Exotic Dive & Beach Resort - Philippines

HOLIDAY PACKAGE - FROM £2295

Exotic Dive & Beach Resort were the pioneers of thresher shark diving in Malapascua, an area famous for some of the best shark diving in the Philippines. The island atmosphere, idyllic location, highly acclaimed restaurant, and superb facilities attracts divers from all over the world.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE
  • 9 nights’ accommodation
  • Deluxe Room with air-con
  • Flights
  • Transfers
  • Bed & Breakfast
  • 20 dives
KEY HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Affordable, beachfront diving resort
  • Restaurant, pizzeria, and sea view bar
  • Coffee corner, bakery, and rooftop spa
  • Fantastic house reef and Multimedia Centre
  • Daily thresher shark diving
  • Day trips to Gato Island and Kalanggaman Island

Malapascua is a tiny, picturesque Philippine island situated in the Visayan Sea, and the lovely Exotic Island Dive Resort is beachfront on the best part of Bounty Beach. It is the island’s first dive resort and pioneers of the thresher shark encounters. The owners, Dik and Cora de Boer carried out the first encounters with thresher sharks back in 1997 and soon film crews and dive magazines from all over the world visited to see the phenomenon. The area is famous for having some of the best shark diving in the Philippines and being the only place in the world where the thresher shark can be seen within recreational diver limits on a regular basis.

This wonderful resort is in an idyllic location within walking distance of the main tourist beach yet far enough away to feel secluded and peaceful. Guests can lay back and soak up the island atmosphere in the beautiful beach garden where the hammocks are great for relaxing after an exhilarating day’s diving. The newly refurbished rooftop Exotic Spa takes de-stressing to another level, here the professional masseurs offer a range of relaxing treatments including Reflexology, Thai massage, Aromatherapy, and the Exotic Combination Massage where east meets west combining a full body Swedish massage with pivotal shiatsu pressure points.

Guests can choose from several types of accommodation, all of which have en suite facilities, balcony, and air conditioning. There is also a highly acclaimed restaurant, wonderful coffee corner, sea view bar and bakery serving mouth-watering homemade products. The newly constructed Multimedia Conference Room and Instructor Development Classroom can accommodate up to 30 people and is situated above the dive shop. From here you have access to most media requirements including internet, large flat screen TV with DVD whilst enjoying stunning views across Bounty Beach. Other facilities include free Wi-Fi access in the restaurant, an internet cafe and telephone, laundry service, convenience store, safety deposit box at Reception and 24-hour security guards.

Even if you don’t dive Malapascua is the ideal destination for a beach holiday. Bounty Beach is lively and has a good selection of shops and restaurants, and for peace and quiet spend the day at Langub Beach or Guimbitayan Beach with their desert island vibes. If you are looking for panoramic views then take a walk up to the Lighthouse, the perfect place to enjoy sunset. For foodies there is an abundance of fresh seafood, and local delights such as binignit, a creamy, sweet dessert made of cooked bananas, coconut milk, sticky rice and tapioca rice; or if chocolate is your thing then sample the local version of hot chocolate named sikwate, where blocks of cacao are boiled in water and frothed using a traditional wooden whisk before adding milk and sugar to produce this delicious velvety delight.

Deluxe Room

Deluxe with Double Bed

Facilities

  • Mini Bar
  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • Satellite Channels
  • Mini Fridge
  • T.V.
  • Balcony

The 16 spacious deluxe rooms consist of 2 twin beds or a double bed, an en-suite bathroom with hot and cold water and sliding doors that open onto a private balcony to enjoy the overlooking of the lush tropical flowers and garden.

Super Deluxe Room

Super Deluxe Room

Facilities

  • Mini Bar
  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • Satellite Channels
  • Mini Fridge
  • T.V.
  • Balcony

The 8 spacious super deluxe rooms are elegantly designed with 2 comfortable queen size beds, an en-suite bathroom with hot and cold water and sliding doors that open onto a private balcony to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and give you the opportunity to wind down after your day’s diving.

Beachfront Deluxe Room

Exterior

Facilities

  • Mini Bar
  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • Satellite Channels
  • Mini Fridge
  • T.V.
  • Balcony

The 4 spacious beachfront deluxe rooms with air conditioning are spacious and offer twin single beds or a double bed and an extended private balcony. These rooms are located on the beachfront close to the restaurant and bar.

Standard Room with Air-conditioning

Super Deluxe

Facilities

  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • Balcony

The 2 spacious standard rooms with air-conditioning offer twin single beds, an individual controlled air conditioner and an extended private balcony. These rooms are located near the beachfront, restaurant and bar.

