Dive Solana Resort - The heart of Solana - Solana Sentro. I don’t dive but for R & R, a real no brainer holiday. A dive resort not just for Divers!! by Diana Limjoco

Visit their website at www.divesolana.com
E-mail: solanabezo@gmail.com
Cell: +63917.300.1086
San Teodoro, Mabini, Batangas

Seeing is definitely believing. Don’t let the last leg of the road deter you from visiting this amazing high end dive and beach resort treasure.

When we visited Solana Resort at the tip of Mabini, Batangas, technically in San Teodoro, but still referred to as Anilao, I was told by others that the resorts at Anilao weren’t that upscale and to not expect much in comfort. (uhh ohh, I’m a spoiled Filipina princess, but wait, I was told that Bea Zobel, Jr. a lady of fine breeding, was a partner, so I had high hopes.) Arriving in the middle of the night over the last leg of the journey on a dirt road filled with pot holes, didn’t do much to reassure me either.

When we finally found it, I was tired and cranky. With my cell phone in hand, I was able to call the resort and alert them that we were approaching, so by the time we got there they had a porter to greet us and carry our bags. 1 star for that at 1 am. This at least, helped my anxiety, especially since we had to climb down a set of steep and winding stairs that felt like a hundred and one steps in my condition, albeit they were well lit. We were later told that the place we parked is where the cars are left, and if you arrive at a reasonable hour, they usually send a driver to fetch you there to take you a less steep walking path to Solana.

At the bottom of the steps, my mind was immediately set at ease by a lovely native Filipino/Spanish style cottage they called Solana Sentro(click that link to see what I am talking about!) where a smiling female clerk greeted us with a bright smile that lit up the dark night for me..

This resort was the surprise of the year for us. It exuded warmth and relaxation, each path dotted with ceramic bowls filled with tropical flowers floating on the surface, how lovely!

We had a Hillside Cottage, #8 (my lucky number), which had two double beds and one single,  A close knit family would find this room comforting and fun, like a pajama party at the beach. It was clean well lit , had air con, the bedspreads were pristine white and hand embroidered, decorative mosquito net hoods adorned the headboards.... oh my... so far so good!! Even better, hot water on demand in a pristine white tile bathroom with a hand woven shower curtain... and more practical native touches, a hand woven basket that perfectly fitted an extra roll of toilet paper! Wow! (in the Philippines toilet paper is like gold at most everyday native places), oh the whole room is adorned and decorated with lovely and practical native made objects... oh this gets  better and better.  Feeling once again comforted and relaxed, I took a nice hot shower and hit the sack.

When I woke up, with the curtains drawn, the early morning light seeped into my brain, and my open eyes beheld a green lush scene just outside my verandah!! Oh goodie! Another day of adventure at Solana. I spent the day grazing at the Dining hut, helping myself to coffee in between, lounging around in the Medication Hut reading the great assortment of magazines available at the Central building called Solana Sentro just next door.

Bottom line: If you are on a tight budget..don’t go to Solana. If you want to get up, and not even think about what you want to eat, then Solana’s 3 buffets, with an between afternoon snack called “merienda” then Solana is for you. Considering all that comes with the package, the 3 buffets a day, the sunset cruise with a full pic nic, tea and coffee on demand, the use of the raft, other water vessels etc. it’s a fair deal. There is no need to leave the resort to find amusement elsewhere, unless you are just into discovering other places for the heck of it. There is no need to even carry money with you if you have pre-paid except for tipping at the end of your stay. The only disadvantage I can see, is that they only take Master-card at this time to book your stay. We are told they are in the process of creating an online way to pre pay with all the other credit cards soon.

That night after dinner, we were entertained outside the wonderful open Kaldera or Dining Hut with native dances performed by a local Mabini Dance troupe supported by Solana Gen Mgr. Joel Uichico and partner Bea Zobel! Not the typical unenthusiastic schlock. This troupe was animated, well choreographed and performed!

I won’t go into all the details you can find at the www.divesolana.com website. If you are a scuba diver or like to snorkel then they have the equipment you need for an extra use fee.

What I needed was a place visit on the sea, to relax, catch up on reading, be fed and get lots of sleep. That is exactly what I got at Solana, lots of pampering, lots good tasty and healthy food, plenty of rest in a comfortable, safe and tropical environment. They even have a very good in house masseuse who will massage you upstairs at Solana Sentro in a lovely breeze filled private nook. At night we were even entertained by the local dancer troupe at least once per visit.

They have a sunset cruise along with a full pic nic packed up for you to the native boat they use which is also included in the resort.

The staff are very friendly and unobtrusive. They could do with a little bit more attentiveness to dishes being removed, but many guests are there to dive and after a dive, just having food already prepared seemed to make everyone else happy. (let’s not forget I’m a spoiled brat.) This however, will not deter me from visiting Solana again and recommending it to my friends.

Joel Uichico and Bea Zobel Jr. Proprietors of Solana Resort.

Bea has impecable taste in placing well made native decor and utensils at the resort. They both support and mentor the Mabini Dance troupe which performs at the resort on occassion.