Seaslugs Travellers Inn

This adorable travellers inn sits on the main road, with an enormous limestone monolith behind it. The style is wabi sabi, with a lovely courtyard garden at the front and fruit trees out back. Rooms are clean, spacious, and set away from the traffic noise. The beds are large and comfortable, even for me at 185cm, and the pillows are perfect. WiFi is reliable too. Breakfast is served upstairs and doesn’t disappoint, especially the beef tapa. Animal lovers will enjoy the swiflets that shelter in a courtyard alcove and swirl around the breakfast balcony early in the morning, Matilda the adorably shy daschund who hangs around the foyer and sometimes rolls over for a belly scratch, and the short tailed cats who’ll happily finish any food scraps you offer. The staff are very friendly, and no request was a bother. Toothpaste, extra towels, and toilet paper are available if you ask. Tuk tuks get you to the beach in minutes, and island tours pick you up at the door. Chiquita’s grill and Zia’s eatery are nearby and both highly recommended. You can also find better deals on dive bags and souvenirs at the gift shops near the inn.

We only booked this place because the trip was last-minute and there was nowhere else available nearby. In room 7 on the ground floor, the view was a letdown: the mountains were only partly visible, with a half-built house in front and chickens and roosters from next door waking us each morning. The room was cramped and dated. The beds were made neatly, but the bathroom was dirty, with old shampoo sachets left behind, hair on the walls, and a toilet seat barely attached. The balcony seemed not to have been cleaned in ages, and our feet got dirty out there. Breakfast was average, and while making coffee I saw large cockroaches, which was pretty unpleasant. The owner's little dog also relieved itself in the hallway right outside our room. All of that made for a really bad stay. I can't recommend it, and hope management takes these problems seriously.

We had a really enjoyable stay. The room was clean and comfortable, the air conditioning worked well, and there was a hot shower. It's not a fancy place, but the value is good and the staff were very accommodating. After we checked out, they even let us use another room to shower after a day of kayaking.

The beach is about a 10-minute walk away, and the staff were nice. We had a great time here, and breakfast was good, though it's best to get there early before the buffet runs low. The Wi-Fi, like in much of the Philippines, wasn't very good.