Philippines Trip Report 2026

Words and Images by Anne Rucquoi

The Philippines is one of those destinations where you can keep coming back and still discover something completely different. On this trip, I set out to explore three very different resorts across Bohol, Sipalay, and Dumaguete: Amun Ini Beach Resort & Spa in Bohol, Manami Resort in Sipalay, and Salaya Beach Houses in Dumaguete.

The trip was a great reminder that there isn't one "best" resort for everyone. Each of these properties has its own personality, diving style, and ideal type of traveler — from macro-focused divers and underwater photographers to families and divers looking for a more relaxed luxury experience.

And, as always in the Philippines, getting there is part of the adventure!

I flew from Denpasar to Manila with Philippine Airlines. For divers, the 30 kg baggage allowance is a big plus, especially when traveling with camera equipment and dive gear.

Before leaving home, I completed the Philippine eTravel form online. At immigration, I simply showed a screenshot of the QR code, and the whole process was incredibly easy. My checked luggage was also waiting for me within about five minutes.

For international-to-domestic connections in Manila, there is a free shuttle between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Once you exit arrivals, turn right and follow the signs to the shuttle queue. The ride itself takes around 10 minutes, but keep in mind that the shuttle waits until it is reasonably full before departing, so allow some extra time if you have a tight connection.

Terminal 2 is fairly basic, but there are coffee shops, food options, and some workstations where you can charge your phone or catch up on emails.

My domestic flight to Bohol was delayed by about an hour. Bohol's airport is relatively small and easy to navigate, with three luggage belts. As soon as I walked out of arrivals, my driver was waiting with a name sign and the name of Amun Ini.

The transfer was a pleasant surprise. The vehicle was surprisingly luxurious, with cold towels, water, and seats that fully reclined. After a long travel day, I was very happy to sleep for most of the journey! We stopped once along the way, and the driver chose a clean hotel restroom, which was a thoughtful touch.

Travel tip: I recommend withdrawing some Philippine pesos in Manila if possible. One of the ATMs we tried later wasn't working, so having cash on hand is useful.

Arriving at Amun Ini was a lovely surprise. The doors opened and the team greeted me with a big "Welcome home!"

After lunch with Bigs and her husband, I finally had time for a much-needed nap. Later, I explored the property before sunset and set up my dive equipment for the following day.

Amun Ini is a beautiful, peaceful resort with a private white-sand beach directly in front of the property, which immediately gives it a more secluded and exclusive feel.

Meals are à la carte, with a good mix of Western and Asian dishes. Prices are reasonable, generally around PHP 450–850 per dish.

Amun Ini's breakfast is ordered the day before. This may be partly because the resort was hosting a larger group during my stay, but it worked well with the diving schedule.

After breakfast, I headed down to the beach and dive center to set up my gear. The staff took care of the equipment and loaded everything onto the boat — a very nice touch.

The resort operates two local-style dive boats and a speedboat. The boats are similar in style to the traditional boats used around Malapascua, but one of the advantages here is that you don't have to walk far out into the water to board them.

The dive briefing takes place at the dive center before everyone heads to the boat, where you meet your guide again.

The diving was a combination of macro and coral sites. Visibility wasn't particularly impressive during my first few dives, but there was plenty to discover underwater.

And the guides were one of the highlights.

They are extremely knowledgeable and carry slates with them. Whenever they spotted something interesting, they would write down the full scientific name of the critter — not just the family or common name. As a photographer and critter lover, I absolutely loved this. I learned a lot about the animals we were finding and, importantly, about their habitats.

On one of the days, we did four dives, including a morning muck dive where the number of seahorses was almost ridiculous. I counted at least 15 thorny seahorses on a single dive.

That site was about 50 minutes from the resort and was one of the furthest sites we visited.

Another site between Magic Ocean and Amun Ini was equally packed with macro life. After finding a wonderpus there the previous day, we somehow managed to find another one again on a night dive.

