Love's Beach Resort, Moalboal, Philippines

This is my favourite place to stay and to eat in Panagsama (hence it gets a write up before everyone else!). Peter Allen has done another page for Love's (nice place & people, quite a few people want to help them!) with up-to-date info at Love's web page.

Love's is run by Elvie and Tata and their relations. It is situated about 400 metres south of Panagsama Beach right by the sea and reached along a dirt track from the Beach. Just head south (with the sea on your right) and you will walk right past it.

There are 17 rooms: six standard rooms and 11 air-con with hot and cold water and shower. The air-con rooms can be used as standard (ie. no air-con but with fan) if desired. Prices are of course less.

The rooms are beautifully located in a leafy, cool garden which at its western side has the sea lapping up to a white wooden fence. There is a sun bathing area which is beside the restaurant. The restaurant is circular and built on rocks three metres above the water. When the windows are open (98% of the time), the breeze is very refreshing and brings the sights and sounds of the sea to aid your digestion. This view looks from beside the restaurant towards a typical Moalboal sunset!

Elvie and her sister do most of the cooking - her kinilaw has to be tasted to be appreciated - and her other fish dishes are never less than excellent. Kinilaw by the way is raw fish marinated in coconut milk, ginger, vinegar, chillies and some magic!

The resort has its own small but well-equipped dive shop run in conjunction with a 5-Star IDC shop based in Dumaguete on Negros Island and can arrange your diving. There is a resident Swiss instructor. If you wish, Elvie and Tata will help you to get in touch with any of the dive shops in Moalboal for a more local service.

Smaller rooms are P450 per night, larger rooms P550 per night. A fine fish dinner for one with a bottle or two of beer will be about P200. Elvie will do inclusive packages, but since there are plenty of good restaurants in the area, it's a shame to lock yourself into one place. (please check prices with Elvie since I have no up-to-date info about them but I'm sure they're reasonable).

Contact Elvie by telephone to arrange bookings. She can also arrange collection or meeting at the airport by a car or van which will bring you straight to the resort. To telephone the resort the number is +63 (0) 917 61 85 458. You should also be able to contact Loves' via the Sea Explorers web site at http://www.sea-explorers.com/ or via e-mail through Sea Explorers.

Please note that the nice places (and this is one of them) in Moalboal tend to fill up quickly at popular times (Christmas, New Year, Lunar New Year, Easter) so if you want to come at these times, try to book well in advance.