My son and I have been scuba diving for about five years and have been on our share of trips--alone and with our local dive shop (East Coast Divers-ECD- in Boston). This year, ECD ran a trip to Atlantis Dumaguete that allowed us to dive for eight days and then, to clear before our flights home, to snorkel with whale sharks. As we headed home, my son and I agreed that this was not only the best dive trip we'd ever been on, but one of the best vacations we have ever taken. Why, you ask? First, the resort is very comfortable and very well-appointed. He and I shared a large, comfortable, bright, and relaxing room. Each day it was impeccably cleaned and ready for us when we returned from a day of diving. Second, the food was amazing. Meals were included and abundant. There was an ala carte breakfast menu. Lunches and Dinners had a daily menu, each with a choice of one of two starters, four entrees (including one vegetarian), and a dessert. Everyone in our group raved about every meal and people started asking for bites of the items they didn't order. And, if that wasn't enough, the kitchen staff was willing to make special orders. The bartender had a great repertoire as well as a daily drink special. My son could not get his fill of smoothies. And between dives, we were offered cookies or fresh fruit. Third, the staff was amazing. By the second day, everyone from the front desk to the wait staff, the dive masters and boat captains, groundskeepers, and everyone else seemed to know my name. I couldn't walk from my room to the restaurant without hearing "Hello John!" at least three times. And the wait staff--especially Rachel and Annie--got to know me well enough that they almost didn't have to ask what I wanted (no starter or dessert, vegetarian option with no mushrooms or eggplant). Albert, the restaurant manager, ran an amazingly efficient operation and was always available to ensure meals were a great experience. Fourth, the diving was first-rate. Five dives a day were included--with nitrox for free. They went out at 8:00, 10:30, 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00 (night dive). Most were short boat rides up or down the local shoreline, and all were fantastic. Frogfish, seahorses, octopuses, blue spotted stingrays, hawksbill turtles, flamboyant cuttlefish, and countless other amazing sea creatures were on nearly every dive. The night dives were great and the optional fluorescent dive was interesting, but the blackwater dive (diving in the open ocean in the cone of light provided by dangling lights below a floating bouy) was a singular experience. The three-dive excursion to Apo Island was great as was the dive at the local underwater hot spring. Fifth, the dive guides were there for us. There were two dive guides per boat and each seemed to be assigned to a small group of divers (or they adopted us after our first dive). Warfi and Jason handled our boat with eight divers. My son and I, together with a father-daughter pair, dived nearly every one of the 36 dive
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