Balay Kogon

We loved the peaceful feel of the island, and staying beside a village gave the resort a nice local-community atmosphere. Our cottage was basic and missing a few details, but the beach view was lovely and the food was great. We stayed two nights and went on two hikes. The panorama hike had a nice view over the islands, and we also stopped at Huni Sicogon for drinks at the bar, which feels more like a hotel. To get there, we took a public boat from Estancia port at 11:30 am. The ride took an hour and cost 100 pesos. For the return, we shared a private boat with other travellers to cut the cost. The total private boat charge was 3500 pesos.

The only thing that caught us off guard was the P150 environmental fee per person, which we weren’t told about before arriving. At the restaurant, you can get strong, fast WiFi, though quite a few menu items weren’t available. We’d have liked more seafood and vegetable choices, and better beer options like Pale Pilsen :) Otherwise, it was just the quiet kind of trip we wanted. No loud music or rowdy guests, just the waves and birds. The friendly, attentive staff made us feel at home. The rooms are simple, with no TV or WiFi, but they have towels, toiletries and a coffee tray, everything we needed for comfort. We enjoyed the stay and hope to come back.

The staff were really helpful and the service was great. Food was good too. If you want more food options, their sister resort HUNI is only a short drive away by car or motorcycle.

The room was small for the price, and the lock didn’t work. The rooms and boat tour also felt overpriced. It’s hard to get there, and the developer or owner seems out of touch putting the resort in the middle of a low-income community. When we arrived, we had to pass through and disrupt what people were doing, including their fun volleyball game, which we unfortunately interrupted. The staff member arranging our boat tour gave us wrong information and didn’t apologize. They need a lot more training. I won’t be back. This place needs a lot of work. I found Guimaras, Dumaguete and Camiguin to be better destinations, where you get much more for your money.