Nalu Surf Camp — Hotel in Baler

We stayed here for 5 days and 4 nights at their Traditional Nipa Hut.

Nalu has its own access to the Sabang Beach where all the surfing happens. The best thing we love about Nalu is their property landscape, it's so well done and classy. They also have their own swimming pool, so if you're not into surfing, there's something for you to enjoy the waters. They also have the cool beach vibe where you'd want to hang out. No wonder lots of day-trip surfers would go to Nalu for the beach access and after-surf hangout.

They have many staff, and they are the friendliest. During our stay, they have lots of interns so you won't go unnoticed when you need something. Their surfing instructors are also very nice. Although we didn't surf since we brought our 2 dogs. But all of them are very very accomodating.

Nalu is also best for remote workers as their wifi connection is really strong and covers the entire (big) property.

As I've said in my other Google reviews, my goal is to share insights from my experiences to fellow travelers and for the property managers and owners to refer to. I don't mean to scare off potential guests or bash the the property management, but it's to let them know where else they can improve.

While the traditional nipa hut was the best choice for us with 2 senior dogs, I wish they can improve the hut because termites (anay) are destroying the property. From the walls (I think they used plywood) to the beds (at a certain move, the bed cracks hehe). At first, you will think it's sand but it's the termite droppings everywhere. I confirmed this when I borrowed a broom and cleaned the floor. Good thing it doesn't fall from the ceiling onto the bed, just the walls and under the beds. If you're planning to bring dogs (especially big dogs), I think this is still the best room type since it has an enclosed veranda and the ceiling fan is really strong, it gets really cold. Sometimes we would leave the dogs so they can rest and we can walk around.

We like the bathroom as it's one-level down the room with strong exhaust fan and water pressure, but there were also visible marks of termite decay. I would even wonder where the termite droppings are coming from in the shower area since I don't see any marks in the ceiling.

Their bathroom also has a water heater, however, our room, Trad Nipa Hut 3, had a clogged sink (you can easily see from its drainage there's debris in it; the neat freak in me almost bought a declogger from the nearby 711 store), bidet has no handle, and they don't provide toilet paper. The shower part is decent except for the termite droppings and lack of signage for the shampoo and body wash. They provide toothbrush though, so that's a plus.

If you're a light sleeper, I'd suggest don't get the Trad Nipa Hut 3 as it's by the passage way to the staff room, they'd talk loud sometimes.

The room comes with a free breakfast. The sad thing is that their restaurant has limited food choices. We ordered dinakdakan on our first lunch meal but it's too fatty. On our last night, we ordered Bagnet Kare Kare (it's a deconstructed one, btw), but the meat is too fatty, we had to order Dinakdakan bcos we couldn't eat the Bagnet from the Kare Kare. Of course, we had to request the dinakdakan to be less fatty this time and they served us with the meaty one (no fat!!). Our best reco for good food with big serving and credit card payment option is Bay-Ler Hotel--must eat there!!

This is not Nalu but more for the LGU-- I wish they'd clean the shoreline. It's dirty and lots of debris. They charge 100 per person for the environmental fee, which is pretty high compared to other towns. Good to note that the 100 fee comes with access to the Maria Aurora Residence and Baler Museum.

Payment options: you can pay via bank transfer or GCash. We did room charging for the meals and coffee since we're trying to save our cash for going around Aurora.

Overall, we had a great time in Nalu. I'd come back with friends without the dogs maybe, so we can try to surf. Thank you, Nalu, for such a...

