El Rio y Mar Resort — Hotel in Coron

Our family recently concluded a delightful 4-day, 3-night stay at El Rio Y Mar Resort in Coron. We thoroughly enjoyed the resort's exclusive ambiance and its harmonious integration with nature.||Seamless Transfers and Exclusive Setting|The journey to El Rio Y Mar was remarkably smooth, thanks to the resort's private boat and van transfer service. This hassle-free arrangement immediately set a tone of exclusivity and convenience for our vacation, allowing us to relax from the moment we arrived.||Immersive Nature Encounters|One of the most memorable aspects of our stay was the resort's close proximity to local wildlife. We had several fascinating encounters with monitor lizards (known locally as bayawak), observed playful squirrel, and admired an abundance of fish in the clear waters surrounding the property. It truly offers a unique opportunity to connect with nature.||Commendable Service and Diverse Amenities|The service provided by the resort staff was consistently excellent. Their friendly and attentive approach significantly contributed to a comfortable and enjoyable stay for our entire family.||El Rio Y Mar boasts an impressive range of amenities designed to cater to various interests. We particularly enjoyed the complimentary use of kayaks and paddle boards, exploring the tranquil bay at our leisure. For entertainment, the karaoke room provided enjoyable evenings, and snorkeling directly off the beach allowed us to discover the vibrant underwater world. The swimming areas were also very well-maintained and inviting.||Dining Experience|The food at the resort was generally good, with some dishes reaching an above-average standard. The pricing was reasonable, offering fair value. For breakfast, it's worth noting that a half-buffet is served when guest numbers are low. However, guests can still order a full rice meal for breakfast without any additional charge, ensuring a satisfying start to the day.||Accommodation: Cabana #15 - Beachfront with Considerations|Our family was accommodated in Cabana #15, which offered a prime beachfront location. Positioned at the farthest end of the resort, it provided exceptional privacy and a serene atmosphere. While this seclusion was highly appreciated, the children were a bit apprehensive about potential sightings of monitor lizards due to the close proximity to their natural habitat. This is a minor consideration for families with easily startled young ones.||Important Advice for Outside Tours|A crucial piece of advice for guests planning to embark on island hopping tours: it is highly recommended to arrange your tours prior to your arrival at the resort. The resort's private port is situated approximately 1.5 to 2 hours of boat travel from the main port where most island escapade tours depart. Opting to book an outside tour after arriving at the resort will incur an additional roundtrip boat transfer fee of PHP 1,200 per person. Planning ahead can help avoid this extra cost.||Overall Experience|Despite the children's slight apprehension regarding wildlife near our cabana and the considerations for outside tour transfers, our family thoroughly enjoyed our time at El Rio Y Mar Resort. The exclusive setting, the beautiful natural environment, the excellent service, and the variety of activities combined to create a truly memorable vacation. The availability of a promotional offer during our stay was an added bonus, enhancing the overall value of our experience. El Rio Y Mar offers a distinctive and relaxing...

Words alone cannot describe the absolute serenity of this place. From the moment the boat approached the dock I could tell that I made the right choice. The water surrounding the island was beautiful and so clear, I was in complete awe of the natural surroundings and extremely grateful for the opportunity to be able to experience it for the 4 days we were there.

Getting to the resort was a breeze with their airport shuttle service. As soon as we walked outside the airport, we were met by the driver who drove us to the port, where we transferred on to the boat that took us to the resort. The staff have been amazing throughout our entire stay. They welcome you with a song as you arrive at the dock and brief you about the facilities and activities available during your stay (many of which are completely free of charge). There was always someone available to assist us whenever we had a question. I especially want to thank Jemery for being so attentive every time my girlfriend and I stopped at the bar on the dock. We usually drink our beers with lemon and salt which he brought out for us and then topped up when he saw our lemon slices dwindling before we even asked. He also would stop to answer my questions about what type of fish I was seeing in the water. Thank you for everything Jemery!

