"We loved our stay at Altamare. The place is so nice and perfect for a weekend get away. The beach is very clean and I cant get enough of sitting by the porch. Food is also authentic Filipino food. Will definitely be back. Thank you so much."

"Philippine La Cheveri Resort and Spa: A Warning to Avoid This Rip-off! My Fellow Countrymen, Don't Fall into This Trap! Philippine La Cheveri Resort and Spa: A Warning to Avoid This Rip-off! My Fellow Countrymen, Don't Fall into This Trap! Based on my personal experience, this hotel, which claims to be the 'number one in the local area,' maliciously overcharged me throughout my stay. I'm writing this down to prevent more Chinese compatriots from being exploited! I. Booking and Check-in Details I booked a family villa suite at this hotel through Trip.com. The order clearly stated two adults and two children (ages 10 and 14), checking in on April 1st and checking out on April 3rd, with a basic room rate of 45,000 P for two nights. Upon arrival, I brought an additional three children (ages 9, 13, and 14), totaling two adults and five children. The hotel never asked for any identification for registration; they only repeatedly asked about the number of guests. After I truthfully informed them of two adults and five children, the Hong Kong female owner, who was behind the scenes, came out to discuss. Initially, she was very polite, and we reached an agreement: an additional 8,000 P would be charged for two nights, and an 0.8-meter bed would be added on the second floor. I immediately paid this amount via Gcash. After reaching this consensus, we checked into the room. II. The Hotel's Full Process of Turning Hostile and Overcharging 1. The first day of our stay was uneventful, but the next day, things suddenly changed. Everything was normal on the first day. However, on April 2nd, after we returned from a boat trip recommended by the hotel (6,000 P per boat, voluntary expense), we found that the air conditioning on both floors of our room was not working. We reported it to the front desk, but the staff only gave us a perfunctory response, saying they would arrange for inspection, and no one ever fixed the issue. 2. Arbitrarily demanding exorbitant room fees, the owner refused to show up. At 4 PM that day, I was woken up by the heat and went to the front desk again to discuss the air conditioning problem. However, the staff suddenly presented a bill and demanded that I pay an additional 27,000 P for the room. I immediately stated that I had already negotiated the extra charges with the female owner upon check-in and there were no outstanding balances, but the staff vehemently denied that the owner had made such a promise. I repeatedly asked to confront the Hong Kong female owner in person. The front desk staff went in and out of the office three times to inform her, but the owner consistently hid behind the scenes and refused to show up. Throughout, she let the front desk staff negotiate, completely overturning all verbal agreements made on the 1st upon check-in, and indirectly charging additional per-person fees. 3. Maliciously charging cleaning fees and threatening tourists. The front desk also forcibly demanded a 1,000 P cleaning fee, citing reasons like 'eating self-brought food in the room and leaving a smell, and trash placed next to the trash can.' However, all the trash in the room was packed and discarded by me, and it was only placed next to the trash can because it was full. To avoid further trouble, I reluctantly paid this unreasonable fee. During this time, the front desk staff even threatened: if we didn't pay, they would call the police and blacklist us from the hotel. Their attitude was extremely aggressive, completely devoid of politeness, and entirely a form of moral blackmailing for payment. 4. Detaining guests during check-out to force payment, still forcibly charged after calling the police. On the morning of April 3rd, during check-out, the hotel still prevented us from leaving, insisting on the 27,000 P payment. I again demanded that the owner come out to confront the issue, but she still hid and refused to appear. Left with no choice, I agreed to call the police. After the police and village committee mediated, we were still forcibly charged an additional 8,000 P before being allowed to leave the hotel. III. The Hotel's Core Rip-off Tactics – Compatriots, Be Extremely Vigilant! 5. No ID registration upon check-in, setting a trap in advance. Legitimate hotels require real-name registration with passport IDs. This hotel never asked for them, precisely to allow them to verbally change rules and engage in disputes later, leaving no written evidence. 6. Politeness first, then aggressive price gouging. They are gentle and friendly during check-in, first stabilizing tourists with seemingly reasonable extra charges. Once tourists check in, they immediately go back on their word, arbitrarily demanding exorbitant room fees, trapping you step by step. 7. The owner avoids confrontation, and staff shift blame and threaten. When problems arise, they always send the front desk staff to deal with it, while the person in charge hides behind the scenes to shirk responsibility, threatening tourists with calling the police and blacklisting to coerce them into paying unreasonable fees. 8. Extremely poor service, disregarding tourist requests. The air conditioning in the room was not repaired, and reasonable requests from tourists were ignored. They were only focused on collecting fees, offering no service whatsoever. What was supposed to be a happy trip with my children turned into such a disheartening experience of malicious overcharging and moral blackmail. This hotel's so-called 'No. 1' ranking is completely undeserved! A serious warning to all Chinese compatriots planning to visit: absolutely avoid La Cheveri Resort and Spa, and don't fall into their rip-off trap! For overseas accommodation, always choose legitimate chain hotels that require real-name registration and have platform guarantees. For all extra expenses, be sure to keep written receipts, take photos as evidence, and protect your own rights!"

