wouldn’t help. The vendor said a no-fee cancellation was possible since the booking was more than two weekends away, subject to the resort’s decision, but the agent seemed unable to make that decision. I was trying to rebook because a super typhoon might hit on the reservation date, and all the guests were elderly. I was worried about their safety. The group may not go now, and I could lose the money over choosing The Beach Calatagan Mediterraneo by Cocotel for what I hoped would be a nice birthday celebration. Looking at the many 1/5 ratings here, I’d say take your money elsewhere and stay away from Cocotel.

The Beach Hut felt overpriced for what we got, and the staff weren’t accommodating. The bathroom needs a lot of work: there’s nowhere to put toiletries, privacy is poor, and the curtains are incomplete. The door can be opened with any key. The glass window has no tint or curtain, so people can see in.

We spent Friday at the Beach Hut with two adults and our toddler. The room was spacious for three, had a comfortable temperature, and came with clean, odor-free linens and basic amenities. Mobile reception was good. We could sterilize baby bottles with the electric kettle. The main resort area looked nice and clean, the pools were spacious and clean, and there was a roomy parking and lounging area by the beach. Service was good and staff were pleasant. Since the hut is one property away from the main resort, they brought our food to the room. Breakfast was included, with a choice of silog meals, and there was unlimited coffee at Las Casas restaurant. A one-hour kayak session was free, and it’s a decent place for a relaxed beach stay. The Beach Hut location made moving our luggage hard because parking is at the main resort and there’s no cart. Families with young kids may find the main resort more convenient. The hut may suit adventurous adults and older kids, but not elderly guests because of the stairs and bathroom. Its bathroom has uneven flooring with raised stepping stones, which could trip small children and older people. There’s a shower and bidet, but no flush mechanism on the toilet, so you have to pour water manually. Slippers are provided because the floor is outdoor cement with rocks rather than tile. We didn’t use the shower because the water smelled. The sink area is small and cramped. Dinner was a bit expensive: pasta for one, a pizza for the family, and 1.5 L of soft drinks came to 1,020php.

The Mediterranean feel of the place is lovely, and staff were helpful and nice. Our family villa was spacious and beautiful, but we found cockroaches in the restroom at night. Dinner was also spoiled by lots of flies. The waiter lit candles, but that didn’t help much. The food itself was really good, with generous servings, and they’re very accommodating with reservations for large groups. We couldn’t use the free kayak included in the rate because both of the two kayaks were being used by other guests. The infinity pool is beautiful and has lifeguards there at all times, though one of our family members got scratched on a sharp tile edge. Luckily, we had a first aid kit. We’d come back for a day tour.