Elysia Beach Resort

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2026

Norliza

Staff was very nice and courteous. The resort itself is very nice and serene. I just wish they would have more extra bedding coz they couldn’t give me an extra pillow

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

01 Mar 2026

Michael

Room was great, pool was great, no whale sharks but drinks and food super cheap and really nice. American breakfast was great as where the cheese burgers. Such a quite sleepy place, great place to unpack. Would stay again. One thing though. The shower you have to run around in it to get wet, seriously needs to be looked at.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 May 2025

Michelle

Beautiful property. Great location walking distance from whale shark centre. Restaurant food and drinks very tasty and high quality.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

21 Feb 2025

Shiery

We had room 1 which gave us a lovely sea view and the pool just outside the door. It's a small but cozy resort that has touists experience in mind. So sun beds, places to sit and enjoy the view. A very nice airy and rustic feel dinning room with amazing sea views.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Feb 2025

Angela

Beautiful property in a nice location. Very well maintained and has all you need for a short break. The staff are all wonderful. We had a great stay!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jan 2025

Charlotte

Best hotel in Donsol

This is the best hotel in Donsol! Lovely rooms, which were very clean and had a great outside seating area. The pool was in front of the rooms, with perfect view of the sea and sunset. There are also lots of hammocks, beds and other areas to sit including on the beach front. The restaurant was delicious with lots of options, including for vegetarians. The staff were always friendly and helpful.

The hotel is about a 7 minute walk from the Whale Shark Centre which was also very helpful.

I would 100% recommend that this is the place to stay in Donsol.

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

08 Jan 2025

Verified traveler

Charming resort with friendly staff

Charming little resort with helpful and friendly staff. The beach was not the best, but it was peaceful and calm, and always kept clean. The food was delicious! Janice, the General Manager was very helpful and knows helpful information.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jan 2025

Shannon

Had an amazing stay. The place was clean, simple, yet so beautiful in its surroundings. The staff were so lovely and attentive, I dont have a single complaint to make about them. The food was delicious and on our check out day iy was raining heavily. They brought us over umbrellas so we could walk to the restaurant.

Very close to the whaleshark centre and firefly tours. As well as some restaurants and sari sari stores on the road.
If im back in donsol, i would stay here again.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2024

Jeffrey

Amazing , friendly, attentive staff , nothing was and effort for them

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Dec 2024

K

We came here to see whale Sharks and while that didn’t work out we fully enjoyed our stay here at Elysia. It’s walkable to the registration office, right on the beach and has a great pool. The property is well cared for and managed. Rooms are very clean and it’s nice to have a small table and stools inside. Front porch looks over the pool and has a drying rack for clothes. Restaurant serves fabulous food and the staff are all friendly. Should we come back to Donsol we would surely stay again. Salamat!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 May 2024

Philippe

A small, but very well put together resort with a beautiful beach, tasty restaurant and welcoming staff.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

14 Apr 2024

robert

My wife and I stayed at Elysia for 2 nights in April 2024 with another couple. We had picked the place because of its proximity to the Donsol whale-shark watching, although we ended up doing other things instead while we were there.

The resort is clean, the staff is friendly and helpful, and the food in the restaurant is good. The rooms are very small and simple, with minimum furnishings.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

31 Mar 2024

Jeanette

Staff were excellent, food was great, but the wifi limited. Looking forward to come back before we go back to Canada.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Mar 2024

Jeffrey

Beautiful resort good food and walking distance to Whale shark tours. Big pool and beachfront for swimming were great

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

19 Dec 2023

Maria

The room was clean but small improvements are required. Basics are missing like a bedside lamp, box of tissues, trash can in sleeping area, small desk. Airconditiong was noisy. The flat sheet was also the blanket which was disappointing. Add a proper light blanket. Need more hooks or shelves for guest's personal items. No kettle or tea/coffee. Need to pave walkway to the restaurant as it was muddy and slippery when wet.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

11 May 2023

Madison

Loved our stay! Staff was so welcoming and helpful with our questions!

