Review of Acuaverde Beach Resort, Laiya San Juan Batangas Philippines
Don't Just Trust the Photos and Reviews
We went to Acuaverde Beach Resort last summer as we were enticed by the photos and the good reviews in the internet. I made a reservation through phone and made the corresponding payment at the designated bank for the confirmation of our booking. As we arrived in the place, I realized that photos in the website and good reviews can't really be trusted.
The Entire Resort Looks Boring
As we arrived at Acuaverde on the very day of our booking, we felt quite cheated. The whole place just looked so boring. It is nothing but a quiet, private place, with tall tamarind trees around native huts and houses. It could somehow in one way or another count as an advantage but we were looking for more than just serenity. We also want a more classy and exciting place so we felt disappointed at the very first glance of the place.
Nice Native Open Hut Reception Area and Unlimited Drinks
In fairness, their reception area is inside a nice rounded open nipa hut and they have a friendly staff as well. They also have unlimited welcome drink which the kids did enjoy because they were really thirsty and tired after the long travel.
Casa Montana Room Not as Good As in the Photo
We paid for 3 Casa Montana Twin rooms. Each room is good for two at P6,025.64 each for overnight stay. This payment is inclusive of 3 buffet meals, lunch, dinner and breakfast. The room looked very elegant in photo but in it is not as impressive in reality. In fact I found it too small and too simple. It just the the twin bed and the TV and the comfort room and a narrow table near the bed. It has a private veranda which is not at all usable. In fact, we did not even sit for long in that open veranda because we found it too exposed to the nearby veranda where there were few men sitting and so we opted to just stay inside the room and watch TV.
Acuaverde has no Pool
This beach resort has no infinity pool or any kind of pool so better not bring along your kids if you don't want them to get bored or if you can't take the risk of letting them swim in the sea. In fairness, we asked this from Acuaverde staff during the reservation and they honestly told us there was no pool so we knew beforehand. So we could only blame ourselves for it was our choice and we really regretted that because we had to take time watching the kids while they were in the beach to make sure they were safe.
Beating the Boredom By Playing Table Tennis
Board Games and Table Tennis At Al Fresco Bar
The Al Fresco Bar offers various wines to interested guests but we were not interested with wine but rather with the board games. badminton and table games this place offers. We just played scrabble to beat the boredom for we can’t just stay in our room. We were looking for other activities around. They have no pool, it was too hot in the beach so the best alternative was just play scrabble while my hubby and my son played table tennis.
Buffet Lunch at Acuaverde
Buffet Food During Lunch and Dinner Were Not Bad But Not Great Tasting Either
Acuaverde offers buffet meals depending on the number of guests. During peak season, you can expect buffet meals but during off season they only offer a la carte meals unless the number of guests meet their quota.
It was peak season when we were there so buffet meals were offered. Lunch was the first meal offered to us. We were late when we went to the dining hall so there were no more seats for us. We just had to be accommodated downstairs. They placed a table there for our group so we had to get food from upstairs. There were lots of food choices but honestly the cooking was not that great.
At dinner time, the place looked better as the lights were turned on, the place was transformed into an enchanting place. As usual there were lots of food and there were desserts too. But just as the lunch food entrees were, the cooking was not also great. But I enjoyed the fruits and the desserts.
Breakfast at Acuaverde
Their Breakfast Buffet is Superb
If there is one thing that I enjoyed here, it was their breakfast buffet. There were numerous choices: breads, cereals, fried rice, hotdogs, ham, corned beef, omelet,pancake, hot chocolate, hot coffee, juices, fresh fruits and more. We ate our breakfast in the Cocina, a native dining place located upstairs where we could feel fresher air and had a good view of the trees around.
Sitting at a Cushioned Cabana at Beachfront of Acuaverde
Neat Beachfront
Acuaverde has neat beachfront. The off-white sand looked clean so those who opt to sit or recline in Cabanas and Sun Loungers lined along the beachfront can go barefoot comfortably. Sitting in one of the cabanas or sun loungers is relaxing during the early morn. Once the sun starts to shine brighter, it is better to just stay in the room or in the bar unless your intention is to go sunbathing
Not Really a Bad Stay But Definitely Lacking in Excitement
As a whole our stay at Acuaverde was not really bad but it was not fully satisfying The place could be really boring. If only the place had a pool then we could have enjoyed more. I wish their rooms are further improved and also the cooking must be improved to compensate the price.