Balai Vivencio Hostel

Location: Malvar Road, Puerto Princesa City, ph

Star Rating: 8.9 Stars

Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation

About this Property

Policies

Check-in: 02:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Non-smoking rooms
• Air conditioning
• Restaurant
• Room service
• Luggage storage
• Safety deposit box
• Tour desk
• Ironing service
• Car hire
• Non-smoking throughout
• Shared lounge/TV area
• Shuttle service (additional charge)
• Concierge service
• Grocery deliveries
• Outdoor furniture
• Coffee Shop on site
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Guest rooms disinfected between stays
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Physical distancing rules followed
• Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
• Cashless payment available
• Fire extinguishers
• First aid kit available
• Sanitized tableware & silverware
• Contactless check-in/check-out
• Invoice provided
• Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
• Smoke alarms
• Shared stationery like menus, pens are removed
• Guest room sealed after cleaning
• Property cleaned by professional cleaning companies
• Physical distancing in dining areas
• Food delivered to guest room
• CCTV outside property
• Process in place to check health of guests
• Access to health care professionals
• Screens / Barriers between staff and guests for safety
• Face masks for guests available
• 24-hour security
• Delivered food - securely covered
• Security alarm
• Thermometers for guests provided by property
• Mobile app for room service
• Supervised childcare/activities
• Shopping on site
• Television in common areas
• Front desk (limited hours)
• Free wired internet
• Internet access
• Housekeeping on request
• Reception hall
• Accessible shuttle
• No accessible shuttle

Rooms Available

• Queen Room With Shared Bathroom

  The double room includes a shared bathroom fitted with a shower, a bidet and a hairdryer. The unit has 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Hair dryer
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Bidet
  • Linen
  • Clothes rack
  • Drying rack for clothing
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Lockers
  • Privacy curtain

• Budget Single Room

  The single room offers air conditioning, an electric kettle, as well as a shared bathroom boasting a shower and a bidet. The unit has 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Air conditioning
  • Desk
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Electric kettle
  • Bidet
  • Linen
  • Clothes rack
  • Drying rack for clothing
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Lockers
  • Key access
  • Privacy curtain

• Budget Double Room

  The double room features air conditioning, an electric kettle, as well as a shared bathroom boasting a shower and a bidet. The unit has 1 bed.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Air conditioning
  • Desk
  • Fan
  • Toilet
  • Electric kettle
  • Bidet
  • Linen
  • Clothes rack
  • Drying rack for clothing
  • Toilet paper
  • Trash cans
  • Body soap
  • Socket near the bed
  • Lockers
  • Key access
  • Privacy curtain

