Buceo Anilao Beach & Dive Resort — Hotel in Mabini

Pre-trip: |I got in touch with Joy within hours of submitting an enquiry on the Buceo Anilao website. Throughout the booking process, she was responsive and readily answered all of my queries promptly. PDF’s of the full pricing list, restaurant menu, information sheet and FAQ’s were all sent to me as well. The resort is highly transparent with their pricing upfront so there are no hidden costs to be aware of. ||Resort:|As there is no road access, a short 5min boat ride will be arranged by the resort to get you there. The beautiful resort is nestled along the coast, with a spectacular view of the sea. The resort’s restaurant serves a wide range of delicacies ranging from Filipino to Western. Some of my favourite dishes include the burger, carbonara (cream sauce pasta) and the baby back ribs. The latter is definitely a must try! The bar nearby serves alcoholic and canned drinks, providing a quaint place to chill out in between dives or at night. The resort also comes equipped with two swimming pools facing the ocean with plenty of sun chairs to rest and relax on. There is a small gift shop for you to purchase souvenirs and pick up any essential items, though I highly recommend getting them before your arrival. ||I stayed in the superior room which has an outdoor balcony with bean chairs and a drying rack. The ensuite bathroom is spacious, with hot showers and good water pressure. One thing that struck me about the room and resort in general, was simply how clean it is. There are no odd stains on the room walls, towels or sheets. Considering its close proximity to nature, there were also hardly any creep crawlies in the premises. Not sure if it is seasonal but I went an entire week without getting bitten by a single mosquito, truly a first for a South East Asian resort.||Diving:|Before I rave about the diving here, I would first like to commend the diving related facilities. Every guest is assigned their own nifty storage area within the equipment room. In the camera room, there is plenty of charging sockets for your electronics, and airguns that you can ‘dry’ your cameras with. There are also many outdoor showering areas, with soap dispensers…. And hot water! Nothing beats a warm water rinse after diving in (slightly) cooler waters. All dive times were about 1 hour long and are done from a traditional boat which leaves just mere steps from the resort. Clean towels are readily available and are handed out after dives.||While Anilao is renowned for their world class muck diving, you would be pleased to know that there is no short of healthy reefs and beautiful coral. The topography varies significantly between dive sites, making every minute underwater nothing short of an adventure. On one dive you may be hunting for critters on a sandy bottom, on the next you may be diving around a pinnacle covered in colorful coral and on the next, you may find yourself weaving through the remnants of a wreck. Even though I came during the low season, there was still plenty to be seen. Tons of frogfish, crustaceans and (living up to its title as the ‘nudibranch capital of the world’), nudibranch. Other divers who I met during the trip mentioned that during the high season, sandy bottoms would be teeming with cuttlefish, octopus and even more species of nudibranch. ||Having done both Lembeh and Anilao, I must say without hesitation that Anilao offers more in terms of variability of sites, appealing to both muck diving enthusiasts and people who enjoy admiring colorful underwater landscapes (yes, there are turtles here too). There are over 50 dive sites in the area. While some of the best dive sites lie across the strait, those 5-10 minutes away still have a lot to offer too. Some of my favourite sites off the top of my head are: Daryl Laut, Mainit, Twin Rocks and Kirby’s rock. Selection of sites ultimately depend on both current and weather conditions but should you request a particular dive site, the staff will try their best to accommodate should conditions permit. One important thing to take note is that I STRONGLY recommend diving nitrox in Anilao. Most of the time, you would be spending quite a bit of time at 20m+ hunting for critters so having the extra NDL allowance is necessary. I tried diving air at first but ultimately decided to switch after 3 dives because I felt that I was missing out on a lot with less bottom time.||Service:|Of course, the experience would not have been perfect without the impeccable service and radiant smiles from all of the resort staff. From the ladies in the admin team, to the restaurant staff and those working at the dive shop, all of them played their part in running the operations smoothly. Just some names that I can remember: in the restaurant, Sandra, Joanne, Rico(??) and Enrique were attentive in serving delicious meals and clearing utensils as soon as I was done. Orlie, who single handedly lugged two suitcases from my room down to the boat was also helpful during my short stay here. My DM’s were Romnick and Benjie, both of them masters of their craft, with the ability to conjure creatures out of thin air. I never felt unsafe at any point so rest assured that you will be in extremely safe hands.||Verdict:|Staying at Buceo Anilao was truly an impeccable experience. It is already rare enough to find a place that happens to tick all of the boxes but yet, this resort does just that and more. It isn’t hard to see why people keep coming back year after year, to escape their busy lives and find tranquility in this idyllic place. It is worth every single cent and I would come back again in a heartbeat, hopefully during the high season next. To anyone on the fence about booking your next holiday here: whether you are an experienced diver, a novice, an underwater photographer, someone looking to learn how to dive or even a non-diver, Anilao is the place to be and Buceo Anilao is definitely the...

Diving: I would first like to commend the diving related facilities. Every guest is assigned their own nifty storage area within the equipment room. In the camera room, there is plenty of charging sockets for your electronics, and airguns that you can ‘dry’ your cameras with. There are also many outdoor showering areas, with soap dispensers…. And hot water! Nothing beats a warm water rinse after diving in (slightly) cooler waters. All dive times were about 1 hour long and are done from a traditional boat which leaves just mere steps from the resort. Clean towels are readily available and are handed out after dives.

