Kostal Beach Resort — Local services in Samal

The place is nice, relaxing and much more quite than other beach resorts I've been. If this is the place that I want to spend some time with family or friends, I will include this place. But of course there are pros and cons of every place that we encounter, and this place is not exceptional when it comes this topic. Lets start with the pros.

Room rates are affordable and reasonable. The rooms are good enough for family, friends and barkada. The room we chose is good for 10-15 people, but we are 18 in number, so we just paid an additional fee for the additional mattress. What I like about their room is that first each room has a separate sink located inside the room. Second, you can relax to your own balcony. Though other rooms doesn't have their own separated balcony, but they can still enjoy the view of the resort. Third, the sea and pool are close enough to the rooms, which is a plus if you brought your children with you and a plus if you don't want to hassle yourself walking back and fort from the sea and pool. Fourth, you have your own table inside. You can rent an additional table if one is not enough. The room is clean when we entered. Lastly, the room's comfort room is clean (comfort rooms are very important to look for in a room, and if it's clean, that is a plus-plus for me).

The sea is clean, though it's full of rocks and a bit difficult to step on. I suggest that you wear your flipflops when going to the sea, since the sand is also not feet-friendly (Anyway, it's nature, you just have accept the way that it is). Lastly there is enough area in the sea where the water level is just on the knee of a 4ft person, and there's actually a small border in the sea where younger children should never cross unless the sea is on its low tide.

Now that we are done with the pros, lets go with the cons.

What I don't like about the place is that; first, the place doesn't have its own parking space, which means you should park your car on the sides of the road. Parking space is important to private vehicle owners. Second, the pool is small (good for 5-10 full grown adults) and not good for young children below 4ft. And the water in the pool is not that... clear. Third, there are no life gaurd/s looking out on the sea in case of emergency. I suggest to stay near the children when looking after them, and avoid swimming to deeper areas.

Overall, we are satisfied with our stay in the resort. There are lot of areas where you can just seat and relax, and areas you can loiter with your family or friends. Comfort rooms are clean, and the place is really taken care of. This really matters to your own preferences. If you don't mind of a small pool, doesn't have enough parking space and what you are really after is the beach, then you can include this place. We don't regret staying here overnight since staffs are nice and accomodating. The place is quiet and there are lights during the night on the sea area. The place is also not far from the market of its location. It has its own videoke to rent. And there is no corkage.

I guess that's all. The rest of the information will be up to you...

We are looking for an affordable resort to dive here at Samal island. We found Kostal Beach to offer a dive service and resort. Our stay is P2000 per night including breakfast. Water is not included but sometimes they give us bottled water.

There is no restaurant in this resort. There are eateries nearby. On our first day, there was a blackout from 4am until 8am. Good thing it rained that night so the temperature inside the room was still okay. We had to ask for extra blanket as they give only one blanket for sharing. The pillows can be improved as it was already worn out. The television signal is weak resulting to black and white picture. The water heater does not work because of weak water pressure. However, if you’re not going to use the heater, the tap water pressure is okay. There is toilet paper and three sachets of shampoo provided. There is a bidet but the water pressure is very weak.

You sleep with the sound of water in the beach. There is not much beach available but you can swim in front of the resort.

This is a resort you will enjoy if your primary purpose is to dive. The house reef has lots of nudibranchs and slugs. We even saw a Pygmy seahorse and melibe in our night dives. Diving was quoted at P1200 in May 2022 but when we arrived (July 2022) they said it has gone up to P1500 due to the rising fuel price. Boat rental from Kaputian (near Pearl Farm) to Marissa 1, 2, 3 and Diaz wall is P4000. Dive instructors and masters are very reliable and helpful. Look for Pitan as he is an amazing spotter for...

Visited Samal Island January 3rd 2025 6 family members. Travelled there from the Port by Barge for 20 pesos plus environmental fee of 50 pesos per person then negotiated a trike on the island looking for a resort. Actually even though the trike is slow it lets you enjoy the scenery of the island and watching the locals go about their daily lives. Originally tried a public beach which had white sand but over crowded so chose a close by resort. Receptionist at the Kostal Beach resort was friendly and helpful. 100 pesos entrance fee per person so decided on a room for 2000 pesos without the entry fee which included an air conditioner (working) bed and private toilet and shower for the day with toilet paper, toiletries and soap. Much quieter with less people than the public beach nearby but this beach is mainly rocky unfortunately with corals and seaweed. Has a concreted tidal pool out front where the kids can explore. Bring your sea shoes or divers boots for the rocks. We bought some drinks and roast chicken and rice in the town shops nearby and the Receptionist was OK with that. The resort is OK. Samal Island is worth going to just do your homework first so you choose the...