J5 Guest House & Restobar by OYO Rooms

We paid about 1200 per night for an air-conditioned room for five people, so this is a good budget option in Moalboal, especially if you have a private car. The hosts were kind and accommodating, and would handle our requests without questions. They offer snorkeling tour packages if you ask at the counter, and can cook meals if you buy raw food at the market. You decide how much to pay them for cooking. It’s a few kilometres from Panagsama and Basdako Beaches, though there’s a nearby beach where you can swim for free. If you don’t have your own vehicle, they can help find a rental motorcycle for getting to beaches and restaurants. I’d recommend this place to you and your family.

The receptionist was kind and tried to help, though I assume she couldn’t do much. We’d booked in advance, but when we arrived we were told there was no room for us and no alternative accommodation anywhere in town. I consider that claim a lie. We quickly checked nearby places and saw our room was still available, but for twice the price. We were left to find somewhere ourselves. That was difficult because the hotel is far from town and, being Saturday, many places were already sold out. We went back into town and found a hotel, but paid double for tricycles to and from OYO 770 and much more for the replacement room than we would have with an advance booking. I’ve dealt with overbooking several times on trips, and hotels have always tried to find an alternative and sort it out professionally. OYO didn’t let us know in advance that the hotel was overbooked or arrange a replacement. I don’t consider OYO hotels trustworthy.

The bathrooms stink, and the rooms aren’t cleaned. Rain gets in, and water is unreliable, with hot water even less certain. The place is far from everything and everyone. The managers sleep on the floor behind reception. There’s a shared kitchen, but they charge you to use the stove. You have to know alteo to understand that you shouldn’t go there?!

The staff were extremely nice and breakfast was great. You’ll need to rent a motorbike or scooter to get around, but that’s normal here.