Where to Stay in Malapascua Island, Cebu (Plus What to Do!)

Planning to dive with thresher sharks and wondering where to stay in Malapascua? As a divemaster who’s visited twice and dived with the famous threshers, I’ve got insider tips on the best accommodations for every budget — from backpacker spots near dive shops to barefoot luxury right by the baby sharks!

It’s got amazing restaurants, including a full vegan one (which is rare in the Philippines – trust me! After 4 trips there, I’m well aware it is a place that is hard to be vegetarian!).

If you’re planning a trip and wondering where to stay in Malapascua, how to get there, and what you have to do while you’re there, here’s my full guide from my frequent trips from my home base in Bangkok.

Where to Stay in Malapascua Island

Now, onto the best accommodation on the island and here’s my honest breakdown.

🌿 Slam’s Garden Resort – $ (Budget)

• Best budget resort for diving in Malapascua
• Why I liked it: Clean basic rooms, nice garden, and a small pool super chill. I stayed here with my sister as we were on more of a backpacking budget during our trip. The food was actually really good in the restaurant for vegetarians like me and my sister – which is not always common in the Philippines…they aren’t a particularly veggie friendly nation! We also loved the pool area, all situated in a green garden area with tons of birds and chilled out dogs – we really enjoyed our stay!
• Bonus: Short walk to dive shops and the beach

👉🏽 View their rooms and lovely pool area here

🌊 Tepanee Beach Resort – $$ (Mid-Range)

• Best for: Couples or those wanting beach access without splurging. Best Malapascua resort for a private beach feel
• Why I liked it: Tucked on a small cliff with private beach access. It feels boutique but not stuffy. Quiet, romantic, and super close to restaurants. I actually didn’t manage to stay here because it was sold out by the time I came to book it! Note that there are not many rooms so it’s best to book in advance for this one.

👉🏽 Book in advance so you don’t get disappointed like I did!

🏖️ Blanco Beach Resort – $$$ (Luxury)

• Best for: Beach lovers who want beachfront lounging
• Why I liked it: If you want to step out of your room and straight onto the sand, this is it. The vibe here is barefoot luxury. Pricey, but worth it if you’re celebrating something special. Lola, one of my good dive buddies stayed here and really loved it. It’s also right next to where the baby black tip reef sharks are!

👉🏽 Splurge for some Blanco beachside luxury here

How to Get to Malapascua Island from Cebu

After flying into Mactan-Cebu International Airport, you’ll need to head north to Maya Port in Daanbantayan. Here’s the breakdown:

• 🚌 Bus or Minivan from Cebu City Northern Terminal: 4–5 hours
  • Cost: 200–300 pesos (~$5 USD)
• ⛴️ Local Ferry to Malapascua: 40 minutes
  • Cost: around 100–150 pesos, plus a small environmental fee at the port

Heads up: Ferry schedules are… flexible. They’re advertised as every 30 minutes but really just leave when full so you can be sitting there waiting a while. Never expect them to go on time and ensure you leave the day before for taking flights.

Best Things to Do in Malapascua Island, Cebu

Even if you’re not a diver (yet), Malapascua has a charm that goes beyond scuba tanks. But let’s be honest it’s the underwater magic that brings most travelers here. If you aren’t a diver, then perhaps consider getting qualified – in just 4 days or slightly less, you can become a qualified diver!

🦈 Dive with Thresher Sharks

This is the main event. Malapascua is one of the only places in the world where you can reliably see thresher sharks year-round, thanks to a nearby cleaning station. I’ve done this dive twice, and it still gives me chills – their googly eyes and that insanely long tail make them look like deep-sea aliens. The eyes remind me of those goggly eyes we used to use in primary school and stick onto our arts and crafts!

The dive is early—like 4 to 6 a.m. early—but 100% worth it. You’ll need to be advanced open water certified for this one as they can be deep. The first time I went the thresher sharks were found at around 25m deep so you needed to be advanced.

Since that trip, I returned last year for the second time, this time bringing my sister to dive with the threshers too! They had moved to a different area which was not as deep this time and we got 2 boat dives with them.

We even saw a thresher shark breach on our surface interval which was insane and still feels surreal – to see a huge 3m shark launch itself out of the water….just wow!

🦑 Dive Gato Island

Gato is Malapascua’s underrated gem. It’s a short boat trip away and feels totally different from the thresher dive – vibrant coral, white tip reef sharks, and tons of macro life.

My sister hadn’t dived in over a year, so she did a refresher here before the big shark dive, and we both loved it. Although she actually found the Gato island dives to be more challenging because of the waves and the surge when we went in April last year.

🐟 Snorkel with Baby Black Tip Reef Sharks

You don’t even need to dive to see incredible marine life. Just off Blanco Beach Resort is a spot called Dakit-Dakit, where we snorkeled with baby black tip reef sharks just off the beach. It’s calm and shallow water although the visibility was pretty poor when we were there in April. Luckily we still managed to spot multiple baby sharks (and then sing that annoying baby shark song for all of the rest of the day).

🚶‍♀️ Walk Across the Island to North Beach

Malapascua is small you can walk across it in under an hour. North Beach has fewer tourists and feels more local. We brought coconuts and hung out at the beach. When we were then in April the waves were huge though, so we didn’t dare go for a swim! Always respect the ocean and it’s force!Where to Eat in Malapascua

Don’t skip the food—there are some seriously delicious options on the island:

• Angelina’s – legit Italian food (like, actual fresh pasta)
• Villa Potenciana – amazing Filipino vegan food and generous portions – so rare to find great vegan food!
• Local Market – cheap BBQ, fresh fruit shakes, and rice meals
• Kokay’s Maldito – best happy hour and sunset views!

Final Tips for Visiting Malapascua

• 🏝 Stay at least 3 nights to make the travel worth it – especially if you want to dive
• 🧘‍♀️ Malapascua is a chill island: no ATMs, no cars, no stress
• 🐠 Don’t skip Gato Island—it’s just as special as the thresher dive, in a different way
• 🥥 Embrace island time – things move slow and don’t try and get in or out in a rush!
• Check about the weather at the time of year. We went in April and it was fantastic. A colleague went in October and had insane monsoon storms and cancelled ferries.

Explore the Philippines Resources

Best 2 week itineraries for the Philippines (for ocean and nature lovers)

Best Dive Spots in Puerto Galera, Mindoro

Best Diving in the Philippines

Where to stay in Malapascua Island, Cebu

Where to ethically swim with whale sharks in the Philippines