Probably the best dive resort around Dumaguete Fifteen-villa high standard PADI 5* dive resort owned by British-Canadian couple and under the management of a British-Taiwanese couple. … read moreFifteen-villa high standard PADI 5* dive resort owned by British-Canadian couple and under the management of a British-Taiwanese couple. We stayed there for 12 days in early November. The resort is eco-friendly, e.g. you cannot buy drinking / mineral water or soft drinks in plastic bottles, so you have to buy aluminium bottles with the resort logo and then you can fill them up (for free) from a dispenser near the bar. Also eating your own meals bought outside the resort in rooms is prohibited. Breakfasts are served in the restaurant while lunches and dinners in the bar next to the pool (all meals a'la carte). Rented equipment is in excellent condition and cost 700 php daily. However, if you want to use the same set during your entire stay, you have to pay extra 300 php daily. Otherwise you will get different equipment every day. As the resort is Padi 5 * you can do a lot of training and courses during your stay. The Wi-Fi is rather average, the best in a common area, but in the rooms rather weak or almost no internet at all (room no 14). The villas are comfortable, however, during heavy rain at night our floor was a bit flooded. The room was clean, cleaned daily. The towels were changed daily or on request. The number of sockets in the room for charging cameras, torches etc. is insufficient. Tip: it's good to have… Fifteen-villa high standard PADI 5* dive resort owned by British-Canadian couple and under the management of a British-Taiwanese couple.
We stayed there for 12 days in early November.
The resort is eco-friendly, e.g. you cannot buy drinking / mineral water or soft drinks in plastic bottles, so you have to buy aluminium bottles with the resort logo and then you can fill them up (for free) from a dispenser near the bar. Also eating your own meals bought outside the resort in rooms is prohibited. Breakfasts are served in the restaurant while lunches and dinners in the bar next to the pool (all meals a’la carte).
Rented equipment is in excellent condition and cost 700 php daily. However, if you want to use the same set during your entire stay, you have to pay extra 300 php daily. Otherwise you will get different equipment every day.
As the resort is Padi 5 * you can do a lot of training and courses during your stay.
The Wi-Fi is rather average, the best in a common area, but in the rooms rather weak or almost no internet at all (room no 14).
The villas are comfortable, however, during heavy rain at night our floor was a bit flooded. The room was clean, cleaned daily. The towels were changed daily or on request. The number of sockets in the room for charging cameras, torches etc. is insufficient. Tip: it’s good to have your own extension cord with splitter.
Despite the fact that the resort is considered to be a paradise for muck divers, there was no camera room in the resort, and the boat was not equipped with a water-filled container to keep the camera in between the dives.
The engine of the only boat in the resort refused to work twice during our stay, so the plans and the location of the dives were quickly changed on the spot and we went to other places by jeep. It took some time to arrange everything since we were already on the boat transferred there by a small boat called ‘taxi’. It is necessary because of the very rocky seabed.
A big advantage during our stay was that during the entire stay we did not even hear a compressor for charging cylinders. All the staff were very professional, helpful and kind. The resort is safe and very well guarded 24/7.
After a dive you could have a nice time by the pool or in the bar chatting with other guests.
I heartily recommend the place to all divers and non-divers with families as well.

Thank you all for the great 12 days spent with you.

Special thanks to Rhanda (our dive guide during entire stay) for excellent care under water

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. More read less

Great staff, chill vibe, fantastic diving Extremely friendly and helpful staff! Great food and overall nice setting of the resort with a chill atmosphere in the… read moreExtremely friendly and helpful staff! Great food and overall nice setting of the resort with a chill atmosphere in the bar and pool area. The diving team is fantastic, very knowledgeable, safe, fun and great spotters of the small creatures hiding in Dauin’s coast. read less

Great experience on two TDI tech courses and a well managed resort all round I came to know of Liquid whilst doing research into dive centres that offer TDI certifications in the Philippines. I… read moreI came to know of Liquid whilst doing research into dive centres that offer TDI certifications in the Philippines. I contacted the resort a few months before arrival, enquiring about the TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses offered and Jim, the resort manager took the time to reply promptly and fully with answers to all of my questions. This might not sound like much but things like this matter a whole lot when thinking about making a move into tech diving as you need to understand what you’re getting yourself into. Not many dive centres I’ve contacted in the past have bothered to send much beyond a half assed reply so this was a big thumbs up immediately. Jim was also my instructor for the courses (this wasn’t a surprise – I’d looked him up beforehand) and I couldn't have been happier with him. Throughout the course, he was extremely approachable, knowledgeable and patient throughout my time there and he never hesitated to go above and beyond expectations. You leave with a clear impression that he is passionate about what he teaches and is keen to stay on top of the latest best practice and changes in the tech diving industry. This means that whilst he makes his feelings clear about not jumping on bandwagons, he will still adopt change where it makes sense to from the point of view of safety and practicality – an attitude that he… I came to know of Liquid whilst doing research into dive centres that offer TDI certifications in the Philippines. I contacted the resort a few months before arrival, enquiring about the TDI Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Procedures courses offered and Jim, the resort manager took the time to reply promptly and fully with answers to all of my questions. This might not sound like much but things like this matter a whole lot when thinking about making a move into tech diving as you need to understand what you’re getting yourself into. Not many dive centres I’ve contacted in the past have bothered to send much beyond a half assed reply so this was a big thumbs up immediately.