Guest Reviews

• Victor (6/5): -
• Dagz (7/5): - The location, and its clean The room bit small
• Lorenzo (10/5): Unexpected! - I have been in balai vivencio After living 2 years in hostels around world.. never been like here ! It was supposed for me to stay there a couple of days.. i left After three weeks! Ma am Is super nice like all the staff.. i felt myself at home!!
• Adrian (10/5): Cute and cozy and peaceful - Cute and cozy and peaceful
• Adrian (10/5): Cute and cozy and peaceful - Cute and cozy
• Réty (10/5): -
• S M Fahim (7/5): -
• Rohel (8/5): -
• Marc (10/5): Exceptional -
• Danny (8/5): Excellent hosts - Excellent hosts in a very charming property. It’s great for a stopover for a flight and has everything you need to be comfortable. Just a warning that the single room is very small, so if you have a lot of luggage it might not be appropriate. The bed also wasn’t the comfiest.
• Thomas (10/5): Exceptional -
• Connor (10/5): Perfect for a quick stay - Comfy and clean Nothing
• Mini (8/5): Short and sweet - Staff were super friendly and helpful. Very near the airport. Quite and peaceful. Very clean everywhere. Nothing around In the area
• Karolina (9/5): Superb -
• Ben (10/5): Exceptional - Amazing staff, really clean and great budget option! Nothing
• Marina (10/5): Exceptional - The hostel is really good. The staff is so nice and the location is near to the center. The room was a little small but it’s okay for only sleeping.
• Beatriz (8/5): Very good -
• Bennett (10/5): Exceptional - Lovely little hostel that is super clean and in a great location! I would definitely recommend it and had a fantastic stay here.
• M.s. (10/5): Excellent stay - At first, we chose to stay here because of its proximity to the airport, but it ended up far exceeding our expectations! We booked the smallest room, so its size didn’t come as a surprise—in fact, everything matched the description and photos in the listing. It was more than enough for a one-night stay. As for the property itself, it was incredibly clean and well organized. We were able to use the common area to work on our laptops and take advantage of the excellent Wi-Fi. Drinking water, dishes, and a refrigerator are also available for guests. But what truly stood out during our stay was the care, kindness, attentiveness, and attention to detail shown by Christine and her team. They genuinely think of everything—not only providing helpful information about the city, activities, and recommendations, but even informing guests about the occasional power outages in the area (which, fortunately, we didn’t experience). If we ever return to Puerto Princesa, we wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. Maraming salamat po!
• Sian (10/5): Lovely stay, would definitely recommend! - Property was in a good location! Extremely clean! The owner Cristine is so friendly & kind! All the staff were fantastic!
• Joseph (10/5): Great One night stay - Real cute and comfortable room with ecelkent staff, WiFi and aircon. Very clean too Nothing
• Abigail (10/5): Exceptional -
• Win (8/5): Recommend - Location, next to a big shopping mall and easy access to main part of the city. The staff very helpful and focus on small details to makd your stay as memorable as possible A little outdated
• Jan (9/5): Great Stay! Approachable Staffs and Superb Cleanliness - Approachable staff and cleanliness of the facility None
• Gab (10/5): Exceptional - Very clean. The staff was soooo accommodating and helpful. Bang for your buck. Very good for quality backpacker's budget.
• Sequihod (10/5): Exceptional -
• Alex (10/5): Exceptional -
• Josh (10/5): Amazing host and value - We stopped here one night before our flight and for the price it was amazing value for money! It is located near the airport and conveniently also plenty of other sites in Puerto Princesa. Finally the host was so welcoming and friendly!
• Michael (10/5): Exceptional -
• Dominic (9/5): Superb - Lovely accommodation, it looked beautiful and clean we had enough space, aircon was working just fine Only thing I can recommend is to use less softener the smell was very strong.
• Marco (10/5): Clean, welcooing and with good internet. - It is like a house, very clean and silent. The internet works very well - finally a working internet. And well done keeping the place very very very clean. All was very nice.
• Franziska (10/5): Great accomodation - Very clean, staff super friendly and helped with everything, we felt very comfortable Just cold water (ok for two days though)
• Destin (9/5): Superb - We spent one night, arrived at 2am from the airport. It was great for what we needed. The room was very small, the shower had decent water pressure. The staff were very friendly and helpful with lots of information
• Callie (10/5): Exceptional - Owner went above and beyond to accommodate our late arrival due to a flight delay. Super helpful in organizing bus transport to our next destination. Only a few mins from the airport so was perfect!
• Munch (8/5): Ideal for a short stay, if you intend to spend most of your time outside. Price wise it is good value for money: comfy b - Ideal location - close to airport and the city center. Staff went above and beyond to Accomodate stay No hot water in the shower
• Maria (10/5): Exceptional -
• Michelle (4/5): Disappointing - They did not tell me there is a free breakfast.My cousin booked the place for me and i found out that breakfast is free but they did not tell me.
• Jaskirat (3/5): Ok for 1 night but extremely tiny - Neat to the airport. Ok for 1 night. The room was ridiculous small. When laying down, I could touch all the walls (I'm in below average height!)!
• Elizabeth (4/5): Was eager to leave but the staff are lovely - - It’s clean - The staff are so lovely - 20 min walk from the airport - The room was the smallest sweat box I’ve ever seen, which I could touch both sides with my arms at the same time - The fan and the AC are so loud, don’t expect to get any sleep - Was mislead by the listing into thinking I could select a double bed - The shared bathrooms are so small the shower head is in front of the toilet. The shower is just on or off - no hot water - The whole place is outdated and old - The area is horrible If the price of the room wasn’t as expensive (I paid just over £14GBP) I wouldn’t of cared but I’ve paid way less for way more - this might be standard for Phillipines as I’ve only just arrived but still was very eager to leave.
