What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Phenomenal Guide Carlo - floating cottages

  matthewgV4848AS,Mar 23, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I just wanted to share how phenomenal Carlo was as our guide. We originally booked the Hidden Valley Springs adventure the day before, and after such an incredible experience with him, I decided to book the Island Hopping & Cottage Tour directly through their team as well. Carlo is extremely knowledgeable, provides outstanding customer service, and is genuinely friendly and engaging. We had great conversations about everything from bands to movies and beyond — he really makes the experience personal. What stood out most is how well he knows the Philippines. Having lived here his entire life, he’s deeply familiar with the culture, regions, and local insights that truly elevate the experience. Everywhere we went, people knew him — it’s clear he’s well respected and connected. Simply put, Carlo is the man. Highly recommend!

  

  

  

  

  

• Unique Journey and Destination

  Navigate10857041408,Mar 19, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  A truly unique and unforgettable experience. Common knowledge goes something along the lines that "it's about the journey and not the destination", this experience offers both the journey and the destination. The destination itself is spectacular and unique. The exquisite scenery whilst floating peacefully, lodged on sandbags is topped only by the authenticity of being amongst locals and snorkeling in crystal clear waters. With locally cuisine prepared for lunch, on the floating cottage, using fresh ingredients the authentic experience is only further enhanced. And whilst the destination is worthwhile, the journey itself would be worth the time. The upside of the slow traffic through the different Cities coming out of Metro Manila and then traversing through some of the other cities and provinces en route, is being able to see "real Philippines" along the journey. The journey enriched by am extremely knowledgeable and friendly and all round good person, Carlo! He listened attentively whilst chatting away and managed to tweak the journey en route to address our specific queries about the culture, people and sites the Philippines has to offer. Truly an experience which is highly recommended. The only reason this rating was not 5 stars is the time at the sandbar does become a bit of "more of the same", but otherwise no complaints whatsoever. Carlo, thank you for an amazing experience!

  

  

  

  

• Wonderful adventure!

  April R,Jan 10, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  The drive is worth the experience! We had a wonderful time. Our guide Mark and our driver Carlo were awesome. Mark provided information and helpful context for us to learn about the culture, people and area. Carlo navigated the streets and traffic like a pro. The floating cottage was so cute and we especially loved snorkeling and seeing the starfish and fish. Food and hospitality were wonderful.

• Super amazing experience

  reema k,Dec 28, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Nauna our guide and noi our driver went above and beyond to make this an amazing experience for us My family loved everything

• Amazing!

  harrisonk543,Dec 9, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Cant fault this experience one bit. Charm was brilliant from prior information about the day to making sure i was having the best time. BBQ lunch was perfect and unexpected and wasn't rushed at any point. Cant fault any of the trip and would 100% recommended to anyone to do

  

• Has potential but would’ve loved more engagement

  421mikaelak,Nov 22, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  My husband and I were really excited for this trip as we had done the Taal Lake Volcano and hidden waterfall YOLO tour earlier in the week, however we left a little disappointed in comparison. While the locations were absolutely stunning and we LOVED being out on the beautiful cove in the water, snorkeling and seeing the starfish, the rest of the tour left a little to be desired. Our tour guide Criz barely engaged with us from the moment we got in the van. There were no explanations or background or history of where we were going- the 3 hour drive occurred in total silence, when we were expecting some local info on where we were traveling through. This continued once in the floating cottage. Again we were not told any history or info on the area we were in. She did not engage with our small group (just us and one other couple) at all, and even when lunch was served to us there was no explanation on what any of the dishes were until I asked. We had shared with YOLO that we were both vegetarian so it was important for us to know what things were on top of us just being curious regarding what Filipino food we were about to eat. She didn’t participate in the snorkeling or swimming and just kept to herself, when we would have loved to have had her as a leader on said activities. We had booked this tour as we were really excited to learn more about another part of the Philippines but we came home with no extra knowledge. Again, absolutely stunning tour and the activities were really fun but I think it requires a tour guide who has the desire to join in, communicate and engage with the participants and share more about the beautiful places we were taken.

• Much needed relaxation and time away

  Q9665YFmatthewh,Oct 18, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Very friendly and accommodating guides, Island hopping is great to get away from the stresses of the city, lunch was provided too and satisfied every tummy. Don't miss the snorkeling, lots of colorful fish and starfish to see, there's also nearby speedboaters offering rides if you're feeling more adventurous

  

  

• Beautiful islands, snorkeling, relaxing day in Calatagan

  Gabriela P,Jun 30, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Great experience. JZ was my tour guide and he was hospitable and knowledgeable about the country and the islands we visited. I got to go snorkeling, eat some Filipino food for lunch, and hold a starfish. This was a very relaxing experience. I had to whole cottage to myself since I booked during the off season. This was a great way to see some of the islands from Manila. They even picked me up from my hostel. It is a long 2.5 hour drive there and 3.5 hour drive back. My driver was great and expertly navigated the streets. I just napped on the way back.

• Excellent choice for a Manila day trip

  Owen S,Jun 18, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Our family of three visiting from the U.S. thoroughly enjoyed this. It is a bit of a trek from Manila (approx 3 hours each way), but totally worth it. For kids - we even had a stop where our ten year old was able to stand in the ocean, it was that shallow, and pick up starfish. The snorkeling spot was excellent, and the whole setup with the houseboats was very unique. It’s an excellent day trip from Manila, and unlike many others doesn’t require you get up at an absurd time to make it there and back. Thank you Via!

• Ideal for families

  blancam777,May 2, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Amazing excursion! A boat trip with transparent waters. Ideal for families. The guide and driver very friendly. Forecast Manila traffic.

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