When it comes to activities, the only obstacle was not having enough time to do them all! There was plenty to do both on the island and off. For those who just want to stay on the island, there are kayaks, snorkeling equipment, and paddle boards available for use at no cost. They also have a hiking trail where you can get some beautiful shots of the island and its surroundings. They also have billiards, table tennis and volleyball as well as darts and a karaoke room. They offer diving experiences both near the resort and dugong watching a little further off. We only had enough time for one full day tour so we were unable to try the diving, but I hope to come back and experience it next time. They offer plenty of guided tour options (private and group options available) which we did take advantage of and I highly recommend. Darren was our tour guide and was very informative and supportive with us. This was our first snorkeling experience so we were a little scared at first but Darren completely changed that. Thank you Darren!

Dining options at the resort were plentiful with both international and local dishes. I absolutely loved their Bihon Guisado (rice noodles with chicken and vegetables) and Kare-Kare (pork cooked in a peanut sauce served over a bed of grilled vegetables and a side of rice). The live music at dinner was the perfect extra touch for an unforgettable experience. You can also get a range of snacks at the shop and any other essentials you might need such as sun screen, shampoo or conditioner (which saved my life since I had forgotten to pack mine).

Keep your eyes peeled around the resort for some cool sightings of wildlife. I saw a little monitor lizard walking over the path to get to the trees which was a nice bonus to the beautiful fish and corals I saw while snorkeling.

All in all, excellent stay that felt like luxury at reasonable rates. I highly recommend this place and can't wait to visit again next...

We booked a trip to Coron on a whim and stayed at this beautiful luxury resort Island for a week. The resort includes a complimentary pickup and drop-off service to and from the airport, which takes approximately 30 minutes via van and boat to the island. ||Our first impression getting off the boat was Serene Beauty!!!||Their restaurant has a nice setting, and beyond the food, the resort carries a certain charm and character. They also have singers who will not only welcome you upon arrival and departure, but will serenade you at the restaurant every night.||Our beachfront Cabana had a really large balcony, with a hammock, lounger, table, and chairs. I loved that their Cabanas are "Bahay Kubo" style which is the DNA of Philippine Architecture. The beachfront view from the balcony is to die for.||You can feel El Rio Y Mar's history in its bones. Some of the staff have been there so long, they’ve grown alongside the place—and aged beautifully with it. It’s the kind of spot that stays with you.||The resort has an excellent blend of both relaxing and physical activities. My family snorkeled the reefs daily, kayaked, standup paddle boarded and even hiked up the mountain for a wonderful view of El Rio y Mar and surrounding islands. All the resort activities and equipments mentioned are free to book and hire.||There is a games room with ping pong and pool table, a karaoke room, also a mini library if you wanted to just unwind. |Those that require the gym facility however should forget about it, it is functional and undercover, however it is out in the open and has become somewhat rusted and is lackluster.||The week of our stay was unfortunately jellyfish season, whilst this only affected certain parts of the shoreline, just be cautious about entering the water around the shallow areas. The staff do their best at scooping up the shoreline every morning and keeping it free from jellyfish and debris. I would recommend chatting to the staff before hand. The best place to snorkel is off the pier, you will not only find the best reefs there but also there are no jellyfish and the fish are quite friendly used to human interactions due to a strict no fishing rule.||We noticed that El Rio Y Mar also offers other activities such as diving tours, island hopping and a sea plane you can book for additional costs.||Two separate spas are available, the first is in a room behind the reception and the other is on a floating, enclosed raft, where I guess you can see the marine life around you whilst you are getting your massage. Very unique indeed.||There are two seperate pools, one family pool located next to the open restaurant and the other is a deep dive pool located next to the dive shop. ||El Rio Y Mar, shouldn’t be gatekept. It deserves more love. It deserves to keep serving amazing service —and to keep carrying the spirit of Filipino hospitality that makes it feel like home.||Maraming Salamat El Rio! We can't wait to go back again 🤗||Len and...