I stayed in the Basic Fan room, it was a great deal. After my first three nights I received a reduced rate, which was nice.
The breakfast is great! I would recommend the mango pancakes!
It's a little far from most of the dive shops, being on the end of Bounty Beach, but I didn't mind because it has it's own private beach for only the guest and villagers passing through.
The staff is so helpful and friendly!
We went to Malapascua and stayed at Casablanca in Aabana Mike & Diose's Cottages. The cottage was very comfortable and clean. It has two big beds, a sofa, table, a nice big TV, 2 stand fans, an air cooler and A/C. It also has a terrace with mini ref and a big dining table. The staff was very nice and friendly. They were very accommodating. They took my boyfriend and his buddy out fishing. They were on hand whenever we needed something. They took the time to clean our cottage and bathroom, and regularly changed the bed sheets. Whenever we wanted something, we just had to ask and they would always serve us with a smile. It was truly GREAT SERVICE! There were days when we didnt feel like going out for lunch and all we had to do was give them money a day before and they would cook a meal for us at a cheap price. If you are looking to unwind without the noise of Boracay, Malapascua is the place to be. It is very laid back and is a divers' paradise.
Planning the trip to Malapascua was a 10 month affair for me due to many reasons. But every email that i sent to mike over the 10 months was replied to promptly and to the point. by getting all the information (good infomration!!), it made my decision to stay here very easy.
Lets start with the Room itself, We stayed in Casaviva. The rooms are very well maintained and were cleaned everyday. It was actually more spacious than iw as expecting, i think the pictures give the perspective of the room being a bit tiny (well at least thats the perspective i got). But the best thing about this resort is its location, it is on the quietest, cleanest and least cluttered portion of the beach. infact the beach is quite large infront of the resort. While booking this did not come up during my discussions with mike. but the reason i am making this point is because we ate at a meal at every resort on bounty beach and every resort and every place seemed so claustrophobic as they tried to fit in as many tables, bean bags, hammocks as possible and was just very cluttered and did not give e the feeling of being on a secluded beach holiday. Additionally, infromt of resorts like ocean vida and exotic.. there are at least 20-30 fishing boats parked up front and that coupled with all the tbales does not make for a scenic view. infront of Mike and Diose is nothing but a wide white sand beach and then beautiful sea, and at the most 3 boats. might be abig deal for many people, but for my wife and I we were much mroe relaxed and much more at peace when sitting at the aabana beach front.
The price of the room for the facilites given is absolutley phenomenal, the value for money at this resort is calculation. We met another couple who were staying at another resort and paying 300 peso lower than our rate and when they saw the room and facilites available they were absolutley floored and raved about how good it was comapred to there room . So basically my point is for the amount you are paying at Aaban you are getting facilites like AC, hotwater, TV (although if you are like me then you will not need to turn that on) , fridge and absolutley amazing breakfast. We did eat in the other bigger resorts liek Exotic and Ocean Vida and to me those just seemed ridiculously over crowded (especially the dive boats).
The banana & mango pancakes is absolutley brilliant... i had that for breakfast for 8 straight days and i dont think i am tired of it. the staff there is extremely helpful and always smiling and always willing to help you out. on our last day we needed to leave at around 630 in the morning and the staff came to hotel at 5am just to make breakfast for us.
The only con i have about aabana was that rooms did not smell very good, but i am not picky and after spraying some deodrant everytime i walked into the room, i completely forgot about the smell.
I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at aabana. Would i stay with them if i ever go back to malapascua? Yes, i wouldnt stay anywhere else.
have fun .. Malapasuca is a stunningly beautiful Island
We stayed last March 2012 for 10 days, it's indeed one of the best! Mike and his crew are all fantastic and very personable. We occupied Casablanca, it"s very comfortable, relaxing, quiet and private. I love the lightings in the room, very cozy. This place it great for everyone. We rented the big boat for 4 hours, tour & snorkel around the island, very cheap and safe as well rather than renting random small boat, here you know you are in safe hands.
It's nice to know that there is a place that is run for the pleasure of guests and not just about the money. We will absolutely come back!
I was at Mike and Diose's place with my family from March 25-27, 2012. We stayed at casa bonita, a new dwelling in the compound. It's equipped with a ref, aircon, flat screened tv and a stove where you may cook or heat your food. The place is big enough. cozy except that I didn't like where the toilet and bath was located. It is built separately though part of the house, you have to go out of your room should you use it. The place is clean surrounded by trees. It feels eery to go out in the middle of the night or in our case because it was raining, you have to use an umbrella, otherwise, you will get wet. Nonetheless, I still would like to use same house should I go back. It has a veranda and loft and can accommodate 6 guests and still have some space.
The place has big and clean beachfront except that the water is not swimmable for me though prestine because underneath the water are what looks like a lemon grass plants. But no worry, some 5 minutes walk towards cocobana resort (where we did our swimming) ocean floor is clear of "grass"
Mike & Diose has no resto but you can always ask Ms. Charito to cook for you at a very cheap price. She cooks well just tell her ahead what you want. The place is nice and cheap, it is highly recommended. Mike is such a gracious owner overseeing the place and attending to guests. Good job Mike and I hope I'll see you someday.