The highlight of my final dive at Amun Ini was definitely another wonderpus, which had everyone excited.

After just a few days, I was already getting a strong impression of Bohol's macro potential. Three dives weren't enough to form a complete opinion of the destination, but the critter hunting was certainly off to a very good start.

Amun Ini vs. Magic Oceans

I also had the opportunity to visit Magic Oceans for dinner and meet Jamie, the manager, who showed me around the property.

The two resorts have quite different atmospheres.

Amun Ini feels more spread out and private, with its own beach directly in front of the resort. At Magic Oceans, guests board the dive boats from a pontoon.

Both properties can work well depending on what a traveler is looking for, but personally, I found Amun Ini to have a slightly more exclusive feel.

My stay at Amun Ini ended earlier than originally planned because the next resort was fully booked afterward, so the team quickly helped rearrange my itinerary.

I left early in the morning for the approximately two-hour drive to Tabligan Port, where I caught the 10:40 AM ferry to Dumaguete.

Once again, everything was extremely well organized. The Amun Ini driver accompanied me all the way to the luggage scanner and handled the check-in process, making the whole experience very easy.

Inside the terminal, you check in your larger bags for around PHP 50 per bag, then wait in the terminal, where there are several small shops and food stalls.

I traveled in business class on the ferry, which was comfortable, air-conditioned, and a very pleasant way to make the crossing.

When I arrived in Dumaguete, Amun Ini had arranged for a porter to collect my luggage and bring it directly to the vehicle.

After about 20 minutes on the road, we stopped at Salaya Beach Houses, where I had lunch with Bigs and the owners before continuing on to Sipalay.

The drive from Dumaguete to Manami took approximately 3.5 hours.

And then we arrived at Manami. Wow .Manami is a stunning resort tucked into a private bay. Everything feels modern, fresh, and beautifully designed.

My room was located high up on the hillside, with small golf carts available to transport guests up and down the property.

After the more established atmosphere of Amun Ini, Manami immediately felt newer and more contemporary.

Dinner is à la carte, with both local and Western options available.

I started the morning with coffee in my room — there's a Nescafé machine provided — before doing some work and preparing my camera.

Breakfast is buffet-style, with both local and Western options. Naturally, I went straight for the most important food group for a diver: eggs!

I was the only diver that day, so we headed out on the resort's speedboat. Manami also operates two larger traditional bangka-style boats.

Our first two dives were coral dives near the resort: the house reef and The Great Wall.

The coral was beautiful, although I found myself wishing for more fish life. From speaking with the local dive guide, it sounded like fishing is still fairly active in the area, unfortunately.

After lunch, we headed out for a muck dive.

We started on one site, but as the dive progressed — and eventually lasted an incredible 88 minutes — we ended up exploring what was essentially a completely new site.

And they let me name it. So there is now a dive site called Bluewater! 🤭​ ​

The dive itself was excellent for macro. We found interesting frogfish, pipefish, nudibranchs including Cerce, and even an algae octopus. I really enjoyed this dive.

The diving operation at Manami is still relatively young, having opened in 2025, and the team is actively exploring and discovering new dive sites.

You can feel that the operation is still developing, and it isn't quite as polished as Amun Ini yet. But I think that's part of what makes it exciting.

The dive guide was extremely motivated, clearly passionate about diving, and very good at spotting critters. He was also great company during the surface intervals.

There is a real sense that this operation is going to become stronger and stronger as the team continues to discover and develop the local sites.

And one final observation about Manami: there are peacocks everywhere. They make some truly bizarre noises, but they are absolutely beautiful!

From Sipalay, I continued to Salaya Beach Houses in Dumaguete.

By the end of my stay, I was seriously impressed with the resort and, especially, the diving operation.

Salaya's rooms are beautiful, spacious, and packed with amenities. Depending on the room category, you can expect features such as a separate bathroom and toilet, sofa, TV, and a comfortable living area.

I had the opportunity to walk through the different room categories during my stay.

