Bambua Nature Cottages and Hostel
Get your trip off to a great start with a stay at this property, which offers car park free of charge. Conveniently situated in the Puerto Princesa part of Palawan, this property puts you close to attractions and interesting dining options. Don't leave before paying a visit to the famous Puerto Princesa Underground River. Massage and restaurant are among the special facilities that will enhance your stay with on-site convenience.
Car park
Restaurants
Tours
Family room
Smoke-free property
Terrace
Fire extinguisher
Non-smoking rooms
Awesome Stay in the 'Jungle' at Bambua”
Had a fantastic but to short stay here on Jan 1-3, 2015. Met at the Puerto Princesa airport by a smiling Rosalie and Andre (owners/operators, speak English, French, German and Tagalog that we heard) they transported us to the Cottages (approx 1.5hrs with a stop at a viewpoint for photos) so that we could settle in. be prepared for a bit of a roller coaster ride, Andre drives like he means it and the road is quite windy. You'll arrive to short climb up the rock walkway and into the main open air hut which has the reception desk, eating area and kitchen. The kitchen is where the magic happens as Rosalie makes some amazing food! She was more than willing to accommodate the vegetarian in our group and made probably the best veggie curry soup we've ever had! we were travelling with 4 people, 2 stayed in a private cottege (queen sized bed, mosquito net, fan, bathroom and shower in the room) while 2 of us stayed in the budget accommodations (single bunk bed, small table and a fan). The Budget accommodations also had a shared area for toilets (2 stalls) and showers (2 stalls). Even with the resort completely booked I never had to wait to use the facilities. Bambua took care of organizing our permits and fees for our tour to the UnderWater River and to the Mangrove Tour, it was all included in the price for our stay. As an added bonus, Manisha (Rosalie and Andre's daughter) accompanied us to the mangrove tour and then showed us the best place to eat and get a massage on the Beach!! For under $100CDN, we got 2 nights accommodation, dinners, breakfasts, Underwater River and Mangrove Forest Tours, transport to and from PP and Andre reserved our bus tickets from PP to El Nido for us. Bambua was a fantastic stay and our group would recommend it to anyone looking for accommodation in Sabang!! cheers, Amy, Erin, Kate and Ali from Canada
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Exceptional”
We stayed in a room with fan. The location is inside a big garden, which is full of trees, flowers, birds, really a paradise. If you come from Puerto Princesa, tell the van driver to drop you at the path to Bambua. They offered only breakfast (which was good - eggs and toasts with butter), otherwise for dinner (and to buy water) you have to go to the Sabang village. The personal was very helpful in organizing our Undreground river tour (we booked one evening and they got us a place the next morning!), and also a Hundred caves transport by tricycle (although there were some confusions about it at first :-) ). The electricity was from noon to midnight, which was OK for us. The shared showers and toilets were a bit run down. The wi-fi is nonexisting (but you would do best to buy a local SIMcard with data anyway, it is cheap). From the path below Bambua, there is a very nice view on the Saint Paul mountain through some rice fields (water buffalo included :-) ).
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Good Accommodation on a Budget”
I like that I have to walk a little bit to get to the cottages. Bambua is near the Underground River pier/booking area and along the main road but with wide/long vacant space leading to the reception area/cottages. You will pass by verdant rice fields on the left, see the nice view of a mountain on the right, and you have to climb a short flight of stairs. The cottages are surrounded with trees and you can hear the sounds made by cicadas and birds frequenting the area. My friend and I booked a double decker bed, with no aircon, for a very good price. Sabang has no electric utility servicing the whole town. All houses/units rely on their own generators. We did not feel uncomfortable as it was cool in the area, and there was an electric fan and lights on from 4:00 P.M. until 12 midnight. I guess one can request for electric service extension for a fee. We did not need such. As we booked a room with shared bathroom, you have to get out of the cottage to get to the toilet, which may bother some. But for the price, I don't really mind. In addition, I got to see the big bats on the tall trees along the property the time that I have to leave our room during night time. I love nature so I like Bambua. Bring a flashlight and your own toiletries as they do not provide soap, toilet paper, toothbrush, etc. I always bring these items whenever I travel so it is not inconvenient for me. The couple-owner, including their kid, and their helpers were very friendly, hospitable and helpful. I will recommend this accommodation for nature-lovers and for those who would like to travel on a budget.
