Royal Cliff Resort

I normally do a pretty good job of scouting out the reviews and picking a place to stay; however, I feel like I didn’t do very well this time. I was looking for something close to the Marine park and this place met those requirements. Cute cabin, quick to respond through Booking, great beach access and good snorkeling, close to many restaurants along the road. A couple chairs to sit on and a nice bench was part of the interior. The sunsets are beautiful but make sure you bring bug lotion. Nice signs to warn you that the coconuts might fall on your head. Thankfully the room had a fan to move the air at night. Small bottles of water and soft drinks in frudge to purchase. There is a nice grocery store just past the yummy Napoli Caffee where you can get drinks and snacks. The owner is very nice and the staff is very pleasant. While the unit was OK, the mattress was just a 3” well used foam pad on a wooden bed platform (two twin foam pads). So, no great sleeps over the 5 nights. No hot water (but it is tolerably cool), toilet seat was not secured to the toilet (but it was chained), no shampoos and just one little bar of soap for the sink and shower. No hair dryer for those of you that need one daily. Bath towels should have been replaced about a year ago and no hand towels (unless requested multiple times) or wash cloths. The pillows are some type of lumpy foam chunks - but at least it wasn’t flat as a pancake (throw pillows look like they have never been cleaned). When we needed to they were never around, so ask before about 5pm if you need something. Yes, they sweep the leaves but maintenance is lacking. Walkways are overcrowded by plants and they are very slick when it rains - be cautious. Internet is abysmal (best at the “Park your broom” sign). No fresh water shower to knock off the sand after you snorkel. We were there 5 nights (booked for 6 but the weather caused a delay) and our room was never serviced. We had a clothesline with us so we were able to hang the towels every day to dry. Would have been nice to at least had the unit swept once and a towel refresh and the rubbish bin on the front porch emptied (this would reduce their ant issue). We had coffee a couple times in the morning but went next door to República to eat-breakfast and dinner (fantastic food) - and they have free 5g wifi. We only saw a couple of people eating breakfast here and never saw anyone having dinner. If your budget is tight, then this place would be fine. This is about a 2 star hotel - not a resort. Note: we did speak with the owner as we were leaving to share our concerns. She claimed we should have had fresh towels each day and refresh is by request. Supposedly they also keep a stack of fresh towels at the kitchen area. We never saw them but they could have been there. We suggested they provide an info sheet in each room regarding their services that they provide- not an impossible task since they only have 6 rooms.

Location and snorkeling aspects, lively sunset views, good value for money. Improve: curtains for light blocking and privacy, sandy paths for access, availability of staff and drinking water. +Can snorkle right from the property as steps give access (best 1 or 2 hours either side of high tide). You can start seeing fish within the first 50-100m, and the reef is only about 150m out. This is next to the incredible Tubod Marine Sanctuary, and following the reef east allows you to observe many fish, HUGE and varied corals and even sea turtles. Incredible to have on your doorstep! +Although not right on the water, there were lovely sea views through jungled landscaping of the grounds. There were lots of great common outdoors seating spots to watch the sea and sunset from. +Room was good for the price: had a cold shower, flushing toilet and screens on windows. There is no ceiling fan, but they provides a table top fan. This had good power, but was fairly loud and slightly disruptive of a good night's sleep at times (another guest found the same). +Within minutes by scooter to San Juan and lots of eating options. They will easily help you arrange a scooter brought to the property (350 pesos/day or 450 pesos/day to upgrade to 125cc bike). +As they aren't currently serving much food, they allowed access to their outdoor kitchen to make some breakfast. Improvements: -Having thicker curtains to block more light (from other cottages and the early sunrise) and for privacy. The curtains were sheer and pretty much see through. While the glass slats were frosted and the accommodation wasn't busy, this gives a lack of privacy in my opinion. The door is glass, and had a thicker curtain you could pull over, but you'd always have to move the curtain to open the door (door opened inwards). Better curtains are an easy fix. -The path to our cottage was sand, while other paths were cobgrete or rock. This made it almost impossible to not drag sand into the room, making for a gritty experience. Paving the front, or having a broom in the room would help (they did lend us one). You can ask for the room to be cleaned, but pretty much every time you go in and out, more sand comes in. -The staff were friendly and helpful when asked, but we're not always around. While this is understandable as there were only two staff at the desk and the place wasn't super busy, the inconsistency of being able to ask something, especially water, was frustrating (there were free water refills, but it was in the office). Having drinking water accessible for guests to access at all times (as in every other place we've been in the Philippines) and having some hours posted or a number to call or WhatsApp would be very useful. -Hooks to hang things and side tables with a small lamp are always appreciated by travellers

Truly fabulous place!!! Excellent location, the beach is a few meters away, excellent service, friendly and kind staff - Celeste, Jovy and Jessamae are always smiling and accommodating. I extended my stay here for a few days and will come again.