Ocean Vida Beach & Dive Resort - A Pleasant Stay!

Forgot to make an entry about the hotel we stayed in when we went to Malapascua, so here goes a "short" review.

Funny story - "Angry Backpacker" was a bit stressed out about booking a hotel that she thought would "fit her companions' status." She didn't want to get a room that's too small or too basic, thinking that we only inhabit high end hotels (the rumors are not true people - I just need the basics: aircon, a decent bed and a bidet). So we ended up in what the locals described as the "most expensive hotel in the island," or something close to that: The Ocean Vida.

We loved sitting on those beach side couches.

Problem number 1: There are 4 of us in the group (5 if you include the 3 year old kid) and we only got to book one room. We were all fine about sharing it and just getting an extra bed, but we got into a little friendly discussion with the front desk officer when we got to the hotel. Apparently, they can only "technically" fit 3 adults in a room. We had "no choice" but to book another room, but not on the first night since they were fully booked that day. See what she did there? Pag fully booked, okay lang? We had to consider getting another room from another hotel, or getting a second room for P4,700 (Angry Backpacker not happy at all). In the meantime, we settled with getting 2 extra mattresses that actually fit the room comfortably (there was a lot of space).

Can't resist a good (yet poorly lit) selfie on this giant mirror.

Over dinner, we were told that the current setup can be accommodated as per approval by the owner. In other words, we all get to share a room. Wow, that was a very good gesture and we asked the front desk officer to thank the owner for us. We got to meet him during breakfast the following day (I wish I could remember his name - my attention was on the bacon) and he was indeed a very nice guy (German, I believe - I should really pay attention to these things more). That, for me, is great customer service and we ended up throwing out all our grievances out of the window.

Take 2! I got my shirt upside down!

Our room was located at the second floor and had a huge balcony (the four of us can actually party there, and have space left for guests). The ocean view was great, and I loved seeing it first thing in the morning. Except for a few mosquitos, the seats were also comfortable enough to get some work done before breakfast. The only downside - it was designed so that you can see the neighboring room's balcony. And I got a surprise when an old caucasian guy with nothing but his underwear on stepped out of his room to hang his towel.

Dinner was good overall, but we ended up ordering too much. The server told us that the dishes were "good for one person only" and we were shocked to see that they were actually portioned for sharing. If that wasn't a shot at our "healthy bodies," then I don't know what it was. (Let it go, Sam). They also have Happy Hour from 4PM to 6PM (with a little extension if you use your charm), and you can get cocktails at buy 1 take 1. Not bad!

Sad that there was no mint for the Mojitos, so I ended up ordering something else.

It's a diver's island, and there were a lot of divers in the area. Foreign divers. Half naked guys and scantily clad women. I wish Lyn and Mami Ann were with us during this trip - they would have loved all the blue eyes and the other exposed body parts. The entire island had a "chill" vibe, making it a great place to just kick back, relax and leave the rest of the world behind. I wish I can transcend my laziness and hatred of long travel time and muster the will to come back to this place someday.