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Wonderful jungle experience ”
This place is amazing! I was 5 days a guest and enjoyed this great jungle place so much. Great and peaceful nature! beautiful trees and flowers, if you are lucky, you can see the jungle animals like beautiful birds, butterflies, geckos, even monkeys or big lizards. You can enjoy great philipino cuisine and there are great possibilities to go around with the owner of Bambua to make amazing tours close to Bambua, there is so much to see around! The beautiful beach is just a 15 minutes walk away! Nature lovers will love this place! Totally recommend this place for a longer stay!
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Quiet and friendly”
The cottages are quite nice, clean and spacious. The surrounding gardens and rice fields are gorgeous. The owner is very friendly and helpful. He tipped us on the best activities around Sabang and organized private airport transfer for a reasonable price. He's very flexible and easy-going. He let us use the kitchen to cook our own dinner and provided with the flashlights for nighttime. I would highly recommend anyone to stay at Bambua.
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Quiet place in the jungle ”
Me and my friend stayed 4 night at the cottage. We didn't find it when we arrived because we followed Google maps. Don't trust it. If you come with a van and say Bambua, he knows where to leave you. On the other hand, it's on the main street, on the right before the petrol station. The room was a private double room with shared bathrooms (toilet and showers, running cold water). It was clean. You have to pay any meal and hot water(30php). We brang tea and coffee and some biscuits. The place its 15minuts away from the beach, not too bad. But when it's dark, there are no lights along the main street. Be sure to bring a torch with you.
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Amazing views!”
Beautiful and natural! Incredible grounds that have obviously been well cared for, in keeping with nature. We arrived late (after dark) and the staff was incredibly helpful with getting us settled. We rented the apartment because there were 3 of us. It's open air and yes, it was hot and humid, but it's what we expected. The rooms were huge, especially the bathroom. We had our own balcony. The beds have mosquito netting, which is great! Upon waking up, the view was amazing! The owner got us tickets to the Subterranean River Tour which was amazing (be prepared, you WILL get wet)! Breakfast was simple but good and very inexpensive. We loved all the birds and animals. We are birders so we were in love with the extensive natural view/grounds and saw Olive Backed Sunbird and Palawan Hornbills among many others. We also saw frogs, snails, butterflies and a tuko (huge gecko). The only drawback was the lack of AC or fan in the apartment. Otherwise it was fantastic!!
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Great for Nature Lovers”
Overall, I would say it was great. Bambua is the right place to stay for those who love nature and prefer a peaceful place. Just some tips: bring a flashlight (make sure it's fully charged), bring extra water and food (stores are around 500 meters from Bambua), arrive early (the earlier the better so you can enjoy most of the day), bring gadgets like tablet or laptop because at night you might get bored because sabang doesn't offer much in the evening(most of the stores close early).
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Nice view and friendly owner”
We really enjoyed staying in bambua nature cottages. Very nice view from our room and very nice people in Palawan. This hotel only used generator for electricity from 6pm to 12am. We didn't really stay in the hotel on day time because we were so busy to our day activities. We added 500 pesos a night to have electricity from 12am till 6am. I think that was the best moved we did while we were there. Water is a bit issue because it wasn't that look clear. I asked the owner and I found out that they are still using deep well water in their area. If you love nature this hotel is the perfect place for you. Very nice people everywhere and very quiet and in the most part, it was really cheap. If you are planning to visit puerto this place is good because it was a walking distance to go in the beach and you can ride a boat in 20 mins and you can be in underground river. We didn't do the package tour. We did walk in ourselves and save 70%. We did four different tour for the price of underground river tour if you purchase it online. Very affordable tour of me and my friends.
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Beautiful and peaceful”
Loved staying at Bambua. The room itself was good and comfortable. We had a shared bathroom which was comfortable enough too. The walk into town took 15 minutes which isn’t bad but bring a head torch if you are planning to stay out late. I saw hornbills there flying over the accommodation when I was walking to the bathroom. Walking up to reception was pretty steep too and if you’ve been walking for a while with backpacks it can get tiring. Overall loved our stay there!
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Wonderful experience for those in tune with nature”
My friend and I really enjoyed our stay at Bambua. The owners are very nice and helpful. We couldn't help but laugh at previous reviews of this hotel. Guests are so dramatic. They complain about the many steps to the entrance, the loud jungle noises, and distance from town. We feel the distance from town is what makes this place feel extra removed from the norm. Of course it's loud in the morning, birds chirp, insects hum. Wear earplugs if that kind of noise bothers you. The rooms (at least twin bunk ones) are built very well. White walls to see if you have any bugs on them. The door has cracks and along it's seam which provide an entry for bus/mosquitos but we really didn't see that this was an issue. The grounds are great to explore. Some of the rooms have quite old fans that are loud when they are turned on. Overall we loved this place and the laid back and chill ambiance it had.
