Masayana Hotel

I really enjoyed my stay at Masayana. The staff were the highlight, so friendly and helpful, especially when I got sick with a bad tummy that wasn’t related to the accommodation. They were lovely and helped me out, which I really appreciated. My private room was comfortable and good value, with working AC and a comfortable bed. The pool and bar are nice places to hang out. I didn’t try breakfast, but there was a good selection of menu items for just 350 pesos. It’s a 15-minute walk out of town in a peaceful spot, which is great if you like quiet nights. Highly recommend for simple, budget accommodation in El Nido!

The staff were always nice, but this was still among the worst hostels I’ve stayed in, despite how good the photos look. The bathroom was dirty and in bad shape, and it wasn’t cleaned during our two nights. We only got hand soap after asking. The mattresses were worn through, with the wood underneath easy to feel, and very uncomfortable. The air conditioning worked only moderately well and was extremely loud. The pool looked a bit green. The shower barely had any pressure, and one morning the water stopped working throughout the hostel. The Airbnb listing made it look as if you booked a whole room, but in fact you only book beds. At high tide, a car can’t reach the hostel, so you have to walk 10 minutes with your luggage.

I wanted to enjoy this place more, but I’m very sensitive to mold and am pretty sure the black mold in our room gave me a sinus infection. There were black spots growing from the decorative ceiling trim. Each morning I woke up more congested and coughing a lot, so I tried to spend as little time in the room as possible and forgot to take pictures. A large dead mosquito was smashed on the wall above our bed when we arrived, and the cleaning staff hadn’t removed it even a day later. My bed was very firm and hurt my back. Breakfast was another small frustration. I ordered pancakes that the menu said came with butter and syrup, but neither was served until I asked. The road to the hotel was also very rough, with stretches that were barely a road and went over the beach, broken concrete, huge potholes, and speed bumps. Even on our rented scooter bike, it was a difficult ride. I did enjoy the pool, the landscaping was nice, and the staff were very friendly. Still, I’d recommend saving your money, avoiding that badly damaged road, and booking somewhere along Masagana beach in the main downtown area, where you can also catch the sunset.

Our flights were cancelled because of the conflict in the Middle East, so we couldn’t travel. We understood that our reservation was non-refundable, but contacted the hotel to ask if they could be flexible in these exceptional, unforeseen circumstances. Other properties we’d booked showed empathy and approved exceptional cancellations. This hotel refused any gesture and sent us to Booking.com, even though the platform process confirmed the final decision rested with the property. As our arrival date got closer, the hotel stopped replying to our messages. We suggested compromises, including a partial refund such as 50%, and got no response. The hotel eventually reported the booking to Booking.com as a “no show”. We respect that policies exist, but the lack of communication and empathy in this situation was very disappointing.