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

10 Apr 2023

Thomas

Amazing gem - BRING CASH

Amazing stay! Super value for everything - I may have won the award for most San Miguel consumed in 2 days. Room was very comfortable and clean. Beautiful pool. Lovely beach. Amazing service. Must have the coconut ice cream - best thing. IMPORTANT TIP: bring LOTS of cash. No ATMs anywhere near and everything is cash only.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Mar 2023

Stephanie

Pros-beautiful beach, friendly staff
Cons-hard to access , dirt road had to use motorcycle with my 80 yrs old mom
Poor hotel communication
Unable to use credit card

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

16 Mar 2023

Michael

Very comfortable, clean, very good friendly staff.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2023

Jason

Staff was the star of the show here beating out the wonderful facility. Stormy weather dampened the stay but otherwise had a good time. Hopefully will return during sunnier weather.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

27 Dec 2022

Nanette

Quiet, clean and with good selection of food. Very near tne Whaleshark visitors orientation office. The staff were very helpful and friendly.

Leisure Family_with_children

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2022

Michael

Best resort in Donsol, would stay here again and highly recommend.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2020

Verified traveler

Great place to swim with whale sharks

We had a great stay, especially for the price, but the power went out a couple times. It would have been more inconvenient if it were during the summer when we needed the a/c. It was very close to the port for swimming with whale sharks with helpful staff, a good restaurant (we loved the shakes), and tour options. The restaurant had reliable internet so a lot of people just used it like a lounge, but there was no internet in the rooms. It's good to know they don't take credit cards, but there is an ATM nearby.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 Jan 2020

Verified traveler

The staff was great, and the hut feeling of the rooms were so cute.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jan 2020

Dee

Great views. Excellent customer service!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jun 2019

Jeri

This Resort was awesome. We will stay here again. We will recommend to all of our family and friends. The staff were amazing. The hotel was very clean. The restaurant was great and so convenient. Absolutely loved this place

Leisure Family

4/10

Poor

25 May 2019

Verified traveler

The place is ok but the service/staff is terrible, i ask one of housekeeper if they have broom or anything to use for d bathroom.coz d water get stuck but like she dont hear nothing, and when in d restaurant they just give our breakfast wo asking our choices , i just keep my temper coz my kids is around,i just notice if its foreigners they cater good, and its not tight because werre paying d same,. Not happy w the stay at all !!!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

23 May 2019

Maria

Family trip to Donsol

The place is quiet, clean with staff that were so friendly esp the one in the information area. It is a basic one story rows of rooms surrounding the pool but with easy access to the beach. Not much activity but its great for people who wants to go & swim to see the butanding. The restaurant serves good food but you get sweaty eating as the ceiling fans were not enough to cool you down. Same thing in the room, ac was in the coolest setting with the ceiling fan on the fastest setting (looked so slow to me) so on mid day I was uncomfortably warm. We were there 2 nights in May 20-22 so I guess the weather was really hot & humid. Early morning walk by the sea shore around 5am was cool & enjoyable with hardly anybody around. FYI- no phone to order or call front desk, no hot water for early coffee or tea. However restaurant is open 6am until 9pm.

Family

8/10

Excellent

13 May 2019

Verified traveler

The resort is really nice, it is located by the beach so it has a lovely breeze all the time. The views are pretty, the room was nice, the bathroom a bit small for two people though but not big deal.
The staff was super helpful, always smiling and willing to help. Really good asset!
Food is also great and with very good prices.
The only thing that we didn't love is the swimming. It is a lovely pool but the water was boiling hot and it wasn't particularly clean. Maybe a bit more maintenance to keep it free of oily water and leaves would help.
Other than that, it was a great long weekend!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 May 2019

Verified traveler

We loved Elysia Beach Resort. It was beautiful, clean and everyone was so friendly and helpful. It is a small oasis. The whale sharks were incredible! We would highly recommend this accommodation. Thank you

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

06 May 2019

Verified traveler

Whale shark getaway

Friendly staff and awesome pool, right on the beach and perfect to watch the sunset. Transfers to and from airport were a bit pricey but food and drinks weren’t too bad in the restaurant

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Apr 2019

Oliver

The staff were incredibly helpful and professional. The rooms were a little basic, but very comfortable and picturesque. Overall, we were very satisfied with our stay there.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Apr 2019

Lauren

Relax, Swim, Eat, Repeat!

This is the nicest place we have ever stayed in. We are more like backpacker travelers so the view, the service, the staff, and the lounge areas blew us away. The property is so beautiful and you have hammocks and sun chairs everywhere to relax in.

The bed is comfortable and the pillows are plush. The bathroom is super clean and the shower is good (water pressure could be better but it doesn’t hinder your experience). The pool is beautiful and the sun coming over the palms and bungalows in the morning make for a gorgeous view. The restaurant on site is very good and you can get coconuts served to you in a hammock.