While Anilao is renowned for their world class muck diving, you would be pleased to know that there is no short of healthy reefs and beautiful coral. The topography varies significantly between dive sites, making every minute underwater nothing short of an adventure. On one dive you may be hunting for critters on a sandy bottom, on the next you may be diving around a pinnacle covered in colorful coral and on the next, you may find yourself weaving through the remnants of a wreck. Even though I came during the low season, there was still plenty to be seen. Tons of frogfish, crustaceans and (living up to its title as the ‘nudibranch capital of the world’), nudibranch. Other divers who I met during the trip mentioned that during the high season, sandy bottoms would be teeming with cuttlefish, octopus and even more species of nudibranch.

Having done both Lembeh and Anilao, I must say without hesitation that Anilao offers more in terms of variability of sites, appealing to both muck diving enthusiasts and people who enjoy admiring colorful underwater landscapes (yes, there are turtles here too). There are over 50 dive sites in the area. While some of the best dive sites lie across the strait, those 5-10 minutes away still have a lot to offer too. Some of my favourite sites off the top of my head are: Daryl Laut, Mainit, Twin Rocks and Kirby’s rock. Selection of sites ultimately depend on both current and weather conditions but should you request a particular dive site, the staff will try their best to accommodate should conditions permit. One important thing to take note is that I STRONGLY recommend diving nitrox in Anilao. Most of the time, you would be spending quite a bit of time at 20m+ hunting for critters so having the extra NDL allowance is necessary. I tried diving air at first but ultimately decided to switch after 3 dives because I felt that I was missing out on a lot with less bottom time.

Service: Of course, the experience would not have been perfect without the impeccable service and radiant smiles from all of the resort staff. From the ladies in the admin team, to the restaurant staff and those working at the dive shop, all of them played their part in running the operations smoothly. Just some names that I can remember: in the restaurant, Sandra, Joanne, Rico(??) and Enrique were attentive in serving delicious meals and clearing utensils as soon as I was done. Orlie, who single handedly lugged two suitcases from my room down to the boat was also helpful during my short stay here. My DM’s were Romnick and Benjie, both of them masters of their craft, with the ability to conjure creatures out of thin air. I never felt unsafe at any point so rest assured that you will be in extremely safe hands.

Verdict: Staying at Buceo Anilao was truly an impeccable experience. It is already rare enough to find a place that happens to tick all of the boxes but yet, this resort does just that and more. It isn’t hard to see why people keep coming back year after year, to escape their busy lives and find tranquility in this idyllic place. It is worth every single cent and I would come back again in a heartbeat, hopefully during the high season next. To anyone on the fence about booking your next holiday here: whether you are an experienced diver, a novice, an underwater photographer, someone looking to learn how to dive or even a non-diver, Anilao is the place to be and Buceo Anilao is definitely the...

I discovered this resort by accident and let me tell you why his resort deserves the No 1 spot in the entire region:

I found myself in Manila with an option to either sitesee the city or find a dive site close by for a quick visit, one that avoided planes and travel to a different island. What appeared was this incredible and unheard-of location (to the outside world) called Anilao. I escaped the city with my small carry-on, still wearing my suit and got into the car heading to Anilao, to this quiet (not flashy on the net) place called Buceo Anilao.

Run by a veteran dive instructor and his family, what sets this place apart is the warmth and care they give you. I stayed in their Delux room, which has three beds (could fit an entire family). The rooms were spotless, with a large bathroom and a wonderful shower. The AC was incredibly powerful, a relief from the blistering noon weather. They have a lovely restaurant that overlooks the ocean and a menu that has something for all. For people like me with dietary restrictions, they helped in all ways. The bar is the centre of the evening, where guests and divers recount their travels, with a range of drinks and innocuous cocktails, some named after guests (Michael Fox, did not venture to try that one!). A beautiful pool with a view occupied the little children and young couples. The pool was spotless and cleaned regularly, an important signal about the rest of the resort. The highlight of my room was the balcony that had this incredible view of the entire ocean.

The diving was spectacular. I was starting to lose interest after a whole series of dives where the coral was bleaching or the visibility was poor.

Anilao was incredible! A wide range of coral, beautiful fish, and small critters - people from all over the world diving here to photograph them. I could not get enough, even after a night dive and 5 day dives.

You know the quality of the dive resort not by looking at their marketing (this resort has very little) ir their reception (or even their resort) but of how they treat diving.

The dive shop, especially where they were refilling tanks, gives you the first glimpse of their competence and equipment maintenance. Here, they treated this with the utmost competence. They have a large room only for taking care of your underwater cameras and gear. I have never seen anything like this before.

I was must fortunate to get Elmar as my dive master, who, along with Dave (owner) has been diving in this region for over 35 years. I have rarely encountered such skills before.

Its actually an hour's drive from the city (once you leave it) with excellent roads. There is no reason why you should not visit Buceo Anilao.

My only regret is this: I wish my wife and kids were with me. That would have made it perfect. I will correct this picture the next time I...