Brisa Marina Beach Resort powered by Cocotel

We had a good stay. The beach was great and there were two swimming pools. The room was fairly good, though there was no Wi-Fi. Smart had a good 4G signal in the area. For groceries or medicine, the town proper is 3kms away.

The beach was lovely for walking and swimming, and the food was pretty good, but expect to order well ahead since cooking took 1-2 hours. The resort has potential, though it needs serious renovation. Getting there was tricky, with a rough dirt road off the main road. Parking was limited and awkward, and the place looked run down: rusted door handles, trash around the property, steep steps, and cloudy pool water. We came as two families and booked two rooms, but all nine of us were put in one room with six beds crammed into it. The website says there's Wi-Fi, but it only worked at the front desk, not in the rooms. Each bed had two pillows and a flat sheet. They had no extra blankets, only sheets, even when we asked. Our toilet had no seat; after a day they fixed it with putty and no screws. Every towel had stains, holes, or both, and there were no beach towels. The AC didn't work in several rooms we looked at. Water stayed cold even at the highest temperature and smelled of sulfur. Dogs were guarding the lobby, and some left stains on the floor and sat on the lobby furniture. The manager or front desk wasn't always available. The food and beach were good, but the resort needs serious renovation.

The kind staff were willing to accommodate our needs, and the beach dogs and infinity pool were reasons we gave this place two stars. Keep the staff and make major room improvements, and it could easily be five stars. We paid more than 4500 for the room through Agoda, though booking through the resort FB page might be cheaper. Don't expect the room photos on Agoda or FB to match what you get. Our first room was rusty and worn from the sea breeze, and needed a lot of maintenance. The staff kindly moved us to a better room, but it still didn't feel premium. The AC either didn't cool well or made a loud humming sound, and the locks didn't work properly without a special technique. Breakfast wasn't buffet style. It was a choice of tocino, longganisa, or hotdog, decent enough, but bring extra food or expect to order more. Other meals were pricey, with Adobong pusit at 700+ and two cans of soda around 200php. The infinity pool was great. The beach railings were broken, the stairs to the beach had eroded, and some pool bathroom cubicles were out of order. I didn't see a lifeguard, though staff were around, so I might be mistaken. The parking lot needs proper elevation. Bring your own Wi-Fi. We'd consider coming back for the pool and dogs, but only after major improvements to the resort itself.

We were about to book, but the weather made us reschedule. Thank God it worked out that way. We stayed at a nearby resort in the following days and walked into this hotel. The social media photos didn't match the actual place, which looked old and clearly not maintained. You couldn't see the pool floor, dogs were everywhere, beach chairs were broken, and metal parts were rusty. The whole place felt creepy. There was nobody at the front desk, and during our entire walk around we didn't see a single staff member. The cafeteria was closed too. The resort takes up almost half the beach shore, leaving limited shore access, and it's between two vacant lots with rubbish nearby. I hope the owner renovates, since the view from the pool is beautiful.