We lounged here for days and never wanted to leave!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Mar 2019

Andrew

Lovely resort in Donsol.

A lovely small resort, ,15 bungalows around a pool. Very quiet , right on beach. Restaurant/bar service good. Only downside this closed at 9pm. A kettle would have been useful outside of bar hours.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

10 Feb 2019

Verified traveler

The setting is amazing with a georgius view of the ocean rooms are fairly basic but comfortable and the service simply can’t be faulted the staff really go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The only down side was the food, breakfast was ok but in the evening we ordered some calamari and prawns which were over cooked to the point of being inedible, however I thouroughly recommend barracuda a seafood and cocktail restaurant minutes walk away (we went almost every night!). Overall a nice place to say and really convenient if you want to see whale sharks -tip for the whale sharks don’t go at 7.30 am this is because all the boats go out searching basically blind and you can spend time he whole trip looking with no joy, ignore you go around 10 1 of the boats will usually have found one and you’ll go straight to it. Finally don’t expect great WiFi in donsol

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jan 2019

Benjamin

Due to the hurricane we could not come for says. The hotel was so nice to accommodate us and change our booking... Everyone was so friendly...

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

Upon arriving the place is clean. Friendly staff. Our rooms all white, nice and clean. The property is walking distance to the whale shark activity although there was no whale shark. Do not come after a typhoon. Went island hopping it was raining, cold and water is rough. Not recommended. There’s nothing to do in Donsol during the time we went in January 2019.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jan 2019

James

A wonderful boutique resort on the beach. 10 minutes walk to the whale shark visitor center. Clean and spacious rooms. Excellent restaurant. Very friendly staff. It's 50% more expensive than the neighboring Vitton Beach Resort, but very much worth it.

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2019

Maxim

A good place to relax, great staff

An excellent place to relax. There are sun beds with shade on the beach, covered booths to have some food or to play games, hammocks on the beach and a restaurant with nice cocktails. The resort is eco friendly, with almost everything made in style and from natural materials. The staff is very helpful and nice. There is a pool, which we haven't used. Not the best place to swim in clear blue sea, but great for swimming with whale sharks. Not suitable for partying, but great if you want a quiet place to relax near the whale shark interaction centre. The rooms are pretty basic, but comfortable. A/C was pretty noisy, and water pressure was a bit low due to leaking shower head.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jan 2019

Verified traveler

The staff is very friendly and helpful. The rooms are super clean and the food was delicious.
We will come back!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 May 2018

JB

Friendly welcoming staff

Very relaxing. Staff were quick to resond to your requests and were very friendly plus helpful. Well run resort

8/10

Excellent

16 Feb 2018

T

Great location close to whale watching

Excellent staff very attentive and helpful both on email before our arrival and while we were there. Beautiful location! Pool with beach access. Very quiet and surprisingly comfortable bed! Simple but functional furnishings. A light in the bathroom would have been useful. Close to whale watching which was why we were there. Everything at the restaurant was excellent especially the blended ice tea drink and a Bicol dish.

8/10

Excellent

27 Jan 2018

Phil

Super friendly staff and great location.

A big thank you to Marian and all the team who made our stay comfortable and filled our days with endless smiles. Fantastic location and great service. A nice sized pool. Beautifully styled on the outside. Room insides are simple, but clean. Close to dive shops. Beautiful hammocks and sun loungers on the beach.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 May 2017

Jeffrey

Slice of heaven in Donsol

When we arrived, we were all immediately taken by the beauty of this resort. It's small, by the ocean, and well thought out in a simple design that is clean. The pool is nice, and perfect for an early morning dip. The staff is attentive, and the food is great. My only hangup was that the toilets stop working late night, as they shut off the water pumps. I had to rush to the pool.with a garbage bin to fill it up to flush! Standard for the province, just caught off guard. I'd stay again, and for much longer! I recommended going to BARcuda, using Dive Asia's services, and trying Elysia's banana split!

10/10

Exceptional

22 May 2017

Verified traveler

Great experience! Perfect getaway..\n

It was a pleasant surprise. Nice, clean resort type atmosphere. A place to getaway from it all. Great staff / Great food.

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2017

Verified traveler

best hotel in Donsol

We have seen 7 butanding (whalesharks) on the morning trip. Weekends are crowded, if you can, go on a weekday. If you're good swimmer you can get close to them, they swim very fast. The beach is gorgeous even it has black sand. There are jellyfish, but harmless. Beside the snorkeling trip you can do firefly watching, which is nice and peaceful.

