Malapascua Island — Local services in Logon

This is, without a shadow of a doubt the biggest disappointment of my visit in Philippines. Before I went to Malapascua Island I was at Bantayan Island. I wanted to give 1/5 score to Bantayan but after I saw Malapascua I see that Banatayan is not that bad…

I visited Malapascua with my Filipino girlfriend. She had never been there but heard very nice opinions about this island. We checked photos on the internet, they looked spot on, so we decided to visit since we were at Bantayan already which was not far.

In few words, Malapascua these days (we were there late November 2017) is a one big mess with dozens of boats parked up randomly EVERYWHERE. You really have got to have skills to squeeze between them when you want to go for a walk. Bounty Beach??? That sounds like a paradise but is faaaaaaaaaar from it… On top of that, there is a sea grass EVERYWHERE around this island literally like 3-4m from the coastline. Forget about swimming in something like that.

I was not fully happy at Bantayan but I need to admit that I was able to take hundreds of beautiful photos there (trying to hide the mess in the background quite often) but at Malapascua I was not able to take a single good photo, because the whole Bounty Beach is covered by those bloody boats!!!!

I know that Malapascua is for divers but I was told that if you are not into diving, you will find this island beautiful as well. Now I know that you won`t… and on top of that, even if this is for divers, does it mean that it needs to look like a junkyard? Just take a look at my photos and judge yourself (we were there late November 2017). For me and my Filipino girlfriend, that was the first and the last...

First thing you should know before coming to Malapascua is that it's really for people who dive. Do not come if you're a snorkeler because there are no coral reefs within proximity of a beach—you will likely need to hitch a ride on a boat with the divers to see anything. Don't come for the beaches either because they're not like other popular beach destinations in the Philippines. The beaches are full of parked boats. The best beach on the whole island is way up north. Head towards Langob Beach; at the end of the beach is a little store (belonging to a lovely lady named Josephine), go past that and climb up towards an abandoned resort that was destroyed when a typhoon hit about 10 years ago.

If you don't want to walk back to town after going to the beach, head towards Avilla (?) resort. There are guys there who will charge you about 50 pesos for a motorbike ride back.

In terms of restaurants, the best is Ocean Vida, hands down. They are pricier but also have fast wifi. If you want your own internet, buy a local SIM card (like Dito for 70 pesos) at the market. At night, the market transforms into an outdoor seafood BBQ place with reasonably priced food.

Last thing, Malapascua is very safe, and the locals are very friendly and helpful.

If you dive, do Gato Island for the soft coral, cave, "disco" clams, bamboo sharks, and white tip sharks. And of course, you can't miss the tiger and thresher...

Nice place, even it is a small island. Many turists arrive there because it is very famous for diving with sharks. But there is much more than that. People in this place is the most beautiful and nice people we could find in Philippines. They have something special that make them unique. Local life, beautiful beaches, super nice people, lovely kids, interesting projects... Even its extention (3 km x 1 km) there is too much for doing. There is a sand road that connect the different villages in the island. You can pay a mottorbike for going to the north, spend some hours there swimming in the beautiful beaches and visiting villages, and then go back to the south with another "mottorbike taxi". Even local people use that way for moving arround the island. There is the possibility to go by walking. Just take into account the sun and that you will need water. Depending on the time, this option is not recomendate. There are places to stay for any budget. For eating too, you can find many different options. However, it is needed to go even once to take dinner in the market. There, you can choose from all the options and live the experience...