GOICHI RESORT — Hotel in Luzon

Four stars for Lipit Beach only. Went here for Mother's Day weekend. The pictures on the website were inviting. On the website, it said this place is "exclusive" and no food and alcohol is allowed because they "have a restaurant and bar onsite". So we brought no food other than for grilling. They had a lot of rules on the website. This place has 4 villas and 3 cottages, 1 restaurant, 2 ground pools, 1 infinity pool on the restaurant rooftop overlooking the sea, with a bar underneath. When we came, the front desk staff asked if we were informed upon reservation that that the restaurant is closed, the bar is closed, there is no food on site. No, we weren't. Front desk staff recommend a "carinderia" and Orderun.

THE ROOM/VILLA: We were assigned to Villa #4. The beds were comfortable. The tv was not working. After attempting to fix it, the staff replaced it with a working one. Wifi speed is acceptable. The toilet and bath in the rooms are laid out separately. I stand not more than five feet plus an inch or so and when I close the toilet accordion door, I had to carefully move around because there wasn't a lot of space. If you are tall, you may have to keep the accordion door open else your knees won't fit. Not sure if this is the case for all villas. The front desk checked the room before we were handed the key but to our surprise, there were dry pee stains on the toilet. Not such a deal-breaker for me, I can wipe it and disinfect, but this is the first time I've encountered this. They do supply dental kits, soap, shampoo. There is a kettle for boiling water, a pair of mugs and a pair of glasses. There are drying racks (2 each) per villa. Wasn't sure though why the airconditioner wasn't cooling the room enough. It could be because of the gaps on top of and under the door, which are significant. They have provided a fan. There is a sitting area infront of each villa with two chairs. Since Villa #4 is the closes to the beach, we enjoyed the view very early the next morning. This feature, I appreciated.

THE POOLS: Only one of the two ground pools were filled. We thought this was because we might be the only occupants. Sometime later, a group came and occupied the rest of the villas (3 out of 4), so I don't think having only one ground pool was justifiable as it wasn't very big. We only used the infinity pool on the restaurant rooftop, which is good for maybe maximum 6 to 7 people, otherwise there will be no elbow room. The view of the sea from the pool is nice. The only downside was that the pool had a lot of sand and the filter was off. It wasn't dirty per se, but the kids from another group used it after us, and it just didn't seem very hygienic to have the filter turned off when there are guests using them one group after another. I wasn't able to take a picture but there were two instances when I saw gross green stuff was on my hand/arm. We stayed for more or less an hour and did not swim in any of their pools after.

THE STAFF: They were responsive online pre- and post-deposit. Except for the part where they missed informing me that the resto is closed and that food can be brought in, staff are okay.

THE BEACH: The four stars in this rating is because of Lipit beach. It's fine black, just like Sabang's or even better. There is less crowds, the sand is super soft to the feet. When we went, you can still frolic along the shore. A lot of people were swimming. I expected the waves to be high so this was a good thing. We enjoyed walking the far stretch of the beach. It was beautiful. Because Lipit Beach is facing east, you get sunshine, too. The downside though was it was already scorching hot at 7am.

CONCLUSION: The pictures on the website are outdated. We saw a resort that needed maintenance. I had high expectations. They should just update their website to say that food can be brought in, remove the "outside food prohibited" line. When I asked for an Official Receipt after check-out, I was asked if I needed it. I asked if it will take time to create one and I was told yes. I left...

We were already in Pantabangan and were looking to extend my mom's birthday weekend to Baler. I quickly scanned for a resort with a view and pool and found Goichi Resort. Pinged them and they responded promptly.

This is a new oceanfront resort in Dipaculao, and I can say we hit the jackpot. Their villa is minimalistic modern japanese designed. Not too big but it fits our group of seniors and kids. The room is clean and fresh, with clean towels and toiletries. They have mini fridge and electric kettle. They also provide rack for drying wet clothes. They have shower outside each villa for washing away sand before you enter the room. They also have a firepit beside each villa for bonfire or grilling. Basically, you get all you need for a relaxing staycation.

They have twin pools, both with shallow area for kids. They also have a restaurant serving Filipino and Japanese cuisine, which would also be great for events. There's also videoke there they told us we can use for free. The area at the back facing the ocean has swing beds that are great for just hanging out, listening to the waves and just feeling the ocean breeze.

We had a great time here. The staff were friendly and service was impeccable. The kids love swimming in the pool. We got to enjoy s'mores on the firepit and they even assisted us in firing it up. They sell charcoal just in case you didn't bring. We like the food we ordered from the restaurant, especially the Bagnet Sinigang. Our stay here was a memorable experience for the family and we think the rate...

Goichi resort has exceeded our expectations, the staff are polite and helpful. However, the sea is not swimable because...