8/10

Excellent

26 Feb 2017

William

Very nice Place

It was a very nice out of the Way Resort .. The Rooms we small but well maintained and very comfortable. The Service was outstanding and very helpful. The Food was outstanding and had many dishes to choose from .. the Pool was beautiful and the ocean side was a great view .

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Feb 2017

Ingrid

Very nice place to stay especially with kids.
No internet in the rooms, only in the restaurant
but very weak.

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2017

Verified traveler

Butanding

A stylish and modern beach resort.
Beautiful exterior and interior.
Less than 10 minute walking distance from the whale shark centre. Every member of staff is helpful, friendly and amazing at what they do and will go the extra mile to please your needs.
Food is very satisfying and at a genuine price.

Definitely worth every penny spent & will come back again!

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2016

Verified traveler

Perfect serivice and clean room

Great hotel with relax amenities

Partner

8/10

Excellent

30 Apr 2016

Cath

Relaxing

The only down sides were the slow restaurant service and the lack of cupboard/wardrobe the rooms. We had to live out of our suitcases, which I hate!
However, I cannot fault the resort in any other way...peaceful, clean, friendly, professional, obliging...I'll definitely be recommending to my clients in future!

10/10

Exceptional

24 Apr 2016

Verified traveler

Everything is perfect

Great restaurant

Family

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2016

Verified traveler

Beach front hotel, close to whale shark center

Enjoyed stay here very much, will be back. Highly recommend to all the people.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Apr 2016

Verified traveler

Great hotel with service

Great restaurant for local food

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

12 Apr 2016

Verified traveler

Room was decent and steps away from the beach. The a/c worked, room was clean, but there were micro ants wandering around. It's a 5 minute tricycle ride to town, but it's a small town. The dive shops are within walking distance of the resort. The wi-fi at the resort is pretty slow and pretty much only available within the restaurant, though.

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2016

Verified traveler

Great hotel with great restaurant.

Great beach front hotel for relax amenities and great food in restaurant. Staff is so nice and very acommodationg.
Definatly stay again and recommend to any person who want to see whale shark.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Mar 2016

Joe NL

OK because there are no other / better hotels in D

We were in Donsol to swim with the Whale Sharks so need a hotel.
It is time for a 5 star resort in Donsol !

10/10

Exceptional

21 Dec 2015

Rebecca

Great staff

Elysia's staff are excellent - my partner and I were staying there during Typhoon Melor; despite the dangerous conditions the staff were very helpful, providing us with food and ensuring we were safe. Everyone went above and beyond to ensure our stay was amazing, despite the bad weather.

In terms of the actual resort: rooms are lovely, restaurant and service is great, location right on the beach and within trike distance from town.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Dec 2015

Aeleck

Great hotel and location

We had a trip booked to naga to attend a function that was canceled a few days prior to the event because of a Typhoon. So we decided to stay in Donsol for 1 night and booked Elysia beach resort. We had friends who had stayed there previously and had recommended it as a really nice resort. The images of the resort online were appealing too.
When we arrived in Donsol we began to become concerned because the devastation from the Typhoon had affected trees, houses, and power lines. The Tricycle drivers in town were like.. Where are you staying? We said \"Elysia\" they said with a concerned look on there faces: \"do you have a reservation?\" We assured them that we did, but began to worry if the resort was still there.. 😬. On arrival it was clear the hotel had been affected by typhoon as the staff were busy cleaning the area, and rebuilding some damaged buildings.
The staff came to meet us but informed us that they had cancelled our booking and refunded our payment through Expedia, because of the Typhoon and because they had no power. However Expedia did not contact us.. We were obviously a little distressed over this news as we were now stranded in a typhoon affected area with no ware to stay. The manager spoke with the owner and came back to us and told us we could stay free of charge but there would be no power. We were extremely greatful to them to accommodate us even though they were busy repairing the resort. We were very surprised to see how clean and tidy they had made the

10/10

Exceptional

15 Dec 2015

Ole Petter

Fantastic stay

Great place, very friendly and welcoming staff, nice beach and great pool. Got to see the whale sharks :-) Also found a wonderful restaurant three minutes down the beach, Bar Acuda served amazing seafood. We will be back.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

03 May 2015

Marie

Nicest hotel in Donsol

With only 15 roons, it is peaceful and quiet. It has the nicest beachfront compared to other resorts. They have hammocks, lounge chairs, huts on. The beach. The staff is amazing and accommodating. My boyfriend and I are vegan and gluten free and the restaurant staff catered to our dietary needs. I would definitely stay here again.

