Malapascua | Review of Ocean Vida Resort

Entry Date: June 19, 2018

Location, good reviews and being at the beachfront were the main reasons why I had decided to book with Ocean Vida Resort but sometimes, the actual experience doesn’t match your expectations. I would start with the negative items first then on to the positive.
​Con #1 Internet in Room #1 was not very good although it was already the nearest one to the restaurant and bar. The Wi-Fi router must have been placed somewhere nearer the center of the guest room building and since we were at the farthest side of it, the signal couldn’t reach us. Solution: If Wi-Fi is important for you, stay in rooms somewhere in the middle of the building or ask the staff to put you in a room with the strongest signal. I also used my mobile LTE (Globe) as back-up. 

​Con #2 They are not responsive in Facebook or text messaging. Solution: You have to call them up so they can answer your queries.

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The guest room building

​Con #3 The manager wanted to give us a briefing of the room and about other things pertaining to our stay in the resort before giving us our welcome drinks. She did give us a short briefing about the room (as if we won’t be able to figure these out by ourselves) but since we were soaking wet from the rain and quite tired, I told her that we just need some time to take a shower, rest then we’ll continue the briefing in about an hour or two. I don’t know how long the briefing will take but eventually, she forgot about it and forgot giving us our welcome drinks. I no longer bothered asking as I really wanted to rest. Solution: Bother asking.

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The beach right in front of Ocean Vida

​Con #4 Nothing to do with the hotel but Bounty Beach is really dirty. Don’t bother swimming in the area or you’ll just get all kinds of rashes and your body will itch in places you never knew existed. LOL! Solution: Bounty Beach is just a place you can lounge in while appreciating the sunrise or reading a book but for God’s sake, don’t swim. You have a lot of other chances to go swimming during the island hopping tours.

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Interior of Room #1

So now, we talk about the good bit.
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Pro #1 Breakfast buffet menu never changes, at least not for the past 3 mornings that we were there but the food was good. Nothing special -- just sufficient for the palette. The food choices for breakfast was just right relative to the price we paid. I particularly loved the ice cream they sell along the beach and the bamboo straws they use for the drinks and fruit shakes. 

From L to R (upper photos) - Mango shake they served with a bamboo straw; the interior of the restaurant where they serve breakfast buffet; buffet area.
From L to R (lower photos) - Spreads they serve during breakfast buffet; drinks and fruits available during breakfast; exterior of the restaurant coming from our room.

​Pro #2 The restaurant staffs are really nice. Not everyone but most of them especially those stationed there in the evening. During one of those nights, my husband caught fever and wanted hot soup in the middle of the night. That was nearly 10:00 PM, I think. So I headed straight for the restaurant to find them almost closing up. I told them about our situation and they politely turned down my request since the cook will be leaving soon. I rested my case and headed back to the room. After a few minutes, one of their staff knocked on our door to tell me that he will be cooking hot soup for us and asking us what kind we wanted. It was a gesture we can never forget. 
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View from our balcony
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​Pro #3 The room we stayed in (Room #1) is very well-maintained and always very well-made every time we come back from our island hopping tours. The room was very homey and comfortable and has a nice view of the beach. No obstructions whatsoever except for a few coconut trees. It is also very near the restaurant and the reception.
 
Pro #4 Every end of the day, they would give us some sweet pastries for free along with an inspiring quote they’d write down on a piece of floral stationary with our names on it. It was a very nice thing to do which made us feel at home and feel valued as customers. This simple but sweet gesture is something that I have never experienced with other resorts.
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The free pastries they give us every day along a sweet note

Pro #5 The resort is also very near the booth where we registered for a boat ride back to the mainland, practically in front of the resort. It was a relatively a long walk to the dock but the boat crew helped us with our luggage.
 
Pro #6 If you are up for a massage, their sister resort Buena Vida offers the best spa services in the island. You can simply approach the reception of Ocean Vida to book their service. You have to go to the resort itself to avail of the massage but I am sure they also offer room service. They do not offer any discount for Ocean Vida guests, though, if that is what you are expecting, which I did. 
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Free ginger tea (salabat) after massage

OTHER DESTINATIONS IN CEBU

KEY CONTACTS

To book your island hopping tours in Malapascua, you may contact Kuya Nonoy at 0916-388-7801.
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