Costa Carina Beach Front Resort

The photos online are far from what the place is really like. It doesn’t seem well maintained anymore, and the public area and CR were dirty.

The free Wi-Fi was the best part, but overall I’d give it one star. The toilets were broken, there was no food service, and the person in charge at the lobby was nowhere to be found. The beach isn’t suitable for swimming, especially with kids. It was hard to tell guests and staff apart since they seemed to wear the same clothes. The ads made the place look beautiful, but the reality was a nightmare. It’s a new place, but that’s no reason to keep standards low. I’ll never recommend it to any of my friends abroad or in Manila.

The lodging was clean, but it didn’t provide the toiletries you’d normally expect at other lodgings, hostels, or hotels. The seashore is breathtaking as a backdrop for events like sunset weddings. Still, once dusk came, and through the night, the area didn’t have enough lighting, and the owner didn’t take the initiative to brighten it. That was disappointing. They also hadn’t prepared enough plates for the wedding guests if attendance went over the host’s estimate. There were no extra plates, glassware, or silverware, so some guests had to wash plates used by earlier guests.

There’s a market just a few minutes’ walk from the lodge where you can buy fresh seafood, including crabs, shrimp, squid, octopus, shellfish, lobster, and different kinds of fish, as well as other meats. The place is in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, and has spacious beachfront lodging, cottages (kubo), fully air-conditioned rooms with hot and cold showers, a bar, a function hall, and a large parking area.