Water to Forest Ecolodge

If you're considering a stay at Water to Forest Ecolodge, think again. From the moment we arrived, our experience was nothing short of terrible. Miscommunication, hidden fees, and an utterly disappointing SUP experience turned what should have been a relaxing getaway into a nightmare. Here's why you should steer clear of this place: Our stay began with a nasty surprise: we were informed, only upon arrival, that our shower was under construction. Instead, we were forced to use a common area with no warm water or proper showering equipment. This critical information was not communicated in advance, leaving us no choice but to accept it. As a weak consolation, the lodge offered us a free breakfast—hardly enough to make up for the inconvenience and the only reason they earned even a single star from us. As if that weren’t bad enough, we were slapped with an unexpected environmental fee, also hidden until we arrived. Despite this, we decided to go ahead with a SUP experience combo (sunset and firefly watching) for 1,200 per person, hoping for some redemption. Unfortunately, this turned out to be another disaster. We began the journey at 5:20 pm with smelly vests and zero instructions. The so-called instructor only provided information when asked, displaying a complete lack of professionalism. By 5:30-5:40 pm, we were told there would be no sunset due to clouds—something they could have informed us about earlier. When we specifically asked about the fireflies, the instructor assured us it would still be a unique experience. We paddled for an hour through a lake that reeked of sewage. When we finally reached the "firefly location" at 6:45 pm, we were shown a single tall tree with no fireflies in sight. The instructor then explained that the bright moonlight was preventing the fireflies from being active—a fact he could have easily noticed at the start of the journey. We were left to paddle back for 50 minutes, exhausted and demoralized, with the instructor barely assisting us. To make matters worse, his headlamp wasn’t even charged, leaving us in the dark—literally and figuratively. When we returned, we approached the owner, Dmitri, to discuss the situation and politely asked if the price could be reconsidered. His dismissive response was that the lack of fireflies was "nature" and that even if they had informed us earlier, it would have been wrong to cancel since the instructor was already booked. To add insult to injury, we later discovered that our so-called instructor was just a gardener at the hotel, who we saw around the property the entire evening and the next day. Dinner that evening was another disappointment—only the bruschetta was remotely edible. The next morning, at checkout, we were hit with additional surprise fees for government and service charges, which we begrudgingly paid just to escape this nightmare. But the ordeal didn’t end there. We discovered our motorbike had been moved without our consent, and it wouldn’t start. After a

Everything about this place was perfect. Firstly, we booked this very last minute for 2 of us to stay at the Water to Forest Eco lodge, for our last night in Bohol and I’m so glad we did! The value for money was outstanding, we would have happily paid more. On first view, the staff member that shown us to our room was really lovely, and when I say room, we stayed in a private treehouse – it was the best! It had no windows but enough privacy and was so clean. I was skeptical about bugs and the hotel explains that bugs are no stranger to this haven (considering it’s the closest to nature you can be without camping), but we had zero bug issues so please don't let that put you off. The mosquito net over the bed kept us bug free all night and we didn’t find any in our upper-level treehouse. It’s obvious that the staff put a lot of work into the upkeep. The surrounding gardens were breathtaking, and they had access onto the lake where you can paddle board or kayak. There was hammocks and a little swing, with the most stunning views in every corner. The Ecolodge staff were the best we’ve ever experienced in all our stays; they were so hardworking and lovely. You could tell that each one of them loved being there and really valued their guest experience. We managed to have a lovely chat to the owner, whom very kindly recommended us to hire mopeds (which again, the staff organised for us) and visit a few local attractions, we took her advice and ended up having the best day of our entire travelling month. We’re honestly so grateful and thankful we found this place; it’s given us memories we will never forget. I know I’ve said it before, but the tree houses are truly beautiful, you must experience this if you are in Bohol! Also, a huge shoutout again to the staff on the front desk, who also became our chef for the evening, the food was fresh and so tasty! We enjoyed an evening sitting at the floor level tables (see photo), having our tea in our comfies, I’ve never felt more at home. We wish we could have stayed longer, and should we have the opportunity to visit Bohol again, this is the first place we will go. Thank you so much to all of you who work there. x

This place is amazing . We are living in Panglao and Water to forest is where we stay when we want to take a break and relax . It's soooo peaceful ! No other busy resorts around with karaoke , just the sound of nature. The treehouses are beautiful , simple but so different from what other resorts offer. You have direct access to the loboc river , they organise some tours with SUP. The staff is super friendly , smiling and helpful . The food is good as well . The menu is not massive but I think it's perfect , because at least everything taste very good . We are vegetarians and there are a lot of options for us : try the vegetable curry , it's delicious ! We will come back for sure , this place feels like home.

