La Villa Alta — Hotel in Larena

The place is quiet and secluded as advertised, but honestly they high expectations I had based on the positive reviews were not met. The owners are a big NO: not friendly or helpful, a bit rude, and also quite stingy. When we check-in there was no electricity, meaning no water and no Wi-Fi. There is no signal in the area so I could not work, and mostly I could not shower after a long day of travelling. They said it was cut off from the central office and it affected the whole Island, which is something that happens up to 5 times a day, so bare that in mind.

The rooms are basic, and we have no problem with that, but there a few things missing: there is no mosquito net for the bed, so you’ll have to remember to keep the door closed at all times. A few nights we could not even sleep because they ate us alive, especially when they would cut off the power and the fan did not work and it was too hot to even breathe. There is no place to hang your wet swimsuit or towel, which will get really smelly after a couple of days of using. The bathroom is smelly, dirty, the shower is poor, the sink was always clogged, even after we asked them to fix it, and the water comes out burning hot during the day when the sun hits stronger and colder at night when you might want a warmer one.

There are loads of ants so you can’t have any type of food in your room.

The lights in the common area do not work, making working with your laptop after 6 really unpleasant for your eyes. They said they were broken and that they had to call the electrician, but we stayed there for one week and nobody ever came. The plugs also don’t work unless you ask them to turn them on.

They make you pay for a cup of how water which I think is ridiculous given that they do not provide a boiler or anything to make your coffee. We had to pay every single morning, even the day of my 30th birthday they could not offer a single cup of water.

There are three cute friendly puppies hanging around and we loved them. One morning we woke up with poo and/or vomit on our porch and we kindly asked the owners to clean it, to which they replied that the dogs are not theirs and accused us of giving food to them not once, not twice but three times after we said that we didn’t. The woman kept insisting in a very rude way that she could see the food we ate the previous night in the dog’s poo. She honestly had a terrible attitude the whole time.

The only friendly, polite person there is the young lady who I assume is the daughter, she should teach their parents some basic social /...

Great value for money, warm hosts, quiet, relaxing, fantastic food, and a beautiful location, La Villa Alta had everything we needed. The resort has 5 or 6 large cottages ranging from 500 to 600 pesos. The cottages are cliff side, facing the sea, and if you are fortunate, there is a cottage on the beach. We stayed in a cliffside cottage, that was only a minute from the beach. The room was pleasant, with a double bed, fan, private bathroom, and porch with great views. The room only cost 600 pesos ($13). It is one of the very few resorts owned and run by a Filipino family in Siquijour and it was really worthwhile supporting local businesses. For its location, it is probably the most affordable in the area.||||The resort is run by Mercy and Jon who showed us fantastic hospitality during our stay. We had unknowingly contracted Typhoid fever, and they ensured that our stay was as comfortable as possible. They sent their daughter to get my husband medicine, and insisted on taking us to the port by tricycle because my husband was too ill to cycle. This they did out of pure concern and care for my husband, and at no extra charge to us, they were incredibly warm and friendly and even invited us to a birthday party during our stay which was a wonderful experience.||||The food was absolutely superb, and the best cooking we have had during our stay in the Phillipines. The portions are generous and large enough to be shared between two persons if you order an extra rice. They also provide motorcycle hire for only 300 pesos a day ($7) which enabled us to explore surrounding waterfalls, caves and beaches.||||This is a place that one could spend days, even months at and was our best stopover in the Philippines.||||The resort is 15km from Siquijour town and 7km from Larena. Look out for a signpost on the left after DJ...

||We spent 4 nights at this lovely place in Sandugan. It has a small beach area and spacious garden right in front of the two lower bungalows, one of which we stayed in. It is just like having your own private beach with the hotel only having 6 cottages, there’s a few sun-beds and a hammock that are just by the ocean so there’s a much needed cooling breeze.|The rooms are basic but have everything you need and are clean with each having their own outside porch area for sitting out. |The restaurant serves excellent food, cooked and served by the family, always with a smile. The food was some of the best we had during our 3 weeks stay in the Philippines and definitely the lowest priced.|This is a family owned and run resort so you always get that personal treatment. Mercy is a lovely lady and is very proud of her place and her family; she’s always up for an interesting chat. Junior her husband is great guy as are all of the family. There is always someone about to help with onward travel, bike rental or anything really, just ask. You really do feel part of the family which makes your stay here all the more special. You know the place is good when guests are asking to extend their stay.|Villa Alta is in Sandugan, a small village with maybe 6 other resorts which are all within easy walking distance, should you fancy a change of scenery. Some of the resorts offer diving which I did and enjoyed my 3 dives with Cedric from Kiwi dive resort, It is also a good idea to rent the scooters for a day or so and adventure around the island, the roads are good and quiet. You could also hire a trike and driver to explore the island if you don’t fancy the bikes. |I’m sure we will be back again at sometime to this perfect place, (please don’t change). |Thank you very much for our stay,...