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I stayed at and dived with Polaris for 5 nights in January 2024 and had an amazing experience which was the highlight of my 10-night trip to Bohol. I will definitely be returning to Polaris (and would encourage others to visit too) for the reasons described below.
Rooms: I stayed in one of the treehouse rooms (fan-only, cold water showers) and it was spacious with a wide balcony which was perfect for lounging during the day. The room itself (from the bedroom to the bathroom) was basic but very clean - the staff obviously take pride in maintaining their rooms to a high standard. The first few nights without AC were a little warm, but I got used to it pretty quickly - it's nice to wake up and not feel cold.
Food: Food at the resort was excellent. Everything is prepared fresh-to-order and they even have a wood-fired pizza oven. I tried a variety of dishes (sandwiches / pastas / pizzas / soups) and everything was tasty and fresh. There aren't really any restaurants on Cabilao (aside from at the few neighboring resorts) so I had every meal at Polaris. Prices are reasonable for the quality (remember that a lot of ingredients need to be brought over by boat).
Diving: Polaris' dive centre is excellent. There weren't many other divers while I was there, so I dived in a group with just my DM (Lito). Lito was one of the best DMs I have had the pleasure of diving with and an overall great guy - he was excellent at spotting interesting macro / small critters - we saw pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, countless nudis. All of the dive sites are within a 5-10 minute speedboat ride away, with mostly wall dives along the steep drop-off surrounding the island. The walls are stunning with healthy coral (huge gorgonia), crevices to explore, and abundant marine life (in terms of larger species we saw turtles, great barracuda, huge titan triggerfish). Apparently you can also see thresher sharks swimming along the bottom, as well as the occasional whale shark in shallow areas. I would say it is advisable to be AOW-qualified or above to get the most out of the dive sites here, as the shallow reef was badly damaged by Typhoon Odette in 2021 (but is recovering) - so you need to dive a little deeper to appreciate the reef. Snorkeling (while still nice) is definitely not as nice as it would have been when the shallow reef was still untouched. Rental equipment was in good condition.
Facilities / Location: The grounds are beautiful and immaculately maintained. While I didn't try out the pool it looked very nice and clean and I did see some other guests using it. They also have a nice area for lounging under the sun with a view of Cebu in the distance - the sunsets are spectacular. The staff evidently take a lot of pride in the place. It is also worth going for a walk around Cabilao Island, which is beautiful. There are 5 villages on the island which can all be seen via an 11km walk around the circumference of the island (plenty of sari-sari stores along the way to stop for snacks / water). People are very friendly and will be happy to stop for a chat. There is also a lady selling handmade ratan bags / purses about 10 minutes from the resort. Do note that the island itself has minimal tourism infrastructure outside of the resorts, so if you are particular about any specific items (toiletries / snacks) you will need to bring these with you.
Service: The people are the highlight of Polaris. Pretty soon you know everybody by name, and everyone goes above and beyond to make you feel at home at the resort. By the end of my 6 days at Polaris I felt more like a guest among friends than a guest at a resort. The hospitality of all of the Polaris staff (as well as the pride they take in the resort itself) gives Polaris a really special...
The staff at Polaris are so incredibly welcoming, we were personally greeted given a very brief orientation and show to our lovely cabin. The grounds are amazing, as is the pool. Unfortunately lacking a proper Sandy Beach however if you time the tides correctly there's plenty of swimming to do. If you would like a nice secluded shallow Sandy Beach you can walk North from the resort towards the lighthouse around the corner beyond the lighthouse 100 m is a lovely clean Beach. As far as the diving goes, Hans is a very experienced and very capable man. He has the ability to instill confidence an even first timers. The swimming pool has an amazing design feature to allow pool classes and inspire confidence in beginner. Having said that, be certain that you clarify the cost of instruction before you embark on any course. I'm a very experienced open water diver and this is the first fully living soft coral reef I have seen in 30 years. Polaris has a policy of "if you see it pick it up" so they even give you 30 seconds of briefing on Reef respect and maintenance. I could not have been happier with the diving other than my companions from Polaris used half the air that I did.|||| The accommodations and restaurant: the independent cabin that we stayed in was very well maintained and had a lovely porch hammock, and clothes drying line. Air conditioning was hardly necessary but was available if you needed it. ||||As far as the restaurant goes, breakfast is outstanding. For supper I would highly recommend the ravioli, some of the best I've had in my life. There is little or no accommodation for beef lovers, but if you like fish I'm sure they can do it three hundred ways. If you would like something cook specifically or something ordered in for the next day be sure to talk to the owners life whose name now slips my mind. She is a darling!||||This is definitely a world-class rough guide location. My only advice would be to clarify pricing in advance such as transportation to and from the island and the cost of water for drinking while you are there. And maybe keep a running total, not because there is any in accuracy on the part of the staff, it's just that having fun can add up quickly. Hours day came in about 25% over budget and having said that I would do it all again. Enjoy this location and don't miss the fireflies on the beach late at night they...
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First of all, the staff is fantastic. Everyone greets you by name and makes you feel at home. Most of them have been here for years and they care about their resort and the people visiting. They think along with you for trips on the water or a convenient massage time to make your day nice. (Great massages!)
The place itself is aging a bit, but we must say it does that without losing any of it’s charm. You can feel that the place has known better times before everything happend in the last few years, but it’s a very tranquil place. The pool is nice, the food is also very good. The view is great and at night you can enjoy the sun sinking in the ocean with a cocktail and spot some fireflies on the property. Very relaxing…
The only issue we found is the price of the food. Although the plates are big, pizza’s are wood fired, the taste is fresh and just very good overall, the remote location does not justify the food & drink prices. It’s owner overcharges it by allot just because there is no other option to eat. The neighboring resorts do the same so they are no help either. Example: 250php for a cappuccino from their nice machine is more expensive than anywhere we have seen in the region of Bohol in weeks. It does not matter how tasty it is, it’s just not reasonable to ask. It also could use a water refill station that is cooled. Small details matter.
Much of the shallow reef for snorkeling is damaged due to the typhoon. It’s still nice, but major damage has been done and for close up snorkeling it’s regrettably no longer that impressive. For diving it’s still beautiful. Special notice for the few people arriving by land on motorbike: there is no real entrance anywhere. You have to make your way through the gardens of the locals on the island and find the rear exit. Fun...
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