Golden Palm Resort

Best hotel for relaxation. Such a nice garden and nice peraonal. Don't want to leave. We had 2 nights here mwn would have loved to be here longer.

I booked an “island hopping” tour via this accommodation and it was a major disappointment. It was essentially one island, extremely crowded (dozens of boats), and felt like a tourist trap with stalls and food places everywhere. Snorkeling was underwhelming and fish were being lured/fed with cookies. The dolphin watching part was particularly disturbing: around 30 boats were chasing and diving into the same pod of dolphins, often positioning themselves directly above them, which felt highly stressful and unfriendly to the animals. What bothered me most: I was told by the reception staff that I would be dropped off around 17:00, but I was already back on land at 11:30. If the accommodation had been transparent about the real duration and what to expect, I would not have booked it. 1500PHP down the drain. When I raised this issue, the staff explained the incorrect information by saying it came from a new colleague. That does not change the fact that I booked based on wrong information. On top of that, I was charged for a “drop-off” even though the pier was only about a 10-minute walk from the hotel, making this completely unnecessary and poorly explained. When I raised this at reception, they said there was no manager and “we don’t know about your dropoff.” The complaint was simply dismissed - essentially: go away. Future guests: if anything goes wrong, don’t expect accountability or support from the accommodation.

Just got back from Bohol and stayed at the Golden Palm. First off the good: -The place is beautiful. -Rooms are nice and the bed is better than expected. -AC works fine so the room is cool. -Pools are nice but the main pool is where you will go since the small one in front of the rooms is more for looks. -The staff is friendly and the owner lives onsite and you see him eating dinner with the family every night. - We didn't eat there for dinner after the terrible breakfast experience so I can't speak to the food. Now for the Needs Improvement stuff: -Breakfast is included but not worth the time. Food is cold and limited - nothing like cold eggs and pancakes. They have heated pans but dont put flame pots under them so nothing stays warm. Ended up going offsite for food after the first day. -The road to get to the hotel is not near to town and is a rocky road and to get to the beach its a trek or you have to go through the Best Western where they may or may not let you do. -When checking in after travel they make you stand there and get lectured on the rules of the place (don't waste my time and treat me like an adult!) I had to pee! Pissed me off honestly -They don't have water bottles in the room and instead have a pitcher. Which would be fine if they refilled it, they don't. You have to do it yourself? Isn't housekeeping already in your room?