Jelly's Haven Resort — Hotel in Bantayan Island

Review of Jellys Haven Resort, Bantayan Island, Cebu

I recently had the pleasure of staying at Jellys Haven Resort on Bantayan Island for 2 nights and 3 days. Overall, it was a great experience, and I left with many positive impressions of the resort. The rooms were clean and well-maintained, and the convenience of a pickup and drop-off service from the port to the hotel made our arrival and departure hassle-free. The resort itself has a peaceful ambiance, perfect for a relaxing getaway. A special mention goes to Zahara, whose exceptional customer service and genuine smile really stood out. She was always friendly and helpful, making us feel welcome throughout our stay. It’s clear that she takes pride in her work and goes the extra mile to make guests feel valued. However, I did have a less-than-ideal experience with a staff member named Zaida, which unfortunately affected my overall rating. The first instance occurred when I asked Zaida for a new towel and toiletries for our second day, as our towel was still wet from a previous use. I requested this politely, but despite her acknowledging my request, nothing was delivered by the end of the day. I was disappointed by this lack of follow-through, especially since she had seemed attentive during our interaction. The second issue arose when I asked Zaida if I could buy a drink at the bar after 9:45 PM, given that the bar closed at 10 PM. She gave me a cold response, almost as if she was irritated by my request. To make matters worse, she was eating a popsicle stick at the time, which made the interaction feel unprofessional and dismissive. Thankfully, Zahara was there to help, offering a much more courteous and positive response, and she kindly reopened the bar for us to make our purchase. Additionally, I couldn't help but notice a disparity in how Zaida treated foreign guests compared to local Filipino guests. It felt as though there was a different level of respect and attentiveness toward non-Filipino visitors, which left me feeling uncomfortable. It’s important for any resort to treat all guests equally, regardless of nationality, as everyone pays the same rate for the service. While my experience with Zaida left a negative impression, I don’t want that to overshadow the overall positive aspects of the resort. Jellys Haven Resort is beautiful, and despite the few hiccups, I would still highly recommend it, especially because of the wonderful service provided by Zahara and the rest of the staff. As this was my first time staying at Jellys, and my sister’s third, we are certainly likely to return. However, I do hope that the management takes this feedback seriously and addresses the customer service issues with Zaida, as her attitude could significantly impact the guest experience. Thank you to the rest of the team for making our...

We missed one night of our stay in this place. We did not realize it was the end of a holiday. We came from Camotes and since we did not realized the holiday, so of course, we had to wait half a day before we could get on a ferry to Danao port. Danao port was about 1.5hrs to 2 hrs away from Hagnaya port where we were supposed to get on another ferry to get to this place, unfortunately we missed the last trip. When we got to the hotel the next day, they offered us to extend another night in replacement of the one night that we missed. It was a nice offer but we already have everything planned and booked for the rest of our itinerary. The room is honestly not that big - at least on the ones that they gave us. If 2 of you has big luggages, it could get tight in the room. They have free pick-up from the port to their hotel which was convenient. I actually didn't know about it until a tricycle driver was kind enough to tell us to try to call the hotel since they gave free pick-ups from the port. Thanks to Kuya's honesty, it was rare as some of them would love to rip you off - not all though. One thing I noticed is the water flow is not good. There was one time that there was no flow but I think it was because they turned off the main switch from some reason - maybe it was common in the area (didn't really get a chance to ask the locals). The place is right in front of the beach. We did a night stroll on the first evening that we got there. It was not that close but still walkable for a about 20 minutes maybe (if you love walking) to the central place where all the restaurants are. Overall, our stay in this island was the best of all the times I've gone here. This was my 3rd time in this island and the first with my husband and also the first time in this hotel. ALSO, important to note, they have a decent gym and guests are free to use it!! ||TIP: IF YOU ARE INTO CARDIO LIKE BIKE RIDE, YOU SHOULD RENT A BIKE WHEN YOU PLAN TO VISIT THE TOURIST PLACES OF THIS ISLAND - LIKE THE MANGROOVE OR OMAGEICA, CAVE, THE RUINS, KOTA BEACH AND PARADISE BEACH... WE RENTED A BIKE FOR ONLY 150 EACH FOR A DAY. IT WAS FUN! TOURIST SPOTS ARE EASY TO FIND HERE AND YOUR MAP CAN LEAD RIGHT TO THE PLACE, ALTHOUGH YOU MAYBE HAVE TO ASK THE LOCALS WHERE...

Love the location by the beach. ||The first day we checked in we had dinner here and the food was very good. Unfortunately for the free breakfast there’s only 3 choices. Not a bit of fruits and the orange juice they serve is from can/box. I wasn’t that bothered by that, I understand that maybe in an island is still hard to get certain stuff. There’s plenty of mango/banana around and coconut that’s pretty cheap and being a tropical island it might look better probably serving that for breakfast. ||The room is ok. Bed is pretty comfortable.|Clean towels and clean room.||Staff is really nice, welcoming and helpful.||However I could be happy over all with everything if not for the very very very loud music they are playing outside by the beach. You cannot even talk to’ each other out there or take a phone call. Let’s not mention if you’re trying to read a book or take a nap 😅. I didn’t say anything since other people were on the beach so I thought they will like it. Anyway at some point I was alone and I finally asked if they could lower the volume, and finally have a few moments of peace. What I would love to suggest to the management is to start playing the music maybe around sunset when people are ready for a drink pre dinner. But before that I guess everyone will rather hear the sound of the waves of the ocean, or of you really want to play music maybe go for something softer and at a decent volume....