Guests staying on the standard package receive full board, while I was dining à la carte. There is a good selection of both Asian and Western dishes.

Every evening from 5:00–6:00 PM, the resort offers happy hour, and on Saturday evenings there is a live band playing beside the pool bar.

There is both an indoor restaurant and a lovely oceanfront pool bar, with tables set among the gardens.

For guests who want more than diving, Salaya also has a gym, yoga shala, spa, dedicated camera room, and dive shop. 

The dive operation at Salaya is valet-style, meaning the guides take care of practically everything for you.

My guide, Jomer, was excellent. He quickly picked up on what I liked to photograph and adapted his guiding style accordingly.

And the diving around Dumaguete? Macro heaven. If you love small things, Dumaguete is a destination that deserves serious consideration.

During my dives, we encountered frogfish, shrimps, Ambon scorpionfish, yellow gobies, and even a blue-ringed octopus feeding. I was in underwater-photography heaven.​

   

The resort currently operates one speedboat and two very large, well-equipped traditional panga boats, which have comfortable indoor areas.

For divers who want to explore further, trips to Apo Island, Siquijor, and Oslob can also be arranged directly from the resort. 

 During my visit, Bigs also showed me the construction site for Salaya's upcoming expansion.

The plans include:

• A larger dive shop
• An expanded camera room
• A second swimming pool
• Additional guest rooms
  

While in Dumaguete, I also visited Atlantis and Atmosphere, which gave me a good opportunity to compare the three properties.

My takeaway is that all three are excellent, but they cater to somewhat different travelers.

Choose Atmosphere if...

Technical diving is a priority, or if you're traveling with a family and would like access to nanny services while you dive. 

Atmosphere is also a good choice for travelers who place a particularly high value on resort facilities and room comfort.

Choose Salaya if...

You want a luxury resort experience without losing the relaxed, social atmosphere.

Salaya is a particularly good fit for divers who enjoy a more relaxed diving schedule, with up to four dives per day available, while still having plenty of time to enjoy the resort.

The grounds are smaller than some of the larger properties, which also makes it easier to meet other guests and socialize.

Choose Atlantis if...

Your priority is diving, diving, and more diving.

Atlantis is a particularly good fit for divers who want to do up to five dives a day and don't place as much importance on room luxury.

One important disclaimer from my May visit: it was sea lice season.

All three resorts had guests dealing with itchy rashes during my stay.

For diving, I found that wearing a hooded exposure suit helped, and interestingly, applying ice to irritated areas provided significant relief.

It's not necessarily something that should put you off traveling, but it's worth being aware of depending on the timing of your trip.

The journey from Dumaguete to Manila was very straightforward. I flew with Cebu Pacific, with no issues to report.

In Manila, I stayed at the Savoy Hotel in Newport, which I would recommend for a night near the airport. It's also conveniently located close to the Belmont. The breakfast was particularly good, which is always a nice bonus after a long travel day.

I also had the chance to meet up with Jenna, one of our Bluewater customers who has become a friend over the years. She kindly drove me around Manila and gave me a little glimpse of the city beyond the airport and hotel. 🤗

This trip was a great opportunity to experience three very different sides of diving in the Philippines.

Amun Ini was my favorite for the combination of a beautiful, private resort setting and excellent macro diving. The guides really stood out, particularly for their knowledge of the local critters and habitats. If you are a serious macro photographer or simply love finding unusual marine life, I would definitely put Amun Ini on your radar.

Manami is the newcomer of the three. The resort itself is absolutely beautiful, and the diving operation is still developing. I loved the feeling that we were exploring and discovering new sites rather than following a completely established routine. The potential here is huge, particularly for macro diving.

And then there is Salaya, which I found to be an excellent all-around choice. The rooms are beautiful, the facilities are extensive, the service is excellent, and the valet-style diving makes the whole experience incredibly easy. But the real star is the diving around Dumaguete — especially if macro is your thing.

The Philippines continues to surprise me, and this trip definitely left me wanting to go back and explore more.