8/10

Excellent

01 May 2015

John

Great hotel, lousy wifi!

Great hotel, very clean, right on the sea. Problem was the lousy wifi service. Slow, slow, slow if at all. We had to visit the other resorts which had much better wifi service, so no excuse on the part of Elysia! Wifi is important for travellers and they were not providing the service promised.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Apr 2015

Verified traveler

Very nice hotel

Very nice hotel. Nice staff. Nice pool and clean beach. Restaurant convenient but a bit expensive ( the restaurant next to the tourist center is half the price for the same quality)

Family

8/10

Excellent

29 Mar 2015

Michael

A little piece of paradise.

This is absolutely one of the best places to stay in Donsol. The staff work really hard to make your stay enjoyable and are super friendly. The place is really clean and the food is amazing!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Mar 2015

lauren

Hotel with friendly Filipino charm

I went with tso friends , staff super helpful and the cocktails were a treat in the hammocks!

8/10

Excellent

10 Mar 2015

Alistair

Whale shark watching in comfort !!

Nice hotel in nice location in nice quiet Donsol. Oh, the whale sharks were also very, very nice !! Nice 4 days in a clan and tidy hotel, albeit a little pricey by local standard

Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Mar 2015

Verified traveler

A nice hotel within a beautiful area!

A pleasant experience with all that was needed either onsite or within close vacinity.

8/10

Excellent

25 Feb 2015

Verified traveler

Beautiful

A lovely hotel with a nice pool. Hammocks and chairs on the beach very nice for sunsets. Beach isn't great, but Donsol isn't about the beach. All services provided with a smile. A bit pricy compared to other locations.

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2015

Pat

Small, simple, lovely hotel by the beach

I went to Donsol for whale shark interaction and in that area Elysia seems to be the best accommodation option. It is small, simple, but lovely. You can dip into the pool or have nice food, read a book by the beach. The atmosphere is very relaxing. Staff are super nice and attentive. I enjoy my stay there.

10/10

Exceptional

10 Feb 2015

Lori

Wonderful Stay in Donsol

Lovely resort. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We very much enjoyed our stay and highly recommend Elysia to others.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

03 Dec 2014

Troy

I'll stay again!!

Great place to stay, the staff is great, the restaurant and food was perfect for leisure....the room was clean and comfortable.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

23 May 2014

Anthony

Back to Basic

this hotel is small with only 15 rooms surrounding a swimming pool. the room is very sparse and basic. you have a bed, TV, fridge, and 1 small painting, that's it. you may want to bring your own blanket because hotel only gives you an extra bed sheet as blanket! there is no hair dryer so ladies with long hair beware. shower could use more pressure.

but we went there for whale shark watching, not to indulge in luxury. so although very basic, the hotel room is clean, bed n pillow are comfortable enough. the restaurant have enough selection if you are staying 3-4 nights. food is surprisingly quite decent. but what i like the most is the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. i would say it's like having 4-star service in a no star hotel.

so overall, i would recommend it. it's basic but for the price and service i am happy with the value.

Family

10/10

Exceptional

23 May 2014

Marie

wonderful stay

We had a great stay! The staff are friendly, accommodating and very helpful with our inquiries on local tours. They are always smiling and cheerful, which helped a lot for a relaxing stay. The resort, though small and simple, had an elegant ambiance and the beautiful design elements, nice landscaping and clean surroundings led to an overall wonderful stay experience. It is more pricey than the other resorts nearby but its worth the price. I would love to visit this resort again!

Family

6/10

Pleasant

13 May 2014

Verified traveler

We had ants in the room.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 May 2014

Drew

Relaxed setting close to Whale Shark Interaction

My girlfriend and I recently stayed at Elysia for 4 nights in late April early May. The resort is beach front with lots of hammocks and chairs to hang out in and watch the world go by. The rooms are set around the central pool and are simple, but cool and comfortable.

The staff of the hotel and restaurant were all amazing. Friendly, happy and more than helpful, we ate nearly every meal at the hotel restaurant and were delighted with all the fresh food, my partner took a liking to the calamansi cocktails!

If you're looking for a relaxed and comfortable place to stay in Donsol close to the Whale Shark Interaction Centre I can't recommend Elysia enough. If you go to see the fire flies take the extra time and go to Ogod, it's a little bit further away but worth it. Seek out Anton as your guide if possible.