Jim was also my instructor for the courses (this wasn’t a surprise – I’d looked him up beforehand) and I couldn’t have been happier with him. Throughout the course, he was extremely approachable, knowledgeable and patient throughout my time there and he never hesitated to go above and beyond expectations. You leave with a clear impression that he is passionate about what he teaches and is keen to stay on top of the latest best practice and changes in the tech diving industry. This means that whilst he makes his feelings clear about not jumping on bandwagons, he will still adopt change where it makes sense to from the point of view of safety and practicality – an attitude that he encourages his students to take with them once they part ways with him at the end of the course.

Jim always advocates the principle of Knowledgeable Thinking Diver throughout the course and you can see that this isn’t just a mindless mantra he says to tick a TDI box somewhere. He is passionate about making better divers and the concept of Knowledgeable Thinking Diver is key to that.

So Jim aside, my experience of the rest of the staff at the resort was that they are attentive, helpful, kind and welcoming.

For example, I brought a full set of my own recreational diving gear with me. After my first dive with doubles and a AL80 deco cylinder however, I quickly realised that my fins were far too positively buoyant for the extra weight of gear. Jim kindly spoke to Tom, another Liquid member of staff and he immediately offered to lend me his personal set of jet fins for the rest of the course. Without this kind offer, I would have had to likely go and buy a new set of fins at the local dive shop (which is very expensive!).

The rest of the resort is kept at a very high standard at all times and is quite frankly beautiful. So much so that after six days at Mikes Dauin Resort (a good place to stay in and of itself!), I decided to move to Liquid. A look through some of the pictures that others have taken of the sea view from the rooms at Liquid should explain why!

The accommodation is quiet, clean and idyllic. Going to sleep and waking up to the sound of nothing but the waves made for great starts and ends to each day and the compressor room is on the complete opposite side of the resort so there’s absolutely no noise from there either.

I could go on but it’d ultimately it’d just be more of the same – me just going on about how great my experience was. I’ll sign off by saying thanks to Jim, Michelle and Tom; I’ll be sure to return next year to get a few more tech fun dives under my belt! More read less

Great dive and relax Even if you are not a diver, while staying in Liquid you can really feel like on holiday since all… read moreEven if you are not a diver, while staying in Liquid you can really feel like on holiday since all fifteen bungalows are surrounded by a beautiful, carefully maintained garden which extends down to the rocky beach. On the premises there are two clean swimming pools (a smaller one for divers to train and a bigger one with sunbeds and umbrellas for leisure), a bar, a restaurant and a small shop with some necessities and souvenirs. In addition to being five star PADI resort they are also an instructor development centre, which means there are a few instructors employed on a regular basis and many courses are organised. They also have two dive masters and a few more dive guides. Dive equipment they offer to rent is in good condition. Yet, be prepared to pay extra money if you want to have the same set within all your diving days. Most dives are from the boat and they own one. But whenever the boat is out of order (it happened twice while we were there), divers are taken by a jeepney to other divesites accessible from shore. As far as divesites are concerned, you can find both great muck dives and places to see some bigger staff (e.g. Apo Island). The room was quite spacious, well lit and air-conditioned, with a big bed, small fridge and a flat TV. However, I would be happy to exchange the TV (we didn't… Even if you are not a diver, while staying in Liquid you can really feel like on holiday since all fifteen bungalows are surrounded by a beautiful, carefully maintained garden which extends down to the rocky beach. On the premises there are two clean swimming pools (a smaller one for divers to train and a bigger one with sunbeds and umbrellas for leisure), a bar, a restaurant and a small shop with some necessities and souvenirs.
In addition to being five star PADI resort they are also an instructor development centre, which means there are a few instructors employed on a regular basis and many courses are organised. They also have two dive masters and a few more dive guides. Dive equipment they offer to rent is in good condition. Yet, be prepared to pay extra money if you want to have the same set within all your diving days. Most dives are from the boat and they own one. But whenever the boat is out of order (it happened twice while we were there), divers are taken by a jeepney to other divesites accessible from shore. As far as divesites are concerned, you can find both great muck dives and places to see some bigger staff (e.g. Apo Island).
The room was quite spacious, well lit and air-conditioned, with a big bed, small fridge and a flat TV. However, I would be happy to exchange the TV (we didn’t switch it on even once) for a bigger wardrobe or other furniture to keep your clothes and other belongings.
Another inconvenience was lack of wi-fi in the room. The internet is available in the rooms which are close to the bar but in those more distant it doesn’t work and we had to go to the common areas to get access to the Net.
A little bit annoying was also not having any coffee/tea facilities in the room, hence having to go to the bar/restaurant to get it. We were also surprised that it wasn’t free of charge – apart for breakfast you have to pay for every cup of tea or coffee. Drinking water is for free although you have to buy a metal bottle first and then you can refill it without limits.
All the meals are a’la carte so you should come well in advance in the morning to have enough time to order and eat your breakfast and come in time for diving. They serve western and Filipino cuisine as well.
Since there are no shops or diners around, practically you spend all the time in the resort. The nearest eatery (with delicious and cheap local food) is 10-minute walk away but if you want to explore further, you can hire a motorbike at the resort.
All the staff – the dive and boat crew, the restaurant staff, the reception and housekeeping personnel, as well as managers and owners were friendly and willing to help. The manager even let us use his computer to help us buy our flight tickets and he recommended to us a dive resort in Sogod Bay, which proved to be worth it. Oh, and the massage was incredible! . More read less