• Leodemer (8/5): Very good -
• Dominador (10/5): Exceptional -
• Mathilde (9/5): Superb -
• Anne (10/5): Exceptional - I had a beautiful stay in Balai Vivencio! Ate Christine is very pleasant; I had a great time talking to her & sharing our stories - It's like a home away from home! I also like that I get to meet & talk to other guests at the common area. Ate tin & staff always make sure that the place is clean - there are several reminders in the restroom & room which is a good thing. Shoes are not allowed inside, there are small baskets where you can store it. They also make sure that there's always available tissue, soaps & alcohol in the bathroom. There's free purified water, free soap & shampoo which is a big plus! The room & bed is comfortable. I always get enough sleep during my 3-night stay. Location is also great! it's just beside the highway a few minutes walk to SM mall, there are also Vietnamese & vegan restaurants few blocks across the street. Overall, it's a wonderful experience & I will definitely book at Balai Vivencio when I'm back in PPS. ❤️ Not that I don't like but more of a suggestion. I wish the blanket is a bit thicker but good thing I bring my own "Malong" so I didn't have any problem. In case you needed a better one, you can just politely ask ate tin and I'm sure she will be more than glad to provide you one.
• Joey (9/5): Superb -
• Roman (7/5): Good - It’s great option if you have an early flight. Close to the airport.
• Rene (7/5): Good for the layover. - Very kind and helpful owner! Helped me booking the bus for my next destination. Good for the costs compared to other places in Princesa. Aircon is unfortunately very loud, even in fan mode. Not much air in the room without it.
• Psalter (10/5): Exceptional -
• James (8/5): Very good - Good place to stay. Near the town. Very clean and organized. Good value for money. Very friendly and helpful staff Small room and shared bathroom
• Isabella (8/5): Very good - Good value for money, nice staff.
• Anneliesse (10/5): Exceptional - very clean
• Thomas (10/5): Beautiful, clean, friendly accomodation, 5 mins away from airport. - Immaculately clean and a beautiful home! Shared bathrooms were very clean and the owners/staff very polite and helpful! Would happily stay here again! Nothing to complain about.
• Natasha (10/5): would definitely recommend, the hosts are always so cheery and pleasant, it just made it a nice place to be in - it was lovely, so new and clean the bathroom was a little small
• Joey (9/5): Friendly hostel for a short layover in Puerto Princesa - I had left luggage here on my Balabac trip. They were kind and accompany me while waiting for my van transport for both Balabac and El Nido. They do arrange van transfer and had laundry service which is quite convenient. I had move to a bigger room with better space compare to the first day. The room ac is works pretty well to combat the summer heat. I had good sleep here and definitely recommended transient place if you do layover in Puerto Princesa for another destination in Palawan. Nothing really.
• Joey (9/5): A humble abode to stay in Puerto Princesa - I only intend to stay in Balai Viviencio for a night for a layover off to Balabac and ended up staying for another two nights. It's kind of home away from home. The room is simple with shared bathroom. It has a fan, AC and small table with lamp. There are two bathroom, one in 2F is bit small compare to groundfloor one. The staffs, I believe the owners themselves are very welcoming and had treated us like family guests. Its located in the city centre of Puerto Princesa so convenient to Airport and SM mall. Its quite peaceful neighborhood and had no problems sleeping at night. There are time of the day were water pressure is weak, must be aware of it.
• Marie (10/5): Exceptional - I only stayed in this hostel for one night after my flight. It was really nice, the staff very welcoming and there to help you. It's also 7 minutes from the airport by tuktuk, so very easy 👍🏻👍🏻
• Daniel (10/5): Exceptional -
• Damian (9/5): Superb - The hostel is located very close to the airport and next to the shopping mall. It's very convenient, especially if you come for 1 or 2 nights. AC in the room, attentive staff. Dogs barking outside at night, just next to our room. It was waking us up a couple of times at night.
• Chiara (10/5): Exceptional - I loved this place!!!The owner is super friendly she makes you feel at home! The place was clean, very quiet at night and the breakfast was very good!! I will definetely go back! Thank you!!!!!!!
• Foiniris (1/5): Bad - . .
• Esmail (10/5): Exceptional -
• Ziv (7/5): Good -
• María (7/5): Good -
• Hannan (10/5): Very affordable choice for solo travellers who want a private room in the city - 1. The location: it was near the airport, near the biggest mall in the city and near the hospital. It was also situated by the highway so it was easy to find, and all the tuktuks knew where it was. 2. The price was cheap, for a place that's situated in the middle of everything. For the price of a dorm bed in other hostels, I was able to book a single bed private room for myself, albeit it was wooden and didn't have its own restroom. 3. The amenities: I had my own aircon, fan, and a lot of sockets for my gadgets. 4. The restrooms are stocked with toilet paper, shampoo and body wash. The water pressure is good. The whole place is always kept clean. 5. They provide free drinking water in the kitchen and dining area. 6. You can order breakfast at the place or you can eat at the pares store near it, or at the mall. These are things to note for other travellers, I did not mind any of these but maybe some others will: 1. The single room is small. Just big enough for one bed and a tiny side table. 2. The floor and walls are wooden, so you can hear people outside and they can hear you as well. 3. The restrooms are shared. 4. No hot water in the shower.
• Kate (9/5): It’s a good place and worth the price for a short stay. - The room was cozy and comfortable. Location was very near the airport. Good place to rest if you have a morning flight. The bathroom was a bit small, no partition for shower and toilet. Other than that, all good.
• Jad (10/5): Exceptional - The place was super clean and with the necessary. Value for money. Don't be fooled by the outdoor street view . The inside is well clean and has the amenities All good
• Fleur (7/5): Fine for one night stay - Great location, close to the airport. Good for one night stay if you need to catch a flight or ferry the next morning. I could smell the food that was made or being made in the kitchen downstairs in my room, but otherwise the hostel / room is fair for what you pay.
• Daniele (8/5): Very good -
• Tommaso (9/5): Superb - Unfortunately my room was too small to be comfortable, on the other hand the staff was really helpful and genuine. I would go back and choose a double room perhaps, but I would definitely go back. The area is a bit noisy from the early hours of the day.
• Olivia (10/5): Great place to stay in Puerto Princesa - The property was perfect. Ran by the most lovely lady and her family. The property was clean and had everything which was needed. AC and fans in the rooms, shared bathrooms which were always super clean, a nice downstairs chill area and really good wifi. They were so accommodating with my late flight, allowing me to use the shower and lounge area until I had to leave in the evening late for the airport. I can’t fault it :)
• Dimitra (8/5): Very good -
• Ahmet (10/5): Exceptional -
• Kevin (10/5): March 2023 - The hotel is well situated, walking distance to airport and downtown. It is a very clean facility that is constantly cared for by the welcoming staff. Rooms are a bit small but fine for a few nights stay. The staff are very helpful in arranging tours or transportation. Good value for your money. All good
• Aphra (9/5): Superb -
• Dose (10/5): Home away from home - The staff is amazing, so kind, friendly and helpful. Also the rooms & breakfast are good :)
• Abigail (5/5): Get what you pay for. - Staff were helpful and friendly. Good location. Room was very very small. Had to step on our bags just to get out the door. No window also meant it felt quite claustrophobic.
• Mj (10/5): Exceptional -
• Gregory (9/5): Superb -
• Kyle (10/5): Great - The staff here were amazing, helped us book everything last minute at the same rate as everywhere in town. The place itself was always clean, the room was small but big enough for the 2 of us. Aircon and wifi worked well throughout the stay. Walkable distance from the airport, took us about 15 minutes The only negative I can think of is no hot water
• Anujin (8/5): Very good - It was small but clean room. Staff were friendly and helpful. Only 15min walk from airport and 5 min walk from big mall. Only thing was even if there were aircon and fan room was humid and hot.
• Marcin (7/5): Good - Super friendly staff :)
• William (9/5): Friendly staff and nice stay - Really friendly and helpful staff, convenient location near the airport, really clean We were only staying one night but there didn’t seem like there was much nearby
• Guillaume (8/5): Very good - Service exceptionnel A bit small the room but the rest were really good
• Guillaume (8/5): Very good -
• Pénélope (9/5): Superb - Very very clean. The lady helped us book the underground ricer tour and our van transport to port barton for good prices. Small room. Only 2 bathrooms to share, which are often occupied in the mornings and nights.
• Adrian (10/5): Cozy and cute! -
• Sebastian (9/5): Superb - Christine is such a good person, she helped me out and is very kind. Don't expect too much from the room. For one night to overstay it's more than okay
• * (10/5): Exceptional - Everything. The owner and her family are very welcoming and kind people. Had lovely conversations with the owner. Hostel/Room are very clean and the bed is very confortable. There is an AC in the Room. Fresh drinking water and nice kitchen/Common area. Near local markets/shops and the atmosphere in the hostel is also great. Stayed an extra night :) Would definitly recommend! nothing.
• Georgina (10/5): Big comfy bed and a very reasonable price -
• Alexander (8/5): Very good -
• Czyki (10/5): Best hostel in Palawan - Friendly family. Location really good. Definitely you will feel like at home.
• Czyki (10/5): Exceptional - Amazing place, so friendly people, so cleaned place good location and owner the best I've ever met. Really recommend stay in this place.
• Vico (10/5): Very clean place - I stayed there twice, cristine was such a big help while I was there. Very clean place near the airport and the malls. They also offer coffee and cristine will cook for you. I’ll definitely stay there again! 5 stars
• Joel (8/5): Very good -
• Thijs (9/5): Superb -
• Samuel (10/5): a great spot in Puerto Princesa. Very friendly staff. -
• India (8/5): Very good - small but the lady is so nice !!
• Alexandra (9/5): nice stopover in puerto princesa - had a good stay here for 2 nights, staff was very friendly and I basically had everything you need. free water, good AC, it was very clean, location was good to move from A to B and there’s an amazing vegan restaurant ‘Ver De’ just 2 min away. the room was sooo small and without window that I felt a bit claustrophobic and for almost 20€ a night quite a lot. the use of the kitchen is 50P per use, but the owner was so nice to give us some plates and knife just like that. and on our first day/evening the water didn’t work so you couldn’t take a shower. but this can happen so it’s not a minus point :)
• Ed (10/5): Exceptional -
• Sho (10/5): Exceptional - I liked the host, she was so kind. It felt like I was in my family home.
• Sho (10/5): Staying in beautiful hostel like you are at your family! - The host is the best, she treats you like her family. The place is good value and beautiful. Christine Thankyou so much.

Photos