Al Faro Cosmio Hotel Palawan

I stayed here while on a diving trip and a recomendation from a friend. Restaurant & Food: Inconsistent best describes it. Great Pizza and Pasta. Vienna Schnitzel and 2nd Bruschetta were awful as were the fries. Schnitzel was so tough it was impossible to cut. Bruschetta had no garlic and was on soggy bread. Drinks were generally ok. Coffee press ok but the stuff they served for breakfast was more like brown water. Staff could do with some extra training as they frequently forgot basic things. Juice for breakfast, cuttlery missing etc. Some guests were smoking in the restaurant. Staff did nothing about this in spite of it being illegal in the Philippines. Room: Unique would best describe it. But it was not the room I booked! Adequate size with open windows. This was nice but allowed wildlife in the room and mosquitos. Poor finishing and annoying lighting system outside the room as the adjacent room had no ceiling so complained about me putting the light on. Not my fault!. Nowhere to hang clothes as advertised and no bidet as advertised. Shower ok but no hot water and sink water pressure very poor. No aircon but not needed. Staff: Very nice and friendly but could do with some targeted extra training. Wifi: Useless. But if you can "persuade" the staff to give you the password for wifi#34 that works fine. Transport and access: Car transfer from airport then short boat ride to resort and a climb up a mountainside. Driver is dangerous being regularly on the wrong side of the double yellow lines in the middle of the road. Sooner or later he will have an accident. The yellow lines are not a decoration ! The resort is accessed up a very steep hill and is not suitable for anyone with mobility issues or cardiac issues and would be dangerous for small children. Be warned there is an environmental fee scam starting as you exit the airport and again in each town. This lines the local potiticos pockets and has nothing to do with the environment. Pool: Small and nice but should be exclusive to resort guests and no outsiders. Price: Price was fine if you pay cash. They have an illegal 4% surcharge on all card payments. I guess they get away with this as most guests are foreigners and dont know the laws in the Philippines but the BSP rules are very clear on this so unless you want to be scammed bring cash. Im sure management are aware of this but if you do get surcharged you can complain and get your money refunded by submitting a complaint through the Bangko Sentrals website and the establishment will be warned to cease this or risk cancellation of business permit. Overall a very nice place with great potential just needs a few things fixing as outlined and will be perfect.

Nicely appointed basic rooms. Note, no aircon, only fan, so choose time of year to stay wisely. Dec - Feb probably coolest? Food ok, but quite pricey. Transportation from airport to hotel is fixed, and expensive. Best feature is the overlook pool, incredibly chill, looking over the bay

Nice place good value rooms. Novel arrangement. Great sunset. No Air-condition. Food average and bland but not expensive They get you on the cost of transport. To and from the airport same price as a room for the night. Seems costly compared to rest of Philippines.

We very much enjoyed our long weekend at Al Faro last week. Both of our flights to and from Busuanga on Cebu Pacific were on time, and the pick-up and drop-off went very smoothly as well. It's a 30-minute drive and a 5-minute boat ride to get there from the airport, and Al Faro took care of all of the arrangements. Communication with Nenita via email was always prompt and our stay was very enjoyable. You have to climb some steep steps to get up to the resort, but the view from the top is definitely worth it. Their staff kindly carry your luggage for you on arrival and departure. Our villa overlooking the bay was tastefully decorated and we had our own covered terrace with comfortable seating from which we could watch the sun go down every evening. There's no air conditioning in the room, but the fans they provided meant that we didn't miss having it. The restaurant likewise has a pleasant view across the bay, and since it's open air, you get the benefit of a cool breeze too. The waitress service by Amor and her team was very attentive and the dishes they serve are tasty. I particularly liked the fresh fish, squid and boiled potatoes that they repeatedly cooked specially for me due to my dietary restrictions. The pizza was delicious too. There's no beach at the actual resort but they kindly organised a couple of boat trips which included lunch on nearby beaches. We also visited Calauit island, which is home to the descendants of the African animals that the Marcos family imported in the 1970s. One of the giraffes there is even called Al Faro. We'd definitely go back to stay at the resort again as we found it very good value for money. Nenita's husband would be an interesting guy to talk to as well, although sadly we the opportunity didn't really present itself until shortly before we were leaving. Hopefully next time. Thanks again for a lovely stay.

Nous avons séjourné 2 nuits (mais trop peu 😁, c'était dur de quitter cet endroit paradisiaque)... C'est idyllique : la vue, les couchers de soleil, la piscine est top, il y a un coin lecture avec hammac, les chambres sont agréables, les lits à baldaquin, une petite terrasse privative, le personnel est absolument adorable !!! Nous avons eu de la chance, les autres clients, lors de notre séjour, étaient super sociables. Il y avait donc une ambiance incroyable. Nous avons essayé les massages... Super bien, ils sont réalisés dans un lieu dédié... Petit conseil, demandez le soft car les masseuses ont de la force dans leurs mains :) Le trip d'une journée en bateau était génial ! Nous avons pu faire du Snorkeling dans des endroits superbes. En partant tôt vous évitez en partie la masse de touristes. Les guides étaient aux petits soins, même si on est nageur moyen. Le repas de midi était inoubliable, un poisson grillé sur le bateau à partager, dégusté dans une cabane sur pilotis au bord de la mer turquoise... Vous pouvez louer un masque et tuba. Prévoyez du cash car il faut payer une taxe sur chaque île visitée. Nous avons également très bien mangé. Je vous conseille le calamar grillé '' aloha'' farci aux légumes, les crevettes sauce ail (les crevettes seules sont un peu tristes), le homard n' était pas inoubliable, prenez plutôt le poisson '' tropicana '', sauce dingue avec des bananes et ananas. Une tuerie. Il y a une happy hour sur certains cocktails c'est sympa aussi au bord de la piscine... Merci à l'équipe du Al Faro 🙏