Blanco Beach Resort

The rooms at Blanco Hotel are new and stylish, with some of the most comfortable beds we've had on our travels in Asia. The resort is modern, beautiful, and well maintained, right on the beach with direct sea access. There's also a small reef in front where you can snorkel with baby blacktip reef sharks. We stayed three nights and had a wonderful time. Andrea, the Italian owner, was attentive from the start and personally helped arrange everything, including an easy private transfer from Cebu City to Malapascua and tips and support for diving on the island. Breakfast and the rest of the food were excellent, with a wide choice of well-prepared dishes. The staff were consistently warm and attentive. They even packed breakfast for our early dive mornings, a thoughtful touch. We'd definitely come back and highly recommend it.

The one downside was the noise in the evening from rooms near reception. Bring earplugs if you're up early for diving, or ask for a room at the back of the resort. I was travelling alone and wanted somewhere quiet and comfortable to unwind after morning dives. Blanco Beach Resort was just that. My room and bathroom were clean and comfortable, the air conditioning worked well, and the balcony was lovely at the end of the day. The menu was varied, the dishes excellent and good value, and the dining area and bar let you sit with your feet in the sand. The staff were friendly, and they arranged a private transfer from Cebu-Mactan airport.

We wanted a peaceful island for Christmas and New Year, somewhere without cars and crowds, and that's how we found Malapascua. We booked eight nights at Blanco Beach Hotel and don't regret it at all. The small boutique hotel is beautiful, comfortable, well kept, and has everything you need. From what we could tell, it's one of the best hotel options on the island. The owner, Andrea, is very attentive and often around to make sure everything runs smoothly and guests are looked after. The staff are incredibly warm and welcoming, and the food, drinks, and service were all excellent. We had nothing to complain about.

We ate at the resort five of our six nights, and the Pasta Carbonara was AMAZEBALLS. I was glad we discovered it on our last night, or my shorts might have been tighter. The food deserves a mention, and as we left Mauricio and Theresa gave us a lovely bottle of Pinot Grigio to pass on to friends coming in April. Blanco Beach Resort took great care of us. They arranged a shuttle from Cebu Airport to Malapasqua, greeted us with a local island drink, and showed us to a room with a great view of the sea and gardens. The bed was very comfortable and the shower hot. It's far enough from the dive shops and restaurants to be quiet, but only a 5 minute walk from them. The beach furnishings and room details all seemed well thought out. Thanks to Pam, Karen, Joy, Gel, and Jessa for looking after us so warmly. We also met Andrea, who owns the resort, and his family, Mauricio and Theresa. They were lovely people. Thanks to everyone at Blanco Resort for making our stay so wonderful.