Sunbird Cottages & Blue Bamboo Restaurant, Sabang, Palawan, Philippines

Inquiries:

Sunbird Cottages did not have a website at the time of writing, but you should visit Hotels.com for the best deals on other accommodations in Sabang, Palawan, Philippines.

Location:

The cottages are located on the left side of the Tourist Information & Assistance Center at the pier; or, in other words, on the side of the pier where there is no beach. Specifically, the cottages are located a few minutes walk down a rocky path away from the Tourist Information & Assistance Center. We had mixed feelings about the location because we didn't like that the cottages were relatively far from the main road, the jeepney terminal and most food places in Sabang, but liked that it was much quieter here than at the places located at the beach. The establishments is still located near the water, probably closer to it than the establishments on the beach, but the only problem here is that the seashore is rocky and too dangerous for swimming. At the time of our stay, the accommodations located on this side of the pier did not receive electricity from the town's generator so they had to have their own generator in order to have electricity.

Room Comfort:

We stayed in the bungalow located at the front of the resort. Although this was the more expensive cottages the resort offered, it was worth the additional costs as it was very nice. The bungalow was very spacious and had 2 large double beds, a large porch with a hammock and very nice local decorations. The en-suite bathroom was also very nice and spacious but did not have much water pressure or any hot water. We stayed at three different cottages in Sabang and looked at most of the ones in the area and can testify that this one was the best from the available choices in its price range. This establishment has smaller, cheaper and more basic bungalows at the back of its property, if you don't want to spend the few hundred extra Pesos on this bungalow.

Cleanliness:

The bungalows were clean. The mosquito nets over the bed were a bit dusty and worn, but overall the bungalow and restaurant were clean.

Service:

The owners were friendly and nice. In fact, the owner helped carry one of our backpacks from another cottage located across town. It was really nice of him to help us as it was a good 20-25 minute walk and the bag wasn't light. We didn't particularly like that the owners neglected to tell us that their generator was broken and they didn't have electricity at the time of our stay, but we we didn't really require it anyway. Other than that, they were friendly and honest.

Food:

We tried eating at their restaurant but unfortunately they were out of stock on most items so we opted to eat elsewhere.

Overall Value:

As mentioned, this is one of the better options in Sabang. We really liked the bungalow we stayed in. It was well maintained, beautifully decorated, spacious and clean. Most places in Sabang are small, rundown and questionably clean. Although it was slightly more expensive than other places in Sabang, it was still cheap and a good value. It would have been better if this place was located closer to the beach, but it's not that far so it's more of an inconvenience than anything else. A 10-minute walk gets you to the beach.

Other Notes:

• Sabang has a beautiful beach that is rarely visited by tourist. In fact, we spent a couple of days on the beach here and were one of only a handful of people on it. Sabang is mainly visited as a day trip from Puerto Princesa for the Underground River tour, which is a shame because it's a nice area to explore for a few days.
• Sabang has a locally run mangrove tour that's worth going to. The local tour guides are quite informative. It's a nice and relaxing way to spend a couple of hours learning about the importance and significance of mangroves in the area and the Philippines, as well as see local wildlife, especially snakes, lizards and birds.

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