Chema's by the Sea

Firstly, the review is not a reflection on the front of house staff or the support staff. To say the hotel is tired is an understatement. It has clearly seen better days and is in need of a complete overhaul The food left a great deal to be desired. Hot food Served cold and a Caesar Salad that didn’t resemble anything like a Caesar and definitely no salad dressing to be seen. Parts of the pathways were dangerous and how anyone hasn’t tripped of had their foot snared in one of the eroded grills is a miracle.

This was once a very nice hotel but it has fallen into disrepair. Not a place for international visitors who will be sadly disappointed in the value for money. Staff try really hard to please but the place is falling apart and not good quality. It’s a bit like Fawlty Towers in the Philippines. Seems to be run like a military camp. One had to pre order breakfast the night before and then receive it at exact time next day. If you are late food is left cold on table. Air conditioner in bed room sounds like a ford V 6 engine and detracts from the otherwise tranquil setting. Sad place to spend your hard earned dollar.

The first time I visited this place was approx 15 years ago. I went there for lunch with a friend, per the recommendation of my colleagues from Davao ; I was there for a business trip and decided to stay the weekend for some sight seeing. The place has not been maintained well. It is sad to see, especially because the resort has a lot of good things going on for them - clear waters, nice landscape and design of rooms, friendly staff members Unfortunately, there are a lot of things not quite right: toilet does not flush well. When I informed housekeeping, they said "it's always been like that. Just don't throw bathroom tissue into the bowl. Even the used ones (for #2), to ensure it does not get clogged." The a/c is an old unit; one need to choose the highest dial (turbo cold) to achieve a cooler temperature, unfortunately it gets too cold at night. We tried lowering it but it becomes uncomfortably musty and warm. They don't have hair dryers. Some bedsheets have stains on them. Service is slow, despite having so many staff members during the day. The way to ask for assistance/service is to ring a bell hanging outside the room. Aside from this being uncomfortable (like calling a servant), it only works half the time. We had to repeat our requests twice, sometimes thrice before someone attends to it. Food orders are also slow (takes 45 mins to an hour) which is weird because they have the same menu everyday. And they are not exceptionally good, very forgettable. Service is also inconsistent: depends on who you're talking to or who's providing the service. Table set up and composition of our breakfast varies everyday - dependent on who's preparing it for the day. Same is true with cleaning the room - not consistently good. The swimming pools are not well-maintained. The one near the shore is not as clean or clear as what they have in the tripadvisor photo. It looks like it has not been cleaned for ages. The one on the higher area is better, but some of the wood on the floor are broken, which poses danger to guests (we tripped on them twice). The chairs are not cleaned either, and there was a used glass that seemed to have been left there for a while, as it had so many ants inside it. It is also surprising that the front desk is unmanned in the early morning; people start to come in at 8-ish but they are OJTs. the regular employees usually come at around 9am. It is therefore a challenge to find information if you want to plan something for the day. The only redeeming factor for this resort is the friendliness of their people. They genuinely care for their guests, they are respectful and nice. Unfortunately, that is not enough for us to rate our stay as memorable, nor to recommend this place to our family and friends.

We chose Chema's as it was one of the few resorts in Samal that allowed you to bring your pets. We had stayed at Chema's a few years back, so we were not sure what to expect. We booked an overnight stay (Sunday-Monday) in July 2022. Our whole experience was decent, here is a breakdown of our stay. - To get to Chema's you have to go to Waterfront Hotel to use their pier. They will be in-charge to bring you via boat (they should give you time slots of when they travel). We were said to be there at 1pm. There was a quaint waiting area indicated for Chema's guests with seats. We ended up waiting for 45+ minutes. We speculated that this was due to the resort wanting to let guests leave as it was a Sunday. During the boat trip, we had the vibe that the crew was rushing us to the resort. This resulted to us getting splashed by the water (current and weather may be factors here). Crew helped us with our bags, which was good. - Upon arrival we were met with welcome drinks at the reception. We were sent to our rooms after a few moments. We stayed in the Cabana 1 (Sea Garden View Room) This had 2 rooms, 1 Queen sized bed, bathroom, television, small refrigerator, and aircon each. An outside couch and table is on the veranda of the cabana. The room felt secluded and private despite its location in the resort. - Chema's has a small beach front. The water has an amount of organic matter (not disruptive) and the sand is fine. To compensate for the small beach front, they have 2 pools, one on the shore and the other in the inner part of the resort. Both pools were clean and well maintained. All of the swimming areas had ample seats and tables. Take note room towels can not be used outside of the rooms and separate beach towels are provided. - Food here is good. I suggest trying their Twice Cooked Chicken Adobo and Greek Salad. Their prices are a little steep, but considering the ingredients and being in a resort, it should be fine. Dining may be done in their restaurant or at the table outside your room (preferred). Copies of their menus are available on the website. Breakfast is free for overnight stays. - Service was excellent. All the staff answered all our questions and queries. They were attentive and very accommodating. All of our requests for water while eating was responded to quickly. Our request for late checkout was dealt with well and they sent a room checker in advance to have a smooth exit. Overall, our stay was great. We felt like we escaped the city in a very peaceful vacation. I noted a number of negative reviews, but soon saw that they were all before 2019/2020. Their staff are very accommodating and friendly, greeting us with smiles whenever we walked pass them. Hopefully the delays and problems in getting to the resort will not be seen anymore, but nevertheless we will definitely want to go back!

So sad … I visited this place so many times when his previous owner, Mr. Quincho was still alive … never expected the new management to be so dishonest !! They neither credit my deposit nor refund it after almost two months …

I have been visited Chemas by the Sea last November 7 with my family to bond with them . I am very satisfied with their services because most of the staff in their resort are very welcoming and approaching, they really do their job very well because when they serve their customers we can feel very comfortable and feel like our only home. I am very thankful for their services because you would never being disatisfied when you visit Chemas by the Sea.