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Great value accomodation!”
Bambua exceeded expectation for me. Though it was basic there was so much character to the property and is set back away from Sabang town in a lovely garden retreat set up. It was peaceful at night, very low key family run set up which we liked and also only a 15 minute walk from the beach. Highly recommend a stay in Sabang - visit the underground caves first thing in the morning and spend the afternoon on its beautiful, scenic beach (which is practically deserted after the hoards of tourists who purely come for the underground river head off in their coaches in the afternoon).
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Amazing stay in the middle of the nature!”
The place is exceptional and will provide you with a unique travel experience. You will stay in the middle of the nature and feel the real "vibe" of Sabang. The room itself was pretty basic but lovely and authentic at the same time. The staff was overwhelming friendly and caring, it really felt like home after some hours. I would recommend this accommodation to anybody who is looking for a truely unique and genuine travel experience. You will not regret it!
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The best accomodation on Palawan”
This was amazing, I didn't expect something so good. Perfect place just behind the city or rather village where it's quiet and closely connected with nature. Price value ratio is just perfect. A lot of things to do around and staff is really kind to help you plan your trip. I highly recommand this place!
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great place to stay close to nature”
the hotel is located very close to the main beach and place where you can take a tour to the underground river- main attraction in sabang.whole area is green, beautifull garden/park around the hotel. the rooms are big and clean. really pretty outdoor bath.due palawans power cuts,no electricity in hotel almost all day. owner and his wife are very nice and helpfull, but there was nobody at the front desk when we were checking out. we were the only people at the hotel at time.
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Top verblijf midden in de jungle”
The Stay was awesome. Its from germans but the guy who is there daily is born in the Filipijnen en is really a good guide. Je tells you the beat stops and fix the best boat for you by the underground river. At night there are a small amount of restaurants in Sabang but you dont need Them because hè is also a great Cook! Lover our Stay and in de morging waking up with apes in the tree and rice fields near to your cottage.
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Be aware of the limitations before booking”
Sabang is an awesome place to visit, but be aware of the limitations of this hotel before booking. The Bambua Nature Cottages are around 30 minutes walk from the beach. Access to the hotel is not easy, involving a walk of around 300 m up a steep stony path, very slippery when wet, you will have to carry all your luggage as there is no porter service and you cannot pull wheeled cases over the cobbles. The room only has electricity (and hence light and a fan)from about 18.00-21.30, the hotel provide a rechargeable torch but you will have to remember to plug it in while the power is on, and provide your own drinking water. When the fan goes off the room temperature will be about 25-30 deg C with high humidity. Spiders, mosquitoes, scorpions and lizards will find their way into the room, insects and birds will make a lot of noise throughout the hours of darkness and the mesh windows will not deaden the sound. The bathroom has a cold water pipe projecting from the wall as the shower. Breakfast is supposedly included but we were only provided it on one day of our stay and it was not very exciting (two slices of bread, a pot of jam infested with ants, a rubber egg fried for at least 10 minutes and a sachet of 3-in-1 coffee). It appeared that the towels and sheets had not been washed since the previous guests' stay. If you want the experience of camping in the jungle but with slightly more comfort then this is the place for you.
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Few nights at Bambua”
Bambua is 15 mins walking from the beach, surrounded by nicely done surroudings. It's remote and quiet with a natural feel. Restaurant is not open, but the staff is friendly and will let you use the kitchen. Rooms are clean, toilets could use keeping up. Good budget option.
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Very quiet, isolated but OK stay”
It was too quiet and there was little to do around Sabang so I stayed only a night...there were few places to eat around...for dinner, I had to settle at this small eatery on the road towards Sabang wharf that served really cheap fried fish and rice...at Bambua I ate breakfast which was really simple, just toast and jam and coffee for about a 100 pesos...iif you're after quiet and isolation, it would be OK to stay here...
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Excellent”
Limited choice of well cooked tasty meals. Peaceful location within walking distance of beach. Helpful and pleasant owner and staff. Basic but enjoyable accomodation close to nature.
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