Aliya Surf Resort

This beachfront property offers great value for money. The rooms are relatively small but the bathroom is surprisingly spacious. The place is well-kept and clean. They offer free breakfast with decent variety. Main entree - beef tapa, longganisa, pork tocino and bangus - were all a bit dry and need to be improved; but they are supplemented by diff items per day - congee, champorado, crab and corn soup, ensaymada, suman, etc. - which were all good. The live performer on acoustics guitar at night is very good and provided great entertainment from 8–10pm. But sound-proofing is not good, so even though we stayed at the opposite end of the resort, we could still hear the music from the room. If you have little ones who need to go to bed before 10pm, you may need to consider this. The best part of staying at this beachfront property is that it allows guests to enjoy the sunrise either at the veranda on the second floor or by the infinity pool or by the shore. Surf instructors are effective - Aliya is allegedly the first to offer surfing lessons in Baler. Within an hour, most people learn to get up on the board and glide to shore. This is a highly recommended facility for those looking for a great-value venue. All the best restaurants are also around this area. Oh, one of the highlights of the trip was the ATV ride by the river trail (separate review), and if you are a guest at the Aliya, you get a 10% discount. That’s another great-value-for-money deal!

The only good thing about this resort is the surf instructors. 10/10 The resort however, we specifically requested for a room with a strong internet connection because we were bringing our work and needed internet for it. Upon checking in, we were told that our room got "upgraded". We were given a room that was a dead spot for internet. No wifi whatsoever. The TV didnt work at all so there was nothing. The sink in the bathroom got clogged often too. The food in the resto is Meh and offers nothing different than what is available in the other restos. As mentioned above, the only saving grace are the surf instructors. Avoid Aliya surf camp resort like the plague. Just approach the surfing instructors for surfing. They will accept you even if you arent checked in the resort.

Rooms stinks Advised front desk for bad smell inside the room, they quickly offered us a different room. Odour were not noticable at first, but not for long. Maintainance team should take a look at cleaning/servicing their AC system. Internet connection or the lack of it Both rooms had the same connection issue. Even the young ones aren't enjoying, when mostly buffering dots is all that there is in the tv screen.

This hotel was perfect. And I rarely say that. But it is an oasis of kindness, good food, and amazing staff who go out of their way to make sure you are taken care of. It's right on the beach with an infinity edge pool, restaurant, and bar. The rooms are comfortable, clean and have everything you need to enjoy your stay. The hotel is situated around a little green area in the middle that they turn into a seating area at night when they break out the barbeque. And it has a great little surf school right next store that has wonderful trainers for newbies' like me. The best part of this hotel though is Rebecca the manager. She is so amazing she could easily be managing a billion-dollar resort in Las Vegas, but she loves Baler and the Aliyah Resort, so she stays to bring top notch service and lead her staff. Rebecca always made sure I was taken care of. She greeted me every day with a smile, answered all my questions, made any arrangement for any needs I had and always made me feel like I was her only guest even though it was obvious that the hotel was sold out and bustling with activity. This is my home away from home and I can't wait to go back. After traveling across more than sixty countries over the last five years I finally found a place I want to retire and call home. Thanks again Rebecca. I can't wait to come back and visit again.