At Exotic there is the option of bed and breakfast, half board and full board packages, the choice is yours.

The highly acclaimed international restaurant offers delicious local and international cuisine, with their renown breakfast menu you can sample a wide choice of delights from homemade pancakes to freshly baked croissants all day long.

Take advantage of the sea view from the OneUp bar during Happy Hour from 5-7pm where you can buy one get one free on selected cocktails, or sit back and relax with a delicious fruit shake. The fully stocked bar offers a selection of alcoholic drinks including their own Draft Beer which is the first on the island.

For coffee lovers take in views of the beach whilst enjoying a cappuccino, latte, or iced coffee. The Coffee Corner is said to boast the best and freshest brewed coffee on the island!

The bakery has homemade pies, freshly baked European breads, and a wide assortment of other products that will have you coming back for more!

Malapascua is the place to be if you want to experience some of the best shark diving on the Philippines, thresher sharks can be seen year-round at Monad Shoal and Kemod Shoal. You can also see hammerheads and giant manta rays at certain times of the year when they visit the many cleaning stations. The macro diving is first class, you are likely to encounter nudibranch, sea horses, octopus, mandarin fish, gurnards, pipefish and frogfish to name but a few.

The fantastic house reef starts at 5m and gently slopes to 13m, you will find a wide variety of marine life amongst the scattered coral and patches of sea grass. There are artificial structures everywhere, including coral encrusted jeepneys, large concrete and wire structures and a few old boats, creating a unique habitat for soft coral and sea life to flourish. This exclusive one-of-a-kind dive site suits all levels of divers and is a photographer’s dream. For those that are critter crazy a night dive on the house reef is an experience not to be missed as you are sure to come up close and personal with some weird and wonderful creatures.

The on-site PADI dive centre runs a range of courses including a variety of PADI specialities, as well as the centre's own specific thresher shark speciality course. There are 4 large traditional ‘bangka’ boats, a small boat and a speedboat, offering dive schedules to suit all tastes and experience levels. There are many dive sites within close proximity and two wonderful day trips that are suitable for all divers.

The first is Gato Island located around an hour from the resort. This is a pinnacle surrounded by stunning coral which shelters frogfish, pigmy sea horses and a wide variety of nudibranch. There is a resident population of whitetip sharks sleeping in the overhangs, and the caves and sloping walls house cuttlefish, squids, and schools of mackerel. Another popular trip is Kalanggaman Island with its picture-perfect white sand bar and turquoise waters. This piece of paradise is a two-hour boat trip from Malapascua and is famous for its wall diving, the northern sites offer a spectacular wall that drops over 200m where schools of lionfish, fusiliers and anthias congregate. Other sites offer delights such as giant barrel sponges, sea fans, turtles, and an elusive blue ring octopus.

The Philippines is in the heart of the Pacific and blessed with tropical weather, there are two pronounced seasons, dry and wet. Late October to early June tends to be the most popular time however the critters and marine life are found here year-round. Visibility is at its best from April to September when it ranges from 15-30m, with November and December being quite a bit lower at 5-10m.

Malapascua is almost certainly the best place in the world to dive with thresher sharks, they can be seen year-round at recreational diver limits. Manta rays can be spotted all year as well, and hammerheads usually around December to April. The macro diving in the area is also excellent with many species of nudibranch, sea horses, octopus, and frogfish. Popular dive sites include those at Gato island with its stunning coral and resident population of whitetip sharks, and Kalanggaman Island where divers can experience the spectacular wall that drops to over 200m with schooling fish congregating in abundance. Monad Shoal and Kemod Shoal are sites to be if you want to dive with the magnificent thresher sharks, and Lighthouse Reef is the perfect sunset dive for sightings of the colourful mandarin fish performing their intriguing mating dance.

Average temperatures in the dry season (November-May):
Air 25-27°c / Sea: 24-28°c

Average temperatures in rainy season (June-October):
Air 26-28°c / Sea 26-28°c

There are many flights available to Cebu through several leading airlines. We can find the route that best suits your requirements.

On arrival at Mactan Airport, you will be transferred by road to Maya which takes around 3-4 hours, from there you will board a Banka boat that will take you to Malapascua, this takes around 45 minutes.

You do not need a VISA to enter the Philippines.

The Peso is the currency in The Philippines
The time difference is GMT +8 hours
The calling code is +063
The plug type is A, B & C / 220v voltage
Please follow this link for up to date health advice and details of any vaccinations that are required before travel
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/philippines/health

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