Coastal Cove Resort — Attraction in Aurora

Stayed May 16-18, 2023.

Location of the resort is a 5/5! It's situated in between mountains and the beach, is close to the market and is near a brook/stream (batis). The nature is relaxing!

However, I will focus on the review of the hotel and its management. I seldom leave reviews but I feel that this review will assist future visitors of Butas na Bato, Dingalan when considering a place to stay.

The main reason why we chose this resort was because it allowed us to bring our pets (cats) with us and it is beach front. On its FB page, they showed good pics of their rooms. Since it was 14 of us (11 adults, 2 minors and a 1-yr old), we picked the 8-capacity (4-Q size beds) and 6-capacity (3 Q beds) rooms. We were asked to pay full price upon check in (P22K) but they wouldn’t give the OR right away. Had to ask for it 3x.

8-pax room: Upon arrival, there was stench in the room. Then there were two AC units - one was about 3/4 horsepower which is non-functional, and the other one is a window AC which could not make the room feel cool enough to be comfortable (I approximate it only about 1 hp). The toilet seat was moldy, the bathroom (BR) floor was filthy and the restroom door knob was non-functional. It wouldn't even let the door lay flat enough for privacy. The shelves and table were dusty. Even the timba (water container) was dusty - we noticed it only when we started filling up the timba and black markings started appearing along the walls of the timba.

6-pax room: again, the stench was strong. The AC was good and was able to keep the room comfortably cool enough for the 6 guests assigned to that room. Again, the BR door was not working well, would not close enough to give privacy to the user.

We immediately brought these main issues (door knobs, moldy toilet seat and filthy bathroom) to the employees. Good thing was that they immediately changed the door knobs of both BR doors, and the moldy toilet seat with a new one. They cleaned up bathroom using a strong chemical, smelled like muriatic acid that lingered for almost the 3-day stay we had. If they could do that change quickly, why did they have to wait for their customers to complain if they anticipated the materials that needed to be changed?

The worse nightmare was during our last night until the morning of our departure. There was no water and no electricity overnight. My husband and I, and my elderly parents were not able to sleep because it was too hot. Around 3AM, I needed to use the BR for BM badly but there was no water! My husband and I went to the employees quarters, but no one was found! We went to the public restroom close to the parking area, but again, there was no water! We requested for assistance through their FB messenger, but no help was found. My mom had baby wipes and she remembered that there was accumulated water from the AC, so I was relieved to be able to flush my stools for the next user! I know this is personal/private info, but this is basic necessity of customers! This is important for future guests to know!

As far as linens, blankets and towels are concerned, they all had obvious stains and had musty smell. Their towels were nasty (kadiri talaga!). I hope the owner/management will do something about this because we all had a bad experience of our stay here. Nevertheless, because the nature/environment was beautiful and the experience was shared with family members, we still had quality time together. I don't know if this is acceptable resort/hotel standard here in the Philippines (province) as we are used to the US hotel standards. As for me, I and any of my family/relatives will not return to this place, nor will I recommend this accommodation especially if you're used to hotel standards.

Hope this will help bakasyonistas looking for accomodation. And the detailed description of our experience will help hotel management to look into their standards and employee training.

Paluto: P120-1 kg rice (you provide) P150-ulam/veggies per 1 kg. P150-breakfast (tocino/hotdogs(2), 1 egg and rice). P70 - oil...

Hi, The resort is the poorest ever we visited. a whole star is alr too much. Dirty, ants every in the bedroom, not even a full equipped bathroom/restroom, unstable building construction , 1 storm and you can get your room in the ocean. You have everything what nature can give you , the view , the sea, beach , and still you managed to spoil this with your resort. Very unfriendly staff , not even a hi or a good morning . We went there coz our family booked a room there , we didnt know what to expect. Living in the 21 the century we may expect a basic comfort like a good bedroom and bathroom, even that is not found at your resort. A toilet w a seat even in a resort and nice descent working shower is rare to find in your resort. Wow... Sorry for my review, but things have to be said. You have so nice place to offer to tourists , don't scare them off with your poor resort , a full make over will save your day. We stayed at the view deck 3 , family room view at the ocean. from july16 till 17, fam Cabalfin Arzanan best regards Thierry Van Vlierberghe

as respond to your reply .

if you can't accept a bad review to improve your resort what else can i say . And the most important i never attacked someone in person , just the way of how they are to the guests .

I still keep my review as it is , the truth can be hard but it's something to learn about it. As i read your answers in previous reviews , i knew what to expect as reply from you. Still i did it. I'm travelling already 15 years around the Philippines with my family during my vacations i saw already a lot of hotels and resorts every where in your beautiful country . Try to accept a review as a learning and not as a personal attack to you or your staff. And yes i have a good life , thanks for the teaching best regards with a lot of...

We had a very relaxing stay at their resort. Parking was easy, they had slots for motorcycles as well, instructional signs were marked nearly everywhere to guide you, staffers were friendly and accommodating, and the ocean view was amazing!

My tips for you are to bring your own food, buy seafood/veggies/meat (seafood depends on catch for the day) at the market (short drive away), buy emergency needs (like salted eggs or ice) at the sari-sari stores just across the street, save electricity, bring sunblock, and wear aqua shoes if you don't want to worry so much about the tiny rocks.

Market also sells different sizes of styro as storage for seafood. Resort serves buko and there are some hardworking vendors walking along the beach selling ice candy, local popsicles, taho, and honey. Cheese flavor was fantastic! Ocean water was relaxing but strong too; it'll feel like it's sucking you in so I suggest not dwelling too far.

Tents are available along the beach for your meal times, and showers plus grills too! Prices for overnight depend on your cottage of choice and maybe timing too. Ours was around P3,500 for 5 people and it had air-conditioning plus two beds.

How you perceive the rest is up to you, but do bring good vibes, make happy memories, and hope you...