Malinawon Resort

I loved staying here because it was calmer than the madness around Alona. There’s still the usual Philippines soundtrack, though, roosters, dogs, cats and karaoke. You just have to embrace it.

The staff were kind and quick to try to help whenever we had a problem or request. The hot water did stop once, apparently because the heater lost power, maybe overnight. It went out early on my last morning, when I couldn't ask the staff for help. I also saw other reviews mentioning the same problem. The noise was the worst part for me. Planes came over often, and the rooster behind the hotel was extremely loud, even late at night and very early in the morning. Light sleepers should avoid this place. The Wi-Fi was so weak that I couldn't use it in the room, and the entrance gets muddy after rain. There isn't much to do around the hotel. If you're just trying to get away from Alona's noise, I still wouldn't recommend staying here.

We spent three and a half nights here and had a late checkout on our final day. The staff were friendly, though English was a struggle and that caused some communication trouble. We asked them to confirm airport transport for the late checkout, but it wasn't arranged, so at midnight we had to scramble to find a ride. Our room was on the first floor. It had ants and mosquitoes, a bathroom with poor ventilation, and a bad drain smell. There weren't enough hangers, and the towel rack was loose and nearly falling off. Construction had left the entrance muddy, making it hard to walk out. Unless the price is unbelievably low and you can stay upstairs, I wouldn't recommend this hotel.

The neighborhood was extremely boring, with nothing to do, and the resort is far from the nearest beach. Getting in was muddy. The Wi-Fi was a catastrophe: it didn't work at all about 70% of the time, and the rest of the time it was painfully slow. There was nowhere to store clothes in the room or hang them outside to dry. Noise was constant. Planes flew overhead every 30 minutes to an hour, day and night, and they were VERY LOUD, often around every 45 minutes even at night. A nearby farm added very loud chicken calls and dogs and cats fighting, also at night. There was mold along the pool edges and in the hammocks. The hammocks were filthy, with bird poop in them, and looked like they were never cleaned. The buildings are arranged so the pool sits in the middle, with everyone looking at you while you swim or sunbathe. There isn't enough vegetation to screen it. I DO NOT recommend this place. It's the worst resort I've stayed at in South East Asia. The architecture is terrible, and I was so angry that I couldn't get a refund and move somewhere else.