Accomodation: ||||We had a Premier Nipa Hut (8 px.) reserved. It had 2 floors. The1st floor had 2 double beds while the 2nd Floor had 4 single beds. The only concern was it only has one bathroom. For 8 people sharing a bathroom you have to be a little patient. It was clean, neat and Ok. The view was very picturesque. The place is just by the beach front. Hands down 5/5. The best view of the beachfront is here IMO. ||||We had a long walk and checked the neighboring Inns which we also saw on booking websites. We checked each one of them personally and compared it to our Inn. To be honest, the location and the view from Nalu was far better than the others. It was comparable to Costa Pacifica, and it's less crowded with a friendlier budget. Aesthetic wise, we chose the a worth it winner.||||We shared the entirety of Nalu with only a few number of tourists. It's not crowded and that is why we appreciated the place even more. But, during Fridays or Saturdays they have a DJ that plays music so expect those days to be a little crowded compared to days like wednesdays and thursdays. ||||If you plan on going to baler, Surfing is a must. Nalu has it's own Surf Instructors and trust me they're entertaining and Friendly. With their help, I actually learned how to surf within an hour. They also have a photographer ready to snap and capture every moment. The Photographer is very good in timing. He knows the right angles and when to click. The images were awesome. Surfing; even just for an hour is really tiring so the free soda they provide after the surfing lesson is perfect. For only 350php it already covers the board rental, surfing lesson itself and the images. For that price you learned how to surf, you have awesome images, you were entertained and you have a free drink. ||||Since we're 8 people we brought alot of food and there is no corkage fee, so we often went to thex resto & bar(sandbar) for the free breakfast. The Food and beverage employees were very still. The Service was unsatisfactory. The do not smile, and in some cases it felt like they were unsure of what they were doing. When I'm talking to them, I don't know if they're nervous or scared or what. If you plan on dining inside the resto, bring alot of patience. Foodwise (breakfast) they're delicious and presentable. I recommend their longganisa for breakfast.||||Chilling with a cocktail under the the shades by the garden during the night was very refreshing and relaxing. But, it's pay as you order which is underwhelming.. it actually made the experience a little cheap. But, the drinks were actually pretty good. Still, having those drinks made our night much better. ||||||||Th Reservation Process:||I would have to be honest to say that the process is a headache.. We had a Premier Nipa Hut reserved and paid for it advance and we received a confirmation but it was stated that for the date we paid for was no longer available. The lady on the phone cleared that it was a typographical error on their part. She apologized but it felt a bitter impression, but that impression faded when we saw the view from our place.||||Recommendations: || ||If you plan to have your stay in Nalu, I recommend that you choose the Premier Nipa Hut No.1 because it has the best view. We'll not have the same experience if we did noy choose the Premier #1. It really makes a difference. ||||||Overall we had a pleasant stay and our visit in baler is very memorable. The beauty of the place orvershadowed it's few cons, and there is no Perfect Inn. For the price, our stay was really worth it. Overall...

In July, we went to Baler for a week and stayed in one of our relatives' house. But after a few days, we decided to just book a hotel on the beach front because we would like to go surfing. Since we already had our surfing lesson with Nalu Surf Camp a few days back and we were very happy about it and we usually went to Nalu Surf Camp for snacks almost everyday so, we decided to just book with them. Also, I stayed in Nalu Surf Camp in July 2017 in Ifugao AC room and my stay was really good. I also like Nalu Surf Camp's food cause it's deli and affordable. We arrived at 2 AM at Nalu Surf Camp. We asked the receptionist for different rates and my boyfriend checked some rooms. Since my boyfriend doesn't like the bathroom outside of the rooms because of bugs, he asked if we could book the room at the beachfront which costs 7,000.00 pesos each night (good for a family). We were trying to book for 4 nights but the receptionist said he doesn't know if the room is available for 4 nights because there's no way for him to check. Instead we asked if we could check in in Ifugao Room with AC and transfer the next day so he can check if the 7,000.00 pesos room is available by the next day and if we could check out late because by the time we'll check in is already at 4 AM and the check out time is 12 Noon. That's paying for 1 night for 8 hours of stay only. But the receptionist said there's no late checkout and we have to pay each hour that we stay longer which is RIDICULOUS because I was able to check out at 2 PM before. Oh and we've been to other more expensive hotels and they can accommodate late checkout! We did not get any sort of offer from the receptionist. He only apologized and explained that he is new. Well, you don't just assign someone at the reception area with no training! Good thing we found a good deal online for Costa Pacifica and our first night was free! Every year I go to Baler and I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna go back to Nalu...