Matinloc Island Resort

We stayed in the Signature Suite for four days and three nights. Each day we had different breakfasts and dinners, and every meal was delicious and satisfying. The lobster dinner at sunset, seated on the beachside balcony, is a memory I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. The room’s view and the scenery along the private beach are stunning. The website photos don’t really show how impressive the property is, partly because the image quality is low. Once you see the place, you’ll understand why I think it’s worth the cost. There were always plenty of staff, and whoever we asked was kind and attentive. We had no health problems during the stay, including no illness or food poisoning. It was a truly wonderful experience.

Three of the four people in our group got food poisoning and spent three of our four days at the resort sick. We paid for a vacation and ended up miserable for most of it. The food was consistently awful, the worst I’ve had at any resort. The rooms were uncomfortable during the day because the AC couldn’t keep up, and broken shower heads made things more frustrating. The staff were very sweet, but seemed undertrained and unequipped to deal with guest problems. What upset us most was how management responded. We raised our concerns with the General Manager and showed him multiple recent Google reviews reporting food poisoning. He said he knew there had been multiple cases and that it had been “taken care of,” but couldn’t answer when we asked how we still got sick. Rather than taking responsibility or showing concern, he implied we should have researched more before staying. There was no compensation, meaningful apology, or indication that anything would change. For the price, this resort isn’t worth the risk to your health or your vacation. Save your money and avoid the stress and sickness.

The rooms were spacious, clean, and well maintained, with lovely views to wake up to. Staff were warm, welcoming, and always ready to help, and there was a good variety of tasty food. Matinloc Resort is set among crystal-clear water, dramatic limestone cliffs, and beautiful views all around. It felt like a private paradise and gave us an unforgettable, peaceful vacation surrounded by nature. We’d love to come back.

The people at Matinloc made our honeymoon feel personal. Even from the outside, the team seemed to work together like family, not just colleagues, and made us feel part of everything. We tried to be easy guests and hope we gave some of that warmth back. Thank you all for a lovely honeymoon. We’ll return. Dennis picked us up and accompanied us to the resort. His open heart, great humor, and patience made the steepest hike we’ve ever done manageable, even in slides. We left feeling we’d made a friend, and my husband said meeting him was the highlight of this trip and hopefully the start of a lifelong friendship. Johanna showed us around the resort and its amenities, laughed with us as we stumbled around sweaty after a hot morning, and arranged our room upgrade. She was so patient as we thanked her while dazed and overwhelmed. Joy kept checking in and brought bubbly energy to every good morning, making sure we were comfortable. Joey remembered our usual breakfast orders every time and even made a desperate afternoon coffee run because my husband can’t wake up without caffeine. Benjamin introduced us to the monkey family, listened to our travel stories, and always gave us a warm “see you tomorrow” after meals. He even let us play some of our favorite tunes during dinner service. We hope you liked our taste! We’d seen the negative reviews before coming and considered cancelling this part of the trip. We’re glad we didn’t. We emailed about our reservations and got a professional response rather than being dismissed, especially after we’d had an illness earlier. My husband and I don’t usually eat seafood or much meat. We’ve traveled extensively around Pacific islands and Asia before visiting the Philippines, and our experiences with rude, ignorant travelers have made us wonder if some people don’t understand that water isn’t always safe to drink. We can’t know the facts or dismiss anyone’s experience, but we suspect that may have contributed to some reports of food poisoning. Matinloc is an island with limited resources, and the team will go to great lengths to keep guests safe, look after them, and meet individual needs. That was very clear during our stay.