Donatela Resort & Sanctuary

We were tricked. We paid attention only to the high rating of this resort, and not the fact that at the time of booking, only 51 reviews were posted since 2016. Thus, very few people actually stay here. Description does not say that you need to book a whole shuttle (albeit free, but still inconvenient) to get to town or the beach, which is essentially required to get any affordable food. They do say they have laundry service...but its abhorrently expensive despite charging a high rate for the room already. Food is very expensive as well without discount again despite a high room rate. And our 3 year old accidently broke a plate. Understandable. But they pulled a low class move and charged us for the plate. You charge that high rate and still wanna nickle and dime parents? Its fine if you wanna charge a high price. But if you do, you have the responsibility to deliver amazing service. I wouldn't give you such a low rating if you didn't charge so much. And I wouldn't be mad at expensive laundry or charging 300 pesos for a toddler breaking a plate. But you charge that high a rate? The responsibility is on you. As a filipino american, I am deeply embarrassed for my own culture. Finally, no, there is no "beach" access. You do get a beautiful view. But there is no beach. Lesson learned: look for stays that have a high number of reviews. Be wary of places like this with a low number of reviews, since it means few people actually choose it.

The villa offers exceptional privacy, even without being beachfront. I appreciated the tranquility of the place and the sense of seclusion it provides. The property is impeccably clean, and the staff is outstanding—highly efficient and respectful. The place is very close to the airport which was also a big plus

Excellent, quiet. Food very good

peaceful. The villa is very spacious. Staff courteous and attentive. lanscape needs more work or updates

Nice place nice folks

Extremely relaxing with incredible service

We loved staying at Donatela resort. It is comparatively remote and not as busy as other resorts in Panglao, it was quite and enjoyable. We traveled with our two toddlers and the kids were always welcomed! The only negative thing about our stay was that one night for dinner we arrived on the later end, the hours at the paprika restaurant said it was open until 9pm, we came around 8:15 because our kids had a late nap from our country side tour. The entire time the wait staff was rushing us to complete the order, rushing us to eat, and rushed us to pay for the bill. When we left the restaurant it was 8:50pm. I know different countries have different customs, but typically as long as you order at last call you are not rushed because you are still within the time frame of the closure. I found it unacceptable for the amount of money we paid to be treated like that. Other than that our stay was enjoyable. I would book again, but not loyal to coming to the resort again due to that one experience.

This property is vast, unique and just very interesting to walk around!

Villa is excelent. Staff are friendly.

The facility is somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. The service is definitely 1 star. The pricing, however, is fully 5 stars. The property is not worth the prices they charge

First class in every aspect. If you want seclusion, tranquility, and peace then is the place to go. I opted for a villa with pool and was completely satisfied. There is no beach but they do provide free transport to any that you want to visit. No cons here...probably one of the best hotel/resort experiences I've had.

This hotel is absolutely amazing! We booked at the last minute and ended up booking an extra villa because we were blown away by how beautiful and comfortable they are. The grounds are so lovely, the ocean view is incredible, and we had several delicious meals at Paprika. Above all, the staff was beyond amazing. Everyone was so friendly and went the extra mile to make our stay unforgettable. We wanted to stay longer but unfortunately had to leave!

We stayed 6 nights in the honeymoon suite at this beautiful resort. This beautiful, comfortable and spacious cottage has a private pool that is very nice, and it is just around the corner from the amazing onsite restaurant Paprika, yet far enough away from the 'community' pool to be quiet. The grounds are large and cottages are spaced quite well. The staff was the absolute highlight of our stay. They were so friendly and caring. From the moment we were picked up at the airport until our eventual drop off for departure, we saw so many kind smiles. We had all our meals at Paprika and every meal was very good. We very highly recommend staying at this property.

Stayed just one night for my Anniversary. Amazing service, complimentary upgrade and beautiful room and accommodations!!

We initially booked 2 nights but extended for a 3rd night. This place is incredibly relaxing, lush and well maintained. We felt like we were the only guests in the resort, despite occasionally seeing others around the grounds. The staff were all very welcoming and attentive. If you love natural surroundings, this place is for you.

Exceptional all the way

The layout is great. The rooms are beautiful. Breakfast is below par.

Very nice and quiet place, in a huge garden. The restaurant has a great view on the sea. The road to access is a very bumpy, but there is apparently a plan for improvement.

Very friendly, great views, super service

great place and services with nice views and surroundings