La Luz Beach Resort & Spa

We loved it, that the resort is not crowded during our stay. The room is clean, staffs are friendly, the pool is wonderful. The food is great, serving is good for 4-5 person. I just wish they can add menu option just enough for 2 person, although you can request to pack the leftover but if you decided otherwise it'll just be thrown out. In our case we decided not to pack our leftover beacuse we're leaving the next day and it might just get spoiled on our way home but considering the size of the serving, the leftover food can still feed another 2 or more person. Had it been just a bit smaller we would have enjoyed the other food that's on the menu. Price point is a bit high but considering how few the guests are it almost feels very very private.

Very organised from the moment we checked in, ordered our dinner and breakfast and to check out. Beach is good and there’s a portion where you can see different types of fish. Live band is also available in the evenings. The beach gets deep quickly so caution to families with children. There are some corals that other resorts may not have but it is just a shame as people step on them to see the fishes. Maybe offering some life vests so that guests can just swim over them and not step on the corals would be better for the environment and reduce further damage to the Philippine coral reef.

Benjie, the owner, was really. nice and kind. He even gifted us with free drinks. He was walking around checking on customers. The staff were friendly and they always smile.

Parking was not well kept. It was incredibly too slanted and not well kept. The reception was great: the staff was attentive and the process was clear. They ask you to sign certain documents about corkage for outside food (not allowed in the premises) except for chips and pool rules which opens at 6am and closes at 10pm. There is a required payment of 600 per guest per night that is consumable at the restaurant, cafe and bar. The stairs to the actual place is very steep. There is an elevator, but there is still a set of steep steps to get to the reception/parking area. The room was generally okay. It was clean, near the beach and cabanas. The bathroom doors seemed to be unfinished with gaps at the side and creaky hinges. It looked like a last minute renovation that was quickly finished to meet the demand of the stay. There were complimentary water and soda, hair dryer, towel, no hangers for clothes and no TV. There was no hot water in the room due to a busted pipe and the drain at the shower area was clogged. The door lock was difficult to lock and open as there’s a specific angle to fit the lock. There was no phone in the room, which makes contacting the reception area or asking for help more challenging. The beach was clean and the life guard was attentive. Not sure what time the life guard’s shift start, we were at the beach until 10am and we couldn’t see the life guard. There was an altercation with the guard and some guests from another hotel where voices were raised. It was the other guest’s fault as he was drunk and pretended not to hear the guard. The next day, I asked I went to the pool at 6am to swim but I was told that the pool opens at 7:30am. Returned at 7am and the pool’s open. New set of chlorine was added and even with the pool vacuum, the pool wasn’t that clean. Breakfast is served at 7am to 9am and I was told that it can only be taken at the restaurant, but I saw that there were some guests who had their breakfast delivered to their room. Only breakfast is available at 7am, other ala cart items are only available at 10am which leaves an hour without food service. Coffee is the only free drink option during breakfast. Cabanas are equipped with sockets but not all the sockets work. Only 1 out of 3 cabanas have working sockets, 1 out of 5 cabanas have a busted light. On the menu at the restaurant, their cheapest item is riced at 210 which are french fries. I had mozzarella sticks (250) and grilled tuna (600) ordered to go. Mozzarella sticks aren’t the ones that are covered with panco but wrapped in a lumpia wrapper, while the grilled Tuna is a single piece of steak that is under 250 grams. It was nothing special, very underwhelming and over priced. The place are friendly to animals and pets are welcome for day trips only. Guests at the Mahogany area of the hotel seemed like an after thought. There were limited staff that was in that area and the rooms seem to be the least taken cared of. I couldn’t say that the place was under staffed as there are members near the pool area where the larger group of guests were situated, but our area at Mahogany seem to be forgotten. Over all, the stay was not worth it. Prices are comparable to other venues which are closely priced to theirs with buffet meals and pet friendly even when staying over. They are also not the only hotel with a pool. It was a unique stay, but will not be coming back.