"The room was beautiful, friendly helpful staff, nice pool and beautiful surroundings. Some areas for the hotel to consider if they market as 5 star…my partner and I were both sick after eating at the hotel on successive days…even after the final meal that we packed and took home…that’s not a coincidence and something for the hotel to examine in detail. Also, there is no wardrobe in the room we stayed in, on two occasions room service forget items for our meals and one day didn’t clean our room which I had to follow up with. It’s a great place, but the reasons above are why it doesn’t quite cut 5 stars…"

"The dive site is perfect"

"4th time back and every time has been a wonderful experience, everyone is so friendly and the food is amazing. The fun and relaxation is more than 10/10."

"The hotel is beautiful, the surrounding view is stunning. We stayed at the hotel for 2 nights. We sat at the poolside to watch sunset for 2 days. It was a very nice experience. We took so many pictures. Snorkeling at the seaside was also super enjoyable. The hotel provided snorkeling equipment and a guide who taught us how to snorkel and led us to swim to the area where we could see lots of colorful fish. The price of snorkeling and kayaking was already included in the room rate. All the staff are very friend and helpful. We enjoy the stay at the hotel very much. The only problem with our room was that the shower area was not fully covered by glass or a curtain, the whole floor of the bathroom got wet after a shower as water splashed out from the shower area."

"Enjoyed our stay! Friendly staff :)"

"We booked Aiyanar resort as they were the most responsive in email correspondence. Joyce, the manager, responded to all our emails right away and clarified and arranged everything perfectly before the trip. Arrangement for transportation was very easy. It takes 2~2.5 hours depending on the traffic from the airport to the resort, and they make sure you arrive back at the airport in plenty of time, since check in and immigration can take over an hour. The rooms are equipped with all kinds of amenities (hair dryer, kettle, reading lamps, safe, etc.) and are very comfortable both for working and relaxing in. The bathroom was very spacious and clean, with good hot water that does not run out -- which is important when coming back from dives. There is also a very nice desk to work on computer, and it is amply equipped with electrical outlets on both ends (flat 2 pin style, as is often used in the Philippines; the camera room has many universal outlets that you can also use). Joyce always asks all the guests whether they need anything. All the staff was a great team. The resort is big and very quiet, with no noise or loud music coming in from elsewhere, as it does at many Anilao resorts. It is also fun to watch their resident giant tortoise, Birdie! The dining here is excellent! Great quality food and amazing variety of dishes, all excellent! The restaurant staff were all super friendly and accommodating, and especially Randy, who oversees it, is so professional! The style of serving (buffet, family style shared plate, individual plate) changes depending on the number of the guests. But even for a small occupancy of 1 or 2 people, the variety was never less, and the portions were always more than generous, and come with a soup and salad, 3-4 main dishes, and a homemade dessert at both lunch and dinner. Vanessa's homemade ice creams were delicious! This is easily one of the best kitchens in any dive resorts we have stayed, and by far the best in the Philippines! And most important to us (and to many): The diving experience was FANTASTIC, as our dive master Dadz is so kind, fun, competent and professional with great eyes for spotting macro life. The boatmen were also kind and helpful, and the dive instructor Joe fixed my dive watch! The temperature was rather cool (water temperature 25~26 celcius), but the boatmen gave us hot towels and coffee when we came up for our surface intervals. They also offer black water photography, which we did not try, but can assume was done as carefully and professionally as everything else there. They have also open-water licence class, and we will recommend all our friends who are interested in getting a diving license to go to Aiyanar, as it has nice classroom, kind instructor, and deep pool. If you want to just relax, they have a beautiful infinity pool and can also arrange massage service. The masseuses all seem to be professionally trained. (One tip: Nearest ATM is far, so bring enough cash to tip the masseuses,"

"Staff with great attitude, superb service! Ocean view is clear. Room is comfortable and clean. Boat tour to nearby islands is fantastic as well. Service from the Airport or bus terminal is affordable. Diving activities are fun. However, the restroom need some improvement still. Overall, had a really amazing experience in the Philippines."