This place is wonderful! You feel so close to nature! We enjoy how the quietness is, you can really de-stress. The staff is amazing and always on top of everything,... read more even before you can ask. It was a relaxing stay just how we wanted it! We will definitely be back!

  A fortunate turn of events! - My friends and I were supposed to be on our liveaboard experience for 4 days and 3 nights. Unfortunately, one of the propeller of our boat fell off. FORTUNATELY 3... read more people who was also on the liveaboard with us recently stayed at El Rio Y Mar. So they quickly called the resort to see if there was available rooms for all 9 people! Luckily, they had room for all of us! We were welcomed by the staff with beautiful smiles, singing with their guitar and some refreshments and a breezy check in! Food were amazing, they have great scuba diving options to choose from and their scuba diving crew are the best! The whole resort felt so magical. not being able to do our liveaboard experience turned out great since we step foot on this island. on our first day of stay we did a dugong dive, 2nd day we went to Apo reef and dove the majestic wall. On our last day we enjoyed, kayaking and paddle boarding through the mangrove forest and ended the day with a volleyball tournament that we got invited "Guest VS Staff" even though we won, they definitely were challenging opponents! Will be back next year with more friends and family! Thank you so much El Rio Y Mar!

  An excellent place to relax in Coron, Palawan. - Excellent staff. Efficient airport transfers. Check-In and Out was quick. Clean rooms. We had the Casa Deluxe room. We would have preferred the Cabanas which are right on the water... read more but they were sold out on our stay. We availed of the private half day near island trip - an isolated island out in the open sea with a single tree, another private Island with good sandy, swimming beach and coconuts and another island with excellent snorkelling areas with huge corals. The resort also has a hiking trail to the Hunter's peak - which makes for a good exercise routine and also gives you a good view of the resort and the nearby islands. I enjoyed the breakfast fares, especially the local ones (fried fresh danggit was delicious). Overall, it met my expectations for a quiet and relaxing vacation.

  Paradise found in Coron - This is a superb hotel within 1 hour of Busuanga Airport but a small piece of heaven on earth.
The location is stunning in a beautiful scenic bay. The hotel... read more experience is really nice and perfect for a long weekend or even a longer holiday. This is one of the nicest places I have visited in the Philippines.

  I love this place - I love the amenities for a comfortable and relaxing stay. Overall, it is highly recommended for those who are seeking a premium and unforgettable experience. If you want a best... read more place. Be here. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

  El Rio y Mar, a real Paradise. - El Rio y Mar, a real Paradise. A Paradise we could stay at for 25 beautiful days.

After a beautiful boat trip through the Mangroves, We were welcomed very... read more heartful with the Welcome Song and Drinks at the Reef Bar. Throughout the hole stay the Staff was so cordial and friendly, we felt so happy, it was a perfect time. The food was great and delicious, my favorite was the Inihaw na Tanigue, Sonja loved Chicken Honey Lemon and after Diner we had good talks at the Reef Bar, where we met many people from around the world.

The resort is kept very clean, the scenery is amazing, the water clear and the snorkeling at the house reef a must see, especially the big school of Jackfish at the floating spa. But it’s also worth to get up early and hike up the hill to see the sunrise, with a nice view over the bay, shining in its blue colors.

Diving with the Dugong Dive Center was a highlight, during the whole time we had Ian as our Diveguide, he took care for us and showed us a lot of nice stuff. At all the different Divespots we saw almost everything: Seahorses, Frogfish, Sepia, Eagle Ray’s, turtles, Ghost Murray, and so on. The Dugong divesite we visited even three times, not only for the lovely Dugongs but also for the nice Divesites close to the Dugong Spot. At the Apo Reef we even saw a school of Humphead Parrotfish. Thanks a lot to the Divecenter and all of its stuff, you made our holiday special, we had so many beautiful moments and talks with all of you:-)

As we stayed for a long time, leaving this little paradise was hart. Unfortunately, we couldn't farewell everybody. So we would like to say goodbye again, goodbye to all of you who made our holiday so perfect, thank you Ian, Tom, Rochelle, Mark, Lando, Brian, Dirk and Nosy, and many more.

We’re now back at work, but when we close our eyes, you’re still with us, we miss you El Rio y mar :-)

With love, Sonja & Roger

  Such a nice stay. Staff were awesome. Friendly, helpful, accommodating, from the GM to the housekeeping. Great value for money. Would recommend to everyone. Especially suitable for guests arriving by... read more boat. Good safe mooring.

  Warm and welcoming, private and idyllic - We absolutely loved our 5-night stay here. The staff were all so warm and welcoming and made us feel right at home. The resort felt very private, quiet and idyllic... read more because it is accessible only by boat. Its size meant that it never felt crowded even when it was at full occupancy - for instance, there are two infinity pools. We enjoyed swimming in the clear water around the main jetty and snorkeling along the fairly healthy house reef, soaking in the infinity pools which were at the perfect temperature, and a short steep hike up a hill behind the resort rewarded us with stunning views of the bay and the surrounding landscape. We also had a wonderful massage in the floating spa with jackfish constantly swimming past in the water below us.

Our room, a ground-floor deluxe casa unit, was large and had everything we needed and more, including an abundance of wall sockets, and right in front of the room was the beach with hammocks and chairs set up to facilitate enjoyment of the lovely sunsets. Every dinner we were treated to the remarkable talents of resident musicians Efren and Zaldy, who go around the tables taking requests and somehow know all the songs asked for (even when a group from Hong Kong suggested a Cantonese one). The food was not award-winning but it was tasty and had a very pleasant home-cooked feel to it. Transport from and to Busuanga airport was quick and seamless.

Despite its seclusion, the resort offers ample opportunity to get out and explore the surrounding area. We had a great time on their full-day Coron Island tour that goes to all the main attractions including Kayangan Lake and Barracuda Lake. We also went on dives and full-day dugong-watching tours with Dugong Dive Center, which is located in the resort - we have reviewed them separately and would highly recommend them.

It was heartening to see that the resort has close ties with the nearby village of Maricaban. Bev from reception was very helpful over e-mail, and later in person, in letting us know what items or supplies the village elementary school needed so that we could bring some over in our luggage.

This may not be the cheapest place to stay in by Philippine standards, but we thought it was well worth the cost. It was with much sadness that we left the resort on our last day as the staff sang us a farewell song, and we definitely hope to return - perhaps with family or friends, for we would definitely want them to experience all this.

  Awesome and Relaxing Home away from Home - Excellent resort, pricey but worth every centavo of your hard-earned money! Not a single bad thing to say about the place and the folks running the place. The rooms... read more and amenities are great, with clean rooms and toilets. The surroundings are also well-taken care of. There is abundant fresh water for the hot shower and drinking as well. If you're looking for relaxing and fun activities (water-related or not), there are tons to do: kayaking, snorkelling, paddle-boarding, island-hopping, hiking, billiards, reading, ping pong.. the list goes on! So much to do but so little time. Best thing also about the place is that the beach is right in front of the cabanas! The waves lapping will lull you right to sleep. Food in the resto is also good, with a selection of different dishes/cuisines.

The service is also top-notch, with very helpful, attentive and courteous people who always find ways to cater to guests requests.
Everyone in the resort was great, with specific mention of Ms. Janet (one of the owners, we had a good discussion on politics and eco-tourism!), Ms. Clarine (the ebullient front desk gal who is always available with a smile), Mr. Benjie (the resto guy who's always there) and Mr. Darren (excellent guide who accompanied us on our short hike in the island and in the Coron island-hopping tour.) The dinner singers (sorry we forgot their names) were also great, serenading guests with their wide repertoire of songs. Another unique thing which we haven't experienced in any other place is the welcome and goodbye song and dance routine from the staff. The speedboat service from the drop-off to the resort was fun as well.

If you want a noisy/rowdy spot, look somewhere else. If you want a serene and relaxing beach resort, this is the place!

  Memorable vacation  - Our El Rio Y Mar stay was the highlight of our vacation in the Philippines. Fr our accommodation, food, activities , beach and most of all the services was top... read more notch. I requested for a companion to hike their trail to see the sunrise, Ray Mart was so knowledgeable and patient to guide me. Daryn was so patient making sure I enjoy the snorkeling experience ( I’m not a swimmer). Marjo always making sure our stay and experience was superb. Thank you for opening the karaoke room even with a short notice. We shall be back. Mencie, you have the best crew.

  Fantastic place and people - We’re on our 2nd and last night here at El Rio Y Mar. The whole experience had been magnificent: great communication, propmt pick up with a speed boat,awesome welcome snacks... read more and drinks with a group of staff singing a welcome song; a huge variety of food; lovely manager, amazing crew. The house reef is a must see ; the view is fantastic and I love the variety of complimentary activities on offer.

  Beautiful isolated resort - We spent 3 nights,4 days at El Rio y Mar resort. The resort is beautiful , very clean and with very good water pressure! The staff is also friendly and... read more they welcome you with a nice song. However keep in mind that you are isolated so you depend on the hotel for everything (trips, food and so on). That's why most of the prices are higher than in the town. Also in order to get there you need a boat transport from Maricaban ( they say you only need to pay for it one way) so make sure to contact the hotel on time. We made the reservation quite spontaneously so we had to call like 30 times until someone answered...
They offer free SUP and Kayak. Regarding the food we would recommend the filipino specialities, which were delicious ( the pizza was very bad). The breakfast was also nice.