Mario's Scuba Diving and Homestay

Solar fans in the private rooms

Staff was super accommodating. The social vibe is wonderful, with everyone eating dinner together around the same table, sharing as fellow travelers. The island is small and navigable and they have done an amazing thing to unionize the boats and the guides to set prices for travel to the island and 1 hour of snorkeling at P300. Location is perfect, just a minute walk from the harbor.

You have to remember to set your expectations. There is only electricity for 4 hours per day on the island. Water is collected rain water. Everything is imported to the island. The level of comfort is luxurious camping and they do an amazing job making you comfortable with the limited amenities of the island. They did not answer my questions through the app. I imagine nobody checks it.

We absolutely loved our stay here at Mario’s. We stayed in the dorm room and all the beds had mosquito nets so we could keep the windows open and it didn’t get too hot overnight. The staff were really friendly and helped us with everything we needed. Apo has beautiful snorkelling and walks to view points and every person we encountered on the island were so welcoming. We didn’t do any scuba diving but the prices for your open water were cheaper than Moalboal and from what we saw, were much more intimate so hoping to go back next year and do mine here! Don’t expect luxury here but the place definitely has everything you need - the people and the island itself are the luxury. Thanks so much team at Mario’s :)

Beautiful location, delicious food, friendly staff, amazing diving, excellent dive master, authentic experience!

Rooms were equipped with a solar fan and light, but it had issues. The first night the fan stayed on all night but the next nights it would only last a couple of hours and the last night only like one hour. It was more difficult to sleep without the fan.

Staff was amazing, very helpful, the food they cooked for us was delicious.

We got a room in the back, very dark, with ants, small cockroaches, spiders…that would be understandable, but the bathroom that hasn’t even been wiped down after guests before us (shaved hairs on shelves, soap stains all over the shower walls, dirty toilet) and the pillows that seemed to be twenty years old, all oily and the filling tucked into balls. We ended up moving to another accommodation on the island.

Convenient for a scuba diving trip, helpful staff. Just be aware that it's pretty rustic.

The food was nice, especially the breakfast

The staff were amazing, without Carla I don't think it would have been as memorable. Glaiza was also amazing. Great remote Island to just relax dive and snorkel.

We could have stayed living there forever. You feel at home and the vibe of this island is the best. Thank you also to Jery for the scuba diving experience and the night chats. This place made a difference on our trip so thank you for everything!

All good!!

Staff were very sweet and accommodating! It was really like staying at a bed and breakfast. The food was pretty tasty and convenient, and affordable. You had to pay for drinking water, but it was very cheap and reasonable considering they have to ship it in everyday from the mainland. The staff went out of their way to communicate and answer all my questions before my arrival (I even called them a couple times on WhatsApp), and to provide us with the things we requested while staying. My friend got scraped up from falling on the rocks and they helped her clean and dress her scrapes. They even arranged for a private ferry to Siquijor (instead of the daily route to Malatapay) for our departure (thanks Glyza!), and walked us to the private ferry. The boatman even helped carry my companions bags (by wading through high tide water). The location was dreamy on Apo Island and a super easy walk to some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in the world! The solar fan in the room was key for hot nights. I also appreciated the solar lights and mosquito net on our bed, as well as their laundry service. Provided sheets and towels were clean. This place is a nice testament to sustainable living in remote locations. I appreciated their efforts to use glass instead of plastic, and their efforts to provide comfort while being sustainable with water and electricity. The owner of the place (Mario) even made an appearance, even though he’s like the mayor of the entire region and super busy. He is OG and super knowledgeable about both scuba diving and sustainability efforts of the region. The dive center and our guide (thanks Lloyd!), boatman, and tank man were excellent. We got our PADI Open Water Scuba Certification while there, and they provided us with everything we needed and worked with our schedule. The price was very reasonable. The room looked just like advertised, and also included a solar fan and lights, and also a lockable cabinet (you provide the lock).

There is no electricity on the entire island besides from 18:00-22:00. Toilets don't flush (must use bucket of water to flush) and there is no aircon there or anywhere on the island. There was a heat wave and it was pretty hot at night. Also the private bathroom could have been a bit more clean and stocked with toilet paper, but you just have to ask and the staff will give it to you. The roosters going off all day and night was quite loud. But all this is to be expected with the remote location on a tiny tropical island. All things considered, it was a comfortable and clean place, and great for the value.