El Galleon Beach Resort and Dive Camp Inc.

We just finished our second trip here. I won't spend much time telling you how great the diving is; there are plenty of websites that can vouch for that. The phenomenal amounts of hard and soft corals, anemones and huge varieties and quantities of fish are well documented. Throw in some huge turtles and the occasional shark and clearly this place should be on any diver's Bucket List. Let's talk about El Galleon Resort and Asia Divers. The Resort is exactly what you need; nicely sized rooms with very comfortable beds, pillows and linens. Plenty of towels. Great air conditioning, endless hot water and nice sized refrigerators to keep all your drinks and snacks cold. A combination safe. TV too, not that you're likely to spend much time watching it. The food is terrific and fairly priced. The resort overlooks the bay with stunning views and scenery. You'll eat each meal and have each snack overlooking serenity. The resort is 5 minutes from a bustling town complete with many restaurants and shops if you desire, but really, you never need to leave the resort if so inclined. Asia Divers is terrific. Each dive is led by a dive guide that does their best to get you a full 60 minute bottom time. A couple of days there were several less experienced divers with us; Asia Divers sent a separate dive guide with them, so they surfaced earlier than the rest of us so we could enjoy the full 60 minutes. DIves start at around 60 feet and work their way up to a finish of about 15 feet. The guides make sure any current is at your back for a nice leisurely swim. They set up your equipment first thing in the morning and you never touch your gear again until you dunk tank it at the end of the day, be it after 1 or 5 dives. Even if you're literally the only diver on the boat you can get up to 5 dives a day, including a night dive. My son spent several evenings the only diver on the night dive. The dive sites are a 5 minute ride from the resort. You spend your surface intervals back at the resort, enjoying snacks, meals, naps or just sitting around with fellow divers. You're assigned a 'locker' where you store all your gear each evening, and there's plenty of room to hang your wetsuit. Looking for additional certifications? They can provide it during your stay. Oh, and I hope you like dogs. There are a handful that roam the property looking for attention if you're willing to give it! All in all, a must vacation destination. You won't be disappointed, I assure you!

The dive operation was like a well-oiled machine, the crew were very efficient and helpful and made it very easy for us to do lots of diving. They looked after us and our gear really well. The dives showcased the healthy marine environment, I have been diving for decades and the guides pointed out things I had never seen before and wouldn't have spotted on my own. The resort was comfortable, the food was great and the staff were lovely. The Point Bar catered to those who wanted to be social, while no noise carried to the rooms for those wanting an early night.

We had a wonderful time here. The staff were all kind and welcoming. Our room was clean too. We really enjoyed the diving, we even got to see a thresher shark! All the dive guides and staff were very friendly and knowledgeable; we got a warm hand towel after every dive, what a luxury! But most importantly, we loved the dog that lived on the dock, Bmax. He is the best, cutest dog in the whole world, please take good care of him, we miss him dearly. If you happen to see him, please give him some extra pets for us.