Buena Vida Resort and Spa Reviews

Really nice oasis of a retreat, very relaxing. Great service and staff were very helpful. Close to the beach and nice and quiet with lovely veranda areas. It had rained so some mosquitoes but they can't get into the rooms and the hotel helpfully supplies mosquito coils to burn outside.

It is a bit inconvenient that the hotel does not have breakfast. You need to walk to the restaurant of another hotel, Ocean Vida, to have breakfast. The balcony of the room is large and comfortable.

Very attractive and comfortable. Nice staff and wonderful massages. Delicious and healthy breakfast! Everything is correct! Recommended!

Very satisfied👍🏻👍🏻

You have to walk a bit from the beach, but it's quiet and nice staff are very friendly It's a bit inconvenient as the breakfast room is far away. clean and good atmosphere

一切都是那麼美好

Great stay and staff. Nothing super fancy but all you need for Malapascua. Property is 5 minutes from beach, restaurant and diving. Dive shop “attached” sea explorer was great as well. Diving is amazing … make sure to add malapascua to your list soon. (Staff: Jahara is a rock star and went above and beyond many times to make our stay great).

Buena Vida is welcoming, serene, and beautifully designed. Walking there from Malapascua port, you step off the hot and narrow street into a cool oasis of relative luxury. The path to the beach is short and safe, so walking to the dive shop (even carrying your own equipment) is no sweat. The coordination between Buena Vida and their beachside partners Ocean Vida (restaurant and sister resort) and Sea Explorers (the dive shop) is also excellent. Ocean Vida was always prepared to take us for breakfast or leave our bagged meals at the dive shop for us on morning-dive days. Sea Explorers made our return to diving (after just over a year) comfortable, safe, and fun, and led us on an amazing dive with thresher sharks. In addition, Sea Explorers has multiple locations, so we were able to dive with them again (and enjoy a slight discount based on our total number of dives across their locations) in Dauin. The service at Buena Vida was at a high level in laid-back Malapascua, and may have slightly spoiled us for other stays in the Visayas. Specifically, we appreciated the ease and graciousness with which the staff shifted our 3-night stay forward by one day (with no extra charge, though we had a non-cancellable reservation), when we told them we’d be arriving a day later due to a flight cancellation by Scoot. Though they were fully booked, they made a new and gorgeous room (under the yoga platform) available to us, so we wouldn’t have to miss a day of diving or change hotels. They even let us shift rooms a day earlier than needed, so that we wouldn’t have to worry about packing up on the morning of our early dives. The staff also greet guests every late-afternoon or early evening with a turn-down service sweet treat, which they hand to you as you arrive back from the day’s adventures. We did not personally try the spa, but heard great things about it from others on our dive excursions. The only (very minor) suggestions I have for improvements would be to offer a few non-sandwich choices for the bagged meals to have on the boats, and to install some hooks or extra bars in the rooms for hanging clothing (since you’re always trying to dry a few things at once during a dive vacation, and it was often rainy outdoors). Aside from those tiny enhancements, I wouldn’t change a thing. I can wholeheartedly recommend this place to people traveling to Malapascua for diving.

Bueno vida General: Dates of stay end of December 2024 The hotel is located 3' to the beach Behind the hotel is a local market The whole courtyard is surrounded by greenery (we have not seen this in other hotels) Yoga every morning Service Friendly reception, they will always answer all questions and come to the rescue. There is a transfer for an additional fee (they will meet you in Cebu and take you to the hotel) Every evening they offered two small muffins with good wishes for the evening Beach towels should be taken at the reception Food Pros: Varied breakfast, but monotonous Buffet Cons: The meat offered is salted ham and corned beef. Omelette with cheese and ham is always burnt Room (Double room with 1 bed; garden view) Pros: 1. Wi-Fi works well only on the balcony (I had 2nd floor room 8) A balcony with a hammock Comfortable and large bed Mosquito repellent provided Large room Different levels of light Shower gel and shampoo provided 4 pillows provided There is a hairdryer, safe, refrigerator, kettle and a carafe of water was renewed daily Cons: 1. The fan did not work No TV The pillows on the balcony should be washed There is a smell in the toilet room, but you close the door and it is gone. :)

Our family has a wonderful time staying with Buena Vida. The staff are super friendly and helpful, and resourceful. The place exude a tranquil and relaxing vibe. Special mention has to be made for Lorenza, the manager of the resort. She helped organise all the transport logistics, coordination with dive shop, and made great suggestions for activities. She is always so positive, friendly, personable, and energetic! Her husband, Toto, is the best Diving instructor we have ever met, and he also happen to work at the Ocean Explorer dive shop which is associated with Buena Vida resort. What a wonderful couple! This is certainly one of the most happy and memorable family vacations we had!

The charming beauty of Buena Vida calms both the body and soul. From the intricate Hindu sculptures and powerful quotes on the walls, everything about this resort gives a feeling of serenity. On top of that, the resort connects to delicious restaurants of a variety of cuisines, making for an unforgettable experience. If you're looking for a break from the oversaturation of the modern city, Buena Vida just may be my resort of choice.

I really enjoyed my stay at Buena Vida! It was really convenient as it's super close to the Sea Explorers dive shop where I was completely the PADI course. Excellent service from all the staff, especially hotel manager Lorenza, who was super friendly and outgoing. Also, I loved the wonderful cakes delivered to us every night by hotel staff!

Although the trip to the resort was physically draining, the location was amazing, the staff welcomed us in and we were treated well, the rooms were also great considering the location, and was close to all the dive shops and restaurants we wanted to go to.

The overall experience was excellent, the staff were extremely polite, greeting you each time you enter, everything is exceedingly clean, there are many facilities you can enjoy easily like the spa or the yoga, there are also complementary snacks at your door with a greeting card each day. Ms Lorenza, the manager is also incredibly helpful and nice.