Great Staff Great Diving We went to Dumaguete to do our OW tickets. We had no plans and went to a couple of different… read moreWe went to Dumaguete to do our OW tickets. We had no plans and went to a couple of different dive reaorts enquiring about courses and accommodation. When arriving at Liquid the staff at the front desk were friendly and helpful and when we started talking about courses Jim came out from the office and spoke to us. He made us feel super comfortable and we knew this is where we would do our OW. He organised a driver to pick us up from where we were staying the next morning. The next day we met our instructor Aronne. An absolutely amazing instructor confident, professional and passionate. She was very thorough, clearly explained the topics and procedures and ensured to answer all questions and queries and we felt safe and comfortable at all times. All other staff and guides are extremely friendly and helpful. Sitting around the bar in the evenings feels like your with family, we made some great friends while at Liquid and highly recommend anyone who gets the chance to stay and dive with Liquid. The diving along the Dauin coast is absolutely amazing and we will be making a return trip.
Jarrod&Sarah.S read less

What an EXPERIENCE! We were scheduled to stay at Liquid Dumaguete 03/14 through 03/21. We arrived on the 14th to be greeted… read moreWe were scheduled to stay at Liquid Dumaguete 03/14 through 03/21. We arrived on the 14th to be greeted promptly at the airport by our van driver. When we arrived at the resort, the check in was quick and a welcome drink was there for us. The rooms are very well laid out and very clean. The staff was amazing and paid attention to every detail. Tom (the manager) kept us up to date with closures and issued that we may experience due to COVID-19. He met us several times each day to provide updates on airport closings and transportation issues. Tom was working with other resort owners to stay abreast of travel situations. On Tuesday, Tom informed us that the local resorts in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Tourism had arranged for us to go to Cebu via a Coast Guard ship and then eventually travel from Cebu to Manila to transfer home before all airports were closed. Tom was amazing in coordination to make sure all his guests made it to Cebu and eventually Manila. We cannot thank him enough. This resort is amazing. The landscaping and groundskeeping are top notch. Everything is so clean and well kept. The food was absolutely delicious. We went diving with them for two days and the dive crew were knowledgeable and attentive. We were scheduled to stay seven nights at Liquid Dumaguete, but were limited to only three nights due… We were scheduled to stay at Liquid Dumaguete 03/14 through 03/21. We arrived on the 14th to be greeted promptly at the airport by our van driver. When we arrived at the resort, the check in was quick and a welcome drink was there for us. The rooms are very well laid out and very clean. The staff was amazing and paid attention to every detail. Tom (the manager) kept us up to date with closures and issued that we may experience due to COVID-19. He met us several times each day to provide updates on airport closings and transportation issues. Tom was working with other resort owners to stay abreast of travel situations. On Tuesday, Tom informed us that the local resorts in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Tourism had arranged for us to go to Cebu via a Coast Guard ship and then eventually travel from Cebu to Manila to transfer home before all airports were closed. Tom was amazing in coordination to make sure all his guests made it to Cebu and eventually Manila. We cannot thank him enough. This resort is amazing. The landscaping and groundskeeping are top notch. Everything is so clean and well kept. The food was absolutely delicious. We went diving with them for two days and the dive crew were knowledgeable and attentive. We were scheduled to stay seven nights at Liquid Dumaguete, but were limited to only three nights due to the virus impact. There is no doubt we will return and will be brining more friends with us. Our stay there was one of the best experiences we have ever had, even though it was cut short. Thanks Tom and the Liquid Dumaguete Crew!. See you soon! More read less