W Golf Resort

The staff were lovely and clearly trying hard to help guests while doing their jobs with a smile. The rooms, though, weren’t serviced, so the rubbish piled up, and you shouldn’t expect complimentary water every day. There were cups and a jug in the rooms but no tea or coffee, and the breakfast counter had no milk except powdered milk. Breakfast choices were poor and several items were out of stock. Management needs to do better.

The massage booking was a mess. We booked for 6 PM at the beach massage villa and arrived a little early, but the masseuse was still with someone else. At 6:20 we were getting frustrated, and two other guests seemed to be waiting too. Reception told us our booking was for 6:30, though that wasn’t what we’d agreed, and said the masseuse would be done soon. At 6:45 we still hadn’t started. Two masseuses then arrived asking if we were booked for 7 PM, and hurried to begin when we said 6. Later, reception asked if we were ready for our massages, which confused us. Apparently, they’d sent two masseuses to our room while we were getting the delayed treatments at the beach villa. They need a better system. The location is great, the pool is nice, and the rooms are modern and clean. Breakfast was good, though we didn’t try lunch or dinner. Service was a bit lackluster, especially at the bar in the evening. The staff were nice and seemed to be trying their best, but even simple drinks took a long time. We also had good massages, once they finally got sorted.

The beach service staff and the young man working at breakfast were especially kind and polite, and clearly doing their best. I don’t blame individual employees for the problems. It seems the hotel is short-staffed and needs better training and management. The restaurant and breakfast service were extremely slow at every stage, probably because there weren’t enough staff, and the food wasn’t worth the wait. The location is beautiful and the rooms are nice, but the stay didn’t meet expectations. Housekeeping was inconsistent, and the rubbish wasn’t even taken out regularly. The shower stayed cold no matter how long we ran it, the outdoor terrace glass didn’t look properly cleaned, and the WiFi was unreliable or often down. Laundry took far too long: a suitcase left at reception for washing sat there for three days, even after we followed up twice. It’s a real pity, because the hotel has a lot going for it. Better organization, staffing, and training could make the experience much better.

We spent three nights here with the family and liked the clean room, nice pool, and peaceful feel of the resort. There are some downsides. The town basketball court right next door gets very noisy until 9 PM. The tour prices are ridiculous, so just hire a tuk-tuk on the street. The restaurant was poor, like other places in the Philippines: not cheap, limited choices, and not very good food, though it wasn’t the worst compared with other restaurants. Even so, we’ll definitely come back to Oslob and stay here again, since there’s no better option in town.