Anilao, Philippines dive holidays
Solitude Acacia Resort
Solitude Acacia Resort is located on the serene coast of Mabini in Anilao, Batangas, and offers a contemporary boutique-suite experience, built around a century-old acacia tree.
The resort features 25 modern, air-conditioned rooms, which benefit from tranquil garden or poolside views, or panoramic sea view views of the Verde Island Passage. Solitude Acacia Resort’s dive centre is onsite and maintains a 2:1 diver-to-guide ratio. The resort supports underwater photographers with a spacious camera room and regular workshops focusing on macro and wide-angle techniques.
Guests can explore over 40 dive sites in Anilao, known globally for its muck diving and rich macro life—from nudibranchs and pygmy seahorses to mimic octopus.
Beyond diving, the resort offers sophisticated dining in The Acacia Restaurant, an atrium-like, glass‑walled venue serving à la carte Filipino and international dishes. A cosy Dive Bar overlooks the sea and pool, while additional amenities include a beachfront pool, laundry and babysitting services, and organised tours.
Solitude Acacia Resort is a peaceful, modern paradise just a 3-hour drive from Manila, with access to some of the best macro and critter diving in the Philippines.
Hotel Services/Facilities: Solitude Acacia Resort has 25 spacious, modern rooms with A/C and each has either a garden, pool, or sea view. There is a visually stunning main restaurant, a cosy bar overlooking the ocean, a house reef for diving & snorkelling, and an in-house PADI dive centre with 28 workstations for underwater photographers.
Most of areas of the resort have Wi-Fi connection and internet is free during your stay.
The resort has an ocean‑front swimming pool surrounded by sun loungers, a sunset‑view Dive Bar above the dive centre, room service and guest laundry. Divers can book night dives and blackwater dives, go snorkelling and kayaking, and book on several island‑hopping excursions. Babysitting and limited wellness services (massages, facials) are also available to book.
Food, Beverage & Entertainment Facilities: Solitude Acacia Resort offers a refined yet relaxed dining experience in The Acacia Restaurant, named after the majestic century-old tree that shades it. This glass-walled venue features both air-conditioned indoor seating and a scenic al fresco balcony, serving a full-board à la carte menu with highlights of both Filipino and international cuisine. Guests can enjoy freshly prepared meals made with local ingredients, with all dietary preferences catered for, including vegetarian and vegan options. Complimentary coffee, tea and water are available throughout the day.
For drinks and socialising at any time of the day, the Dive Bar provides a laid-back setting with ocean and sