Isla - The Isla Experience

With its incredible looking socials and promise of glamping style accommodation, for the price point we really wanted to like Isla experience more. This is more of a base camp feel rather than a relaxing couples escape. Socialising is encouraged, communal dinner etc. Whilst for some this may be attractive for others this may feel too much. We really wanted a couples rest and relax escape before heading back to the UK but found it difficult to find solitude. Pros - The location is fantastic with a great beach. - The staff were great. - The couples massage by two locals ladies from the village was perhaps the best we’ve ever had. Ask for Gedalyn and Emma. Cons - After paying PHP2600 for a return van transfer for two from El Nido it felt unacceptable to have to wait nearly an hour at the port for the boat to arrive to take us across to the island on both the outward and return journey. - Food and drinks are expensive, as in expensive. This isn’t Boracay. - A big one for us…the showers are salt water. This wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the Hotels.com listing. You will remain sticky for the entire duration of your stay. There literally is no point in showering after being in the sea. - There is a constant subtle smell in the air. We couldn’t pinpoint what the smell was, possibly drains, possibly seaweed, possibly a nearly piggery, who knows. - The cleanliness of the shared toilets and showers varied. The toilets do not allow you to flush toilet tissue, it should be placed in a

J’ai passé une nuit à Isla – The Island Experience, et ce court séjour a été exceptionnel. Tout est très bien organisé, y compris le transport, qu’on règle directement avec l’hôtel. Sur place, l’ambiance est paisible et déconnectée : parfait pour se ressourcer. Entre le snorkeling autour de l’épave, le délicieux buffet, les porcs en liberté sur la plage, la visite du village voisin, et les superbes levers et couchers de soleil, chaque moment était mémorable. L’endroit est calme, nature, et authentique — une vraie parenthèse loin du monde moderne.

Surprised that Isla has such good reviews on Google. It goes without saying that Isla is not a luxury accommodation and therefore it’s not super comfortable (which we knew going into the trip) but unfortunately Isla is nothing like the pictures you see on instagram - the island itself is beautiful and it’s lovely to wake up listening to the waves but the huts, communal areas and areas around Isla are pretty dirty and poorly maintained. The service isn’t great and the food is also average (served communally with, in my opinion, not enough to serve the whole group). We wouldn’t recommend.

We had a fantastic stay on this remote island—the scenery was stunning, the sunsets were incredible, and the bamboo hut accommodation added a unique touch. The room was comfortable, though the mosquito net had holes and could have been better maintained. Although, for safety purposes or privacy atleast, maybe a wooden latch/gate could be put at the top of the stairs, as these were steep, The food was great, and activities were fun (be sure to check which ones are going ahead—we missed out on the campfire). The waters around the island were amazing for spotting fish, though we did encounter jellyfish. Staff were attentive but could benefit from better training on how to handle jellyfish concerns. One major issue was the lack of communication before arrival. We didn’t receive the promised transfer confirmation and got no response after contacting the company multiple times. Thankfully, someone was there when we arrived—but it was a stressful experience that could’ve been avoided. Despite that, we really enjoyed our stay and would definitely come back with just a few improvements.

Das Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis ist miserabel. Man zahlt viel zu viel, für das was man bekommt. Die Unterkunft ist sehr einfach, wie ein mäßiger Campingurlaub. Wir hatten eine Hütte, mit wenig Meerblick weil sehr viel Bäume davor waren. Auch war unsere Hütte weniger Blickdicht als andere, wenn Leute im Umkreis von ca. 10 Metern daran vorbeilaufen können sie hineinschauen. Die Hütte war nicht sauber, Ventilator verrostet, Kabel unschön herausragend, das Moskitonetz hatte viele große Löcher. Die Duschen und Toiletten wurden tagsüber nicht gereinigt. Der Strand ist kaum vorhanden, nur ein kurzer Abschnitt, keine Liegen direkt am Strand. Sonstige Liegen/Stühle/Bänke waren unbequem ohne Polster und wurden ebenfalls nicht gereinigt. Bei der “Cooking Class” wird jeden Tag das gleiche zubereitet, keine Abwechslung für Gäste die sich länger dort aufhalten. Das Essen war ganz gut. Das W-LAN funktioniert an der Theke einwandfrei, aber nicht in der gesamten Anlage. Alles in allem, hätten wir mit der ganzen Unterkunft kein Problem gehabt, wenn es ca. 1/4 des Preises wäre. Für alle Extras zahlt man zusätzlich, wie z.b. Kajak mieten. Sowas gehört für uns bei einem so stolzen Preis einfach kostenfrei dazu. Wir waren später noch im „Dryft“ auf der gleichen Insel und das war so viel besser!