Little Mermaid Dive Resort

You come here for an island stay with diving at its centre, not for a sealed-off resort bubble. Little Mermaid Dive Resort sits on Malapascua Island, a relaxed, car-free corner of the Philippines where the sea, the beach and the dive shop all belong to the daily routine. The resort's website is available in English, which is useful when you are arranging the practical side of a dive trip from abroad.

The mood is easy-going rather than formal. You can spend the morning underwater, walk back to the resort, and let the afternoon drift between the beach, the garden and the open-air bar. Bounty Beach is directly in front, while a terrace, outdoor furniture and a garden give you somewhere to sit when you have had enough sand for one day.

This is a sensible choice if you want the dive operation close at hand, meals on site and a beach location without the polished, anonymous feel of a large international hotel. Couples have the sea-view room for a quieter two-person stay; families can use the larger family room, which accommodates three.

The resort is on Malapascua Island, in Daan Bantayan on the northern end of Cebu, Philippines. It faces Bounty Beach directly, with white sand between the resort and the water. Logon Beach is about 300 metres away, close enough for a second shoreline when you fancy a change of scene.

Malapascua is a small island without cars, so life here moves at walking pace rather than transfer-van pace. A café is about 150 metres away, and several restaurants sit within roughly 150 to 200 metres. That gives you a few nearby alternatives for a coffee, a drink or dinner without turning the evening into an expedition.

Reaching the island takes some planning. From Cebu City, the route to Maya Port takes around five hours by bus or minivan, followed by a public boat of roughly 30 to 45 minutes. The last public boats leave around 17:00. Maya Seaport is about a 30-minute boat ride from the island, while the drive from Cebu International Airport takes around three hours before the boat crossing.

The rooms are bright and airy, with air conditioning for the useful part of the day: the moment you return warm, salty and ready to stop being heroic. Every room has a private bathroom with a cold and heated shower, a wardrobe or closet, linen and a safe. Daily housekeeping keeps the practical side of the stay moving without asking you to think about it.

For a couple, the King Room with Sea View is the obvious choice when the view matters more than having extra floor space. The Family Room is the more practical option for three people, with room for a larger group and the usual collection of bags that somehow multiplies on a diving holiday. The garden-view room suits two people looking for a straightforward base rather than a room built around the panorama.

There is free Wi-Fi throughout the resort, along with air conditioning, a clothes rack and a socket near the bed. Non-smoking rooms are available. The room cards below give you the exact dimensions, bed arrangements and occupancy for each category; the useful distinction here is whether you want sea view, garden view or the extra flexibility of the family layout.

The on-site restaurant works across Asian, Filipino and European cooking, so you are not locked into one style of dinner for the length of your stay. Its more distinctive choices include freshly prepared sandwiches and baguettes, chicken fajitas, desserts and seafood supplied with freshly caught fish on most days. Halal food can be prepared on request, and special-diet menus are available on request.

There are two restaurants at the resort, while the named Little Mermaid Bar and Restaurant provides the open-air setting described for the main dining operation. Breakfast arrangements are not set out as a separate service, so it is worth checking the meal plan attached to your chosen stay rather than assuming that the first meal of the day is included. Packed lunches are available when the day's outing starts before your appetite does.

One bar handles the evening drinks: cocktails, beer, fresh fruit juice and a wider choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Happy hour runs with the sunset, best enjoyed from a beanbag in the lounge area. It is a straightforward post-dive ritual: shoes off, drink in hand, and no need to move again until dinner.

The beach is the main piece of leisure infrastructure here, and it is directly outside. Sun loungers and beach chairs with sun umbrellas give you somewhere to settle with a book, a drink or the particular blank stare that follows a long day underwater. The garden and terrace add a little distance from the sand without taking you away from the coast.

For a more active day away from the dive schedule, the resort can arrange snorkelling, kayaking, island hopping and trips around Malapascua. Local village visits are also available, along with hiking and cliff jumping for those who prefer their relaxation with a little more commitment. Sightseeing tours are handled through the tour desk.

Massage is available in several forms, including full-body, back, neck, head, hand, foot and couples massage. There is no need to turn the afternoon into a programme: a swim or paddle, a walk through the village and a massage can fill the hours without requiring a timetable. At sunset, the bar's happy hour gives the day a simple closing act.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 22:00, and check-out from 11:30 to 12:30. Private check-in and check-out are available. An airport shuttle can be arranged, and the resort also organises private transfers from an airport or hotel in Cebu, combining a car or van with a private boat directly to the resort. Arrange the crossing with the hotel, particularly if you arrive late in the day and public boat departures are no longer running.

The resort accepts cash in Philippine pesos, US dollars and euros, as well as credit cards, PayPal, GCash and bank transfer. Card and PayPal payments carry a surcharge. A refundable cash damage deposit is collected on arrival and returned at check-out after the property has been inspected.

Children of all ages are welcome. Extra beds can be requested for children aged seven to twelve and for guests aged thirteen or over, subject to the room category and availability; children aged thirteen and above are charged as adults. Cots are not available. Laundry, currency exchange, babysitting and daily housekeeping are also available, while pets are not permitted.