Bano Beach Resort

This is a budget resort, so our room was enough for what we needed. Most of the one-star reviews I saw were from foreign tourists. If you want a more accommodating stay, Mangodlong Rock Resort is nearby, or there's the pricier Mangodlong Paradise. I think this place may have been abandoned and bought by the nearby resort, since we're treated as in-house guests. The pool was dirty, but we could use the one at the other resort. I liked the privacy, the utilities were there, and the sunset view from atop the cliff was great. The restaurant food is very expensive. Luckily, there's an open kitchen with full utensils. If you want to cook, you just pay 100 per day for the LPG.

I loved how private it was, and the water was clean without making my skin itchy. We met Jen with his husband and kids, and Maribel with her bf, which made the stay unforgettable. They have their own kitchen, and you can cook with the utensils there. Better bring your own food, coffee, bread, and toiletries since it's a long way down to the road and market. We never went to the other beautiful places, but we were content just staying there. I'd definitely go back.

The location is the only good thing about this hotel. Everything else was miserable. The reception staff didn't speak English, and the person who checked us in seemed untrained, unmotivated, and uninterested in our complaints. Our rooms smelled, there were no towels, the air conditioner didn't work, there was no fan, cockroaches ran over the bed, and there was no fridge. Even the room we'd booked wasn't available, and they moved us to a worse one. At 1am, after a very long trip, all 10 of us with four rooms booked had to find somewhere else to stay. To make things worse, hotels.com, which we used to book, gave no refund at all. Think five times before booking here.

The shower barely dripped, and there was no toilet seat. The place was dirty, and the pool water looked dirty too. Wifi wasn't available. Breakfast was very simple and not worth the extra cost. A bit more proactive housekeeping would've been appreciated.