Tipolo Beach Resort

Panagsama Beach, Moalboal, 6032 Cebu, Philippines
from/per night$25
  • Airport pickup
  • Breakfast
  • Free Wifi
  • Private beach
  • Restaurant
  • Spa


Tipolo is a small and cozy resort right at the heart of Pangasama beach in Moalboal. It offers excellent location, close to everything and just a bit off the main area of nightlife. That way, you can easily get anywhere you want but still go back to your room and enjoy some peace and quiet.

The resort is extremely well maintained and clean, especially its rooms which are simple but elegant. Most importantly, it provides visitors to Moalboal a chance to stay at a prime location for very affordable prices. It’s by far the best budget accommodation in Moalboal, especially if you book a long time in advance.

Our Expert Review


Service [?]

So far we had no complaints about the service there, but reviews online are quite mixed.

Very good

Cleanliness [?]

This resort is very clean and well maintained. The rooms are tidy, and the garden areas gets good attention as well.

Excellent

Rooms [?]

Excellent value for money - probably the best you'll find in Moalboal. Still, WiFi signal is sometimes weak, and AC is also sometimes not cold enough.

Very good

Beach and Pool [?]

No swimming pool but right at the beach front.

Good

Location [?]

In the center of Pangasama and everything is just next to your resort. Can be a bit noisy at nights, but no bars or nightclubs directly next to the hotel.

Very good

Value for Money [?]

Very good rooms and an excellent location for a very reasonable price.

Excellent

Tipolo was established back in 2007 by owner Jochen Hanika, a German who has been living in the Philippines since the early 90s. From there, he also operates his other business, planet action, which offers a multitude of tours throughout the whole Moalboal area. These tours include a variety of canyoneering routes, mountain biking, horseback riding and trekking trails. We work closely with Jochen and can provide substantial discounts for any tour booked through us.

Following Planet Action’s success, many independent tour operator started popping up in Moalboal. Locals who have no experience or understanding of safety are offering the same tours for extremely low rates. That is exactly the reason why we only work with Jochen and why we also wholeheartedly endorse his resort – because we are 100% sure you will get a professional and caring treatment.

If there’s one thing that Tipolo is missing its a swimming pool. It could have been very nice to be able to relax a bit at the pool with a drink. On the plus side, rooms are equipped with both AC and a ceiling fan, free WiFi and a very comfortable bed. All rooms also have a small balcony you can sit at, or you can go to the viewing deck instead. From there, you get a stunning view of the ocean and it’s especially recommended to sit there with a cold beer and watch the sun go down.

So, there are enough ways to relax at Tipolo even without a pool. But honestly, most people who visit Moalboal should find themselves very busy all day long. Apart from the adventure tours offered on site, a multitude of dive clubs are just outside the resort’s doors and will happily take you on diving or island hopping tours. Alternatively, you can always just snorkel and swim at the Tipolo house reef instead.

Do Guests Like Tipolo Resort?

Tipolo is a small and cozy resort, and the owner spends most of his energy promoting the canyoneering tours since that's his passion. That is why they enjoy very limited visibility online, and finding reviews from actual guests is actually quite hard. This hotel isn't even featured on booking.com for example. Our clients also had good things to say, and here's a breakdown of the reviews we found on other sites.

Tripadvisor shows 179 different reviews, out of which only 6% rate it as below average and the overall average rating is 4 out of 5. Guests like the rooms and the value for money this place represents. The restaurant also receives special praise, especially their pizza. Those who had a bad experience complained about the weak AC and the noise from outside.

On Agoda you can only find 54 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7. 100% of the visitors said they would recommend Tipolo to a friend, which is definitely a good sign. Guests praise the rooms, and especially the veranda with the fantastic sea view. Complaints revolve around the attentiveness of staff and overall quality of service.


Generally speaking, guests to Tipolo really enjoy their stay. This place is the best example for value for money accommodation, Here's why:

  • Nice clean rooms with great view to the sea
  • Great location at the heart of Pangasama
  • Fantastic value for money

This resort isn't perfect and it's important to understand exactly what you are going to get. Here's what bothered most guests:

  • Noise from surronding bars and clubs
  • Staff not always helpful
  • Weak WiFi signal inside the rooms


While Tipolo is undoubtedly a beach resort, in all fairness it doesn’t really have a beach like the one you’ll encounter in places like Boracay or even Mactan. Sadly, this is the case with most resorts in Moalboal, especially the ones on Pangasama. You can go take a swim at the nice clean waters, or sit at the viewdeck with a drink – but don’t expect a white sand beach here.

Lastly, there are the resort facilities. While they are certainly nothing luxurious, they do meet the strict standards of quality which reflect with everything this establishment does. The restaurant is one of the best among hotels in Moalboal, and prices are extremely fair. Same goes for the spa service, even though the selection is quite basic, you only pay 6$ per hour and can choose to take it either outside in the garden area or in the comfort of your own room.

All things considered, we would never hesitate to recommend the Tipolo resort to anyone visiting Moalboal. Since this place isn’t famous for luxury all inclusive resorts anyway, it’s better to choose your accommodation with 2 things in mind: value for money and consistency of quality. Tipolo resort excels at both aspects, you always get your more than what you paid for and there’s no chance you will leave disappointed.


Room types

Tipolo Villa Room

The 2 Villa rooms are much newer and better equipped. They both have a flat screen TV with satellite receiver. There is no seaview from these rooms, but they are still located just 25 meters away from the ocean.


Sea Side Room

You can choose between a queen size bed or two single beds, and another single bed can be added upon request. Each room has a nice verana in the middle of the garden, overlooking the ocean.


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