I stayed in Tepanee Beach Resort during my weekend getaway in Malapascua island. I would term this resort as a luxurious accommodation for the island has no fancy big name chain hotels or villas and Tepanee has the only accommodation with independent cottages and private beach with bar.

All the pathways in the resort are filled with stones and rocks. Even their cottages are made with nature and local materials such as wood and straws for the roofs. I love the nature theme!

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Tepanee Beach Resort is located at a corner by the beach of the island. It was opened by an Italian couple in 2008 however just like other parts of the island, it was affected by Typhoon Haiyan last November and restoration work are still in progress

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One of the main reason I was convinced to book this resort was because it has a private beach. I wanted to indulge in that self pampering of exclusivity. Right beside the beach is a bar, Chiringuito @ Sunset Beach Bar & Restaurant which serves all-day breakfast, sandwiches and other food for the hungry guests and drinks to keep hydrated from morning till 7pm daily.

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Breakfast set is at 300PHP, it comes with a fruit juice, breakfast set and either coffee or tea.

I had banana juice, crepes with nutella and tea for breakfast. To be honest, the breakfast was nothing to shout about. My banana juice was pretty yucky because it was just pure banana mixed with water. It would be better if they offer banana milkshake instead.

Breakfast time!
Breakfast time!

To compensate with the lack of taste, I was pacified with a beautiful view instead. That kept me happy instantly.

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A perfect chilling out day at the beach consist of eating by the beach, suntanning and lazing on the deck chairs, snooze and when it starts to get warm, go into the sea for a dip and repeat all that again.

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Tepanee offers services such as massage, manicure and pedicure to pamper oneself. When I got bored of the repeated cycles, I booked for a massage service done by the local ladies in the beach pavilion where they will get the beds ready within 15 minutes. It was a pleasurable one hour Swedish massage, a well worth indulgence. The lady kneaded the knots on my shoulder and neck, it made me relax.

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It is not difficult to fall in love with the tranquil environment and I cannot ask for a better way to end off the day watching orange fiery ball of sun sets behind the sea.

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Instead of walking towards Bounty Beach where there are more food choices, we kept turning into the village thus we ended up having dinner at the 2 Italian restaurant within the premises of Tepanee.

Angelica which was originally owned by the owners of Tepanee was sold off to the current wonder. They sell really yummy oven-baked pizzas.

The other Italian restaurant is Amihan, just a few steps and up the stairs away from Angelica. This belongs to the owners of Tepanee. Amihan opens from 5pm – 10pm daily and they flew their Italian chef half way round the globe to fill stomachs with authentic Italian food. Guests of Tepanee are entitled to a one time 10% discount too.

My sister and I shared a local dish, lumpia which is filipino spring rolls and my sister had pasta while I had fish. We finished off our dinner with a slice of apple cinnamon pie and limoncello, an Italian lemon liquor shot which was recommended by the owner. The only available beer choices are the local ones, San Miguel Pilsen and Light.

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The main courses were HUGE and we had a hard time cleaning up the plate. The lady boss offered to refrigerate the leftovers in the restaurant and we can always go back to consume any time during our stay. I really appreciate this additional service by the restaurant because it helps to reduce food wastage!

All their cottages in Tepanee are standalones which provide enough privacy and there is no need to worry that conversations may be eavesdropped by neighbours next door. There are no TV or hairdryer available in the rooms and WIFI are only available by the beach bar and Amihan restaurant during their opening hours. However I was lucky to receive some signal from my room on the first night.

I booked an air-conditioned cottage and the resort provides supplies of mosquito coils in case we decided to sit by the balcony or for some reason decided to conserve the earth and not use the air-con. There is also an electric mosquito repeller to keep the itchy stingers at bay. Beach towels are not provided however bath towels are available. To ensure a fresh set of bath towels, just drop the used ones on the floor before housekeeping comes in the morning.

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I love the comfy bed!
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View from our balcony

Our room is simple and clean with a safe box for all those important documents and valuables and  it has an umbrella which we used when it started to rain at night. The ordinary looking mattress caught me by surprise because it was remarkably comfortable, spring support was superb! If there is one thing I had to complain about, it would be the pillow for it was rather flat for my liking and it would be great if they provide additional pillows so we can start some pillow fights!

On the last night, my sarong which I hanged on the rack in the balcony was blown away to the ground a few metres below. I had to shine my torch to locate it. As I was still recovering from a fractured ankle, I was not confident of conquering those big steps which was filled with rocks in the dark hence I seek help from one of their staff. I just pointed to where my sarong is and she readily went down the steps to retrieve it for me. She was amazing! I think my eyes are blinded by city night lights.

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Right in front of our balcony
Selfie with the old dog, a resident in Tepanee
Selfie with the old dog, a resident in Tepanee

Overall, I am glad I heed my friend’s advice to stay at Tepanee. It is not the super fanciful kind of resort for sure but it is a pretty great one and definitely worth checking out!

Disclaimer: In no way am I being paid or sponsored for my stay in Tepanee Beach Resort

Pamela Loh

Pamela, born and raised in Singapore. She is a dreamer, explorer, traveller and local tour guide.

A perfect day for Pam would be being on the road, having beers and endless of great conversations that shape a wider perspective.

Come say hi!

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