Atmosphere Resort & Spa

Atmosphere Resort is an upscale resort that is a step above most dive resorts. If you want to be pampered, this is the place. The diving is superb for macro, fish portraits, and wide-angle at Apo Island. The diving is valet-style, including the amazing house reef. I told them I could not do a shore dive due to my back. They convinced me to go, and it ended up being one of my top dives ever. I walked into the water, and they brought out all my gear, put it on me, and handed me my camera. The dive masters are excellent and will find you the smallest critters. The rooms are beautiful, with all the amenities of a fine hotel. The food is very good, but not great. Lunch and dinner are sit-down and can take up some of your dive time if you let it. I did love the baked Alaska.

What an amazing experience. I was going primarily for diving and underwater photography. Very quick trip. Last minute, my girlfriend, a non-diver, decided to join and amazingly it turned out to be perfect for both of us. I have never experienced service like that, and I have traveled in many places around the world. Diving: Staff was amazing—basically ready to take you any time. Organized gear, gave formal and detailed briefings based on your desires, needs, and skill levels, and even carried gear to the boat. After the dive, they give you a hot towel and fresh fruit. There was a dive guide and a boat driver—I almost didn't know what to do with such great service. The macro sites near the resort were almost shocking to me. Not huge reefs, but coral heads and rocks with the most amazing critters I have ever seen. I would not have seen most of it if it were not for the dive guides who clearly cater to photographers. They not only pointed out tiny shrimp, crabs, ghost gobies, and others, but made them accessible for pictures and got out of the way. I was stunned by it all. If you're not into macro, probably not for you—but if you are, it's off the charts and shallow, I think like 30 or 50 feet. They are very safety-conscious—checking gauges, checking with me, and doing safety stops. Apo day trip is a must—so much fun for divers and snorkelers alike. Tons of crew and service on a really fun local-style boat. Great food, great scenery, and beautiful reefs with incredible wildlife. There were typhoons in the area, so the water was cloudy, but I still had a blast—tons of sea snakes, garden eels, etc. Oh, that reminds me—they are so detailed that if you want to see something in particular, like mandarin gobies, they will take you out right at dusk and show you where they come out for only 15 minutes per day. Night dive right off the beach was so great—guide carried backup gear, and there was so much amazing life right there! We did the whale shark snorkel, which I highly recommend. They drive you to a ferry, and the van goes on the ferry to Cebu—you really get a sense of being in the Philippines and seeing more than one place. The whale sharks literally bump into you, and because the fishermen feed them in the morning, they claim they are there every day. No flash allowed. I brought a big SLR housing—a mistake. I would just use a point-and-shoot or GoPro. Be warned—the place is packed with tourists and very crowded, but still worth it. Resort facility: It is very unusual—you can tell a labor of love. Every detail attended to, and very good taste. Food and service very good. Watch out for fire ants—they are bad. It’s hot as heck, but the AC in the rooms is great. Outdoor showers very nice, and believe it or not, the internet works well in the rooms. Massages cheap and a fun experience in a beautiful setting. The adapter situation in the room is a little strange as it’s the regular two-prong but for 220V. The camera room is fantastic and has all the electrical etc. you will need.

Staying at Atmosphere was a treat!! The resort is beautiful and well cared for. The attention to detail was very high. I spent a week at Atmosphere and could have stayed longer. The rooms are spacious and very clean. The outdoor shower was a nice touch. There are a couple of restaurants, but I only ate at the main restaurant. The menu has a good selection, but the specials were my favorite. Of course the highlight of my stay was the diving. Sai was a great DM and it was often just him and I. Most of the dive team has worked for Atmosphere for many years. That region is known for it's macro marine life and it did not disappoint. In addition, I had 3 massages with Jay Ann that were incredible. Not Philippines prices, but still very much worth it! I really enjoyed my stay at Atmosphere and look forward to returning.

Atmosphere Resort is simply beautiful. We stayed in one of their garden bungalows that was conveniently located near the dining hall, bar and dive center. The grounds are extensive and lush. Our room was spacious and luxurious. The food was delicious; the restaurant manager Ed went out of his way to make sure we had adequate vegan choices. There was in fact an entire vegan menu for all meals plus vegan specials.The staff in the dive center, reception, dining hall, and housekeeping were all attentive and accommodating. The dive center has a nice open lounge area in front of the white board with the schedule and a second white board for dive briefings. The camera room was well supplied .I loved the two large locker rooms with fans blowing in the back to dry out gear. The rinse tanks are well labeled. The crew will take your camera and gear to and from the boats which are a short walk away. The speedboats are not large, but a large boat is used for trips to Apo Island. (Do not miss a trip to Apo Island)The diving was incredible. Water temperature was 81-83 degree F. in the last two weeks of April. The visibility was generally quite good (40-60 feet). We saw many MANY frogfish (Painted, Hairy), ocellate octopus (Mototi), hairy shrimp, mouth-brooding cardinal fish, mandarin fish, sea snakes , turtles, a large school of squid, and amazing nudibranchs.I would highly recommend diving in Dauin and staying at the Atmosphere Resort.

Decided to check out Atmosphere after going on another Bluewater trip and everyone on my boat said Atmosphere/Dumaguete was in their top 3 trips. Wow! This place is the gold standard for diving vacations for me now! The diving was the best I've ever seen! I'm completely spoiled now. We were fortunate to have a guide to ourselves nearly the entire trip. The accommodations and food were also top notch. This is the first diving trip I've ever been on and haven't lost weight. My sister and I have already booked another trip for when the Philippines reopens to foreign tourists. We can't wait to go back.