Pura Vida Beach & Dive Resort

I made a trip to the Philippines for my son's wedding. I was referred to Pura Vida by my new daughter in law who grew up in the area. Of the five resorts that I checked out online, this was by far the most appealing property for many reasons. I can honestly say that the entire visit was one of the most pleasant and wonderful experiences I have ever had. Having such a wonderful place to stay made my time with my son and his wife that much more special. And my daughter in law knows many of the staff. They all made me feel like family. I spent 16 days enjoying the Bird's Nest Suite, which was roomy, comfortable, clean, cool, and overall just great. I could not have been happier with the staff and the care I received from them all. They all treated me like family; from the restaurant, bar, office, and housekeeping... Everyone was so sweet and pleasant. The breakfasts included with my stay were good and plentiful. The other meals I ate at the resort were plentiful and good. My room was up 2 flights of stairs (good exercise) with a lovely view of the property and view through the trees of the beach. The propery and pools are lovely and so well maintained. Even all the property maintenance staff were friendly, always greeting me. I had a wonderful massage at the spa one afternoon. My home is in northern Nevada in the USA. I traveled about 30 some hours to get to the Philippines. Having such a beautiful, relaxing place to stay made my visit a joy! Thank you, Jovey, to you and your wonderful team for everything. I really hope to be back before too long.

Great resort , beautiful beach for diving and snorkelling or just for a morning stroll before breakfast. Very relaxing and all staff are great very professional!!! Has a great restaurant, pools and spa . Big shout out to the owners Juvy and Chris , thank you for taking care of us!

Five Stars go to the Pura Vida resort, and its superb dive center, Sea-Explorers. I stayed at Pura Vida for three days and immediately forgot about the mad and crazy world that we live in. The resort has beautifully manicured grounds with a very welcoming and friendly staff. It is a Beach Front property with a great chill feel to it. My room, Pygmy room, was a stone’s throw away from the sea, presenting a stunning view in the early morning and throughout the day. The dive center is well equipped, and very efficient. All the staff are friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. A big shout out goes to, Erwin, who was my dive instructor. I completed my advanced open water dive certification in two days. Erwin was extremely thorough, conscientious, and safe. I always felt comfortable diving with him, and even though I have been diving for over 30 years, I ended up learning some valuable tips. If you are looking for a fabulous and relaxing resort with a competent and friendly dive instructor(Erwin), look no further than Pura Vida. Claude

the stay at Pura Vida was amazing. Large, clean rooms with a cozy veranda, super warm and extremely friendly staff! The food was delicious too, we would come back anytime. Never has a dive center been so close and super professional.

The villa was good for all five of us. There was only one bathroom though for all of us. We had to request to cover one area because there was no curtain. The food was okay but needs tweaking. For the price of the villa, we expected better food. But the staff, everyone was so nice and friendly that we forgot the cons of this place. We love them all especially Dario! Dario made our restaurant experience even better. I wish they would wake the beach so we don’t have to all through rocks to the beach.

This August was our fourth visit to Pura Vida and it was awry to be back again. The staff were brilliant and so friendly and welcoming. Some of them we know from previous visits and some new top…Jessie in the kit store, MJ in the restaurant, Garry on the boat crew, Damon, Jan-Jan, Gio, Eric Carlos, Dianna, Clarissa, Elvira, Ella, the dive shop team, Kevin, the cleaning staff etc etc. They all made us feel well looked after and the service and care was outstanding. The diving here is awesome. The guides and boat crew are highly competent and take an amazing amount of care to give guests the best possible experience. The dive operation is every bit deserving of the high level rating it receives. The new restaurant isn’t as intimate as the divers bar but the food is great and has really improved. The kitchen was happy to modify choices to accommodate my wife’s vegetarian diet. As my only slight criticism it would be great to see more simple and fresh barbecued fish. Our room, right on the beach, faced the stunning sunrise and just a few metres from the sea. Idyllic. Quiet and calm. We’ve had a fantastic time. Planning to come for Christmas 2024.

Pura Vida is a beautiful property perfectly set up for a dive vacation. Rooms are comfortable and steps from the on-site dive operator Sea Explorers. Staff is very friendly and accommodating. Food was very good and not expensive when compared to home or other destinations we have been to. Would highly recommend.

A very nice place. We were satisfied with our stay at the resort.

Great resort, second visit (2017 & 23), resort has grown a little with the addition of new pool and bar area along with larger restaurant. Service and staff still very good, helpful and friendly. Room particularly spacious, comfortable shower area excellent Food choice excellent, buffet breakfast works well particularly for morning dives Happy hour at the old beach bar still there and well appreciated ! Muck diving (small stuff) isn't for everyone, but the dive guides work well to spot the unusual, trip out to Apo Island worth going, but visibility down a little on last visit (currents time of year etc) Thank you for another great week