Incredible, just incredible. My girlfriend and I stayed here for two nights and we had such a beautiful time. The staff were so friendly, helpful and interesting. They had lots of advice about travel in and out of Loboc and they told us how much we should be paying for transport etc. The room was a little hot for us (but we’re from Nottingham, UK, so that’s not really a surprise) but the staff kindly let us borrow their fan. The peace and quiet was to die for, waking up every morning to the sound of a running river was just exquisite! We also really enjoyed the paddle boarding experience, the fireflies were so pretty! 10/10, I would stay here again and I would recommend it to all travelling through Bohol. Thank you so so much to all the lovely staff, we will be back. Ted x

Owner cancelled booking and was very unprofessional. This has cost me more money as it is holiday season and had to pay a high price to stay at a comfortable, service orientated accomodation that knows how to run things properly and put the guest first.. so actually a blessing 😊

We absolutely loved this place, from the secluded (but very central) location to the lovely tree house bedrooms, the food was one of the best we’ve had in the Philippines and I highly recommend everyone to try their mango daiquiri made by the lovely Raffy, we got addicted to them :) We loved our stay and a big part of it was the amazing staff, all the girls working there are absolutely brilliant! Keep up the good work guys and thank you for your hospitality! Lots of love, Felipe & Lais

been there with my boyfriend for a couple of nights! it was so cool! additionally you can book different activities - we took the cooking class with jaq - it was the best thing ever! the food was so delicious and she is so caring & lovely! would recommend it to everyone!!

Niente da dire sulla location, posto pulito e accogliente, personale disponibile a ogni tua richiesta. Ma eravamo noi 3 sulla casa albero, la cosiddetta "suite con bagno privato, erano le 21,00 circa e stavamo allegramente parlando normalmente, senza gridare o fare chiasso. All'improvviso arriva il proprietario che ci intima di fare silenzio, perché avremmo disturbato gli altri occupanti. Io capisco se fosse stato un orario molto tardi, allora si, ma così, in silenzio, senza poter parlare, preferisco altre strutture dove porer trascorrere una vera vacanza. Mi dispiace commentare così m, ma mi ha dato molto fastidio, anche la buia accoglienza al mattino dopo, con ferrreo regolamento per gli orari per il breakfast, ma da consumare in silenzio. Per il resto, bellissimo e incantevole luogo, ma solo per gente muta.

Qu'il n'en déplaise à son propriétaire (qui devient irascible et agressif si on met un avis qui ne va pas dans son sens), mais nous n'avons pas aimé notre séjour à l'écolodge. Trop éloigné de tout (3km pour rejoindre une route principale), ce qui permet au propriétaire de proposer en exclusivité les extras à des tarifs élevés (nourriture, excursion et taxi). Nous avons trouvé au final que le prix était excessif pour une prestation minimum. A noter que l'ecolodge vous demandera de lui payer directement le taxi en liquide bien sûr (comme tout le reste) et non de le remettre au chauffeur?! A se demander si l'écolodge ne se prend pas des pourcentages sur le dos du client?! (Durant nos 15 jours aux Philippines, nous avons à chaque fois payé les chauffeurs et jamais les hôtels ou guesthouses). Concernant les repas, après 1 diner froid où il faut commander à 18h00 et manger comme les poules à 19h00 et 1 petit déjeuner, nous avons préféré faire 500m A/R pour prendre nos autres repas dans un autre endroit à un tarif plus modéré et avec un plus large choix et des horaires étendus. Nous avons préféré écourter notre séjour passant de 3 nuits à 2 nuits, mais en permettant à un jeune couple de profiter de la cabane (en espérant que ne propriétaire ait tenu parole ...). En résumé, écolodge très cher pour une prestation minimum. Le seul point positif que nous retenons est la gentillesse du personnel.