I traveled to the Philippines in April of 2022, shortly after the country was reopened to tourists. I wanted to dive in Puerto Galera again, and chose the Atlantis Resort as my temporary home-away-from-home. In the past, I had taken a bus from Manila to Batangas on the coast, then a ferry to Puerto Galera. Because the bus & ferry schedules were so erratic, I requested the resort arrange my transfers. This consisted of a private driver in an air-conditioned van, 1st class ferry ticket, and tuktuk ride to the resort. Everything went like clockwork. The resort is set on a hillside, carved out of the jungle, at the ocean’s edge. I was on an all-inclusive plan with accommodations, diving, and food included.
Everything at this resort is top notch. The rooms are large and spacious with bathroom and shower. All have A/C and ceiling fan, as well as a mini bar that can be used a a refrigerator. My room had plenty of outlets for easy charging of electronics.
There is a large restaurant with an extensive menu and the chefs prepare about 6 specials each day. The food was excellent and the portions were large. The meal plan includes 3 courses at dinner and I found it hard to finish all 3. I never had a complaint with the food or the service.
The dive shop, locker room, tank storage, and dive-prep area are all at water-side. The dive crew will set up your gear and take it to and from the boat. They take a maximum of 6 divers per boat, and we were diving most times with 5 and a couple of times with only 4 divers. Because the dive sites are such a short ride, your dive briefing is at the resort, you suit up, board the boat, and go diving. The boat returns to the resort after every dive where the resort staff is waiting with hot soup, coffee, tea, beverages, snacks, and sweets. If you're diving nitrox, you select a pre-filled tank, analyze and check pressure yourself, mark tank with tape, and the crew will do the rest. After a short surface interval, it all happens again. They offer 4 dives per day plus a night dive. The local reefs are covered with beautiful hard and soft corals. Nudibranchs are everywhere you look, sometimes several different species on one rock. You can also expect to see octopuses, mantis shrimp, lots of crustaceans, and the typical reef fish found in the Coral Triangle. Puerto Galera is a photographer’s dream. The dive guides are very experienced at finding the best critters. The dives are generally no more than 50 feet, so 60 minute dives are normal.
Atlantis also does a day trip to Verde Island. This is an all day trip including 3 dives. The dives at Verde Island tend to be deeper, with more current, hence, more pelagics. This is vertical wall diving at it's best. There is a famous “Washing Machine" dive here as well.
The service from the staff at the resort is impeccable. Starting at check-in, every staff member greeted me and addressed me by name each time they saw me. Everyone has a wide, genuine smile. The staff would rate 5 stars anyway, but after 5 days of diving and making a total of 19 dives, I contracted covid-19. I was required to quarantine in my room until I tested negative, before returning home. The staff really upped their game and attended to my every need. Food and all other necessities were delivered to my room several times each day. Ten stars are not enough for the friendly and attentive staff here.
My return transfers, again arranged by the Resort, went flawlessly.
The only small negative about this resort is they have no elevator. If your room is on the upper levels, you may have to navigate a lot of stairs up and down each time you go to or from your room. I was on one of the upper levels, but the stairs were not an issue for me.
I would definitely return to Atlantis Puerto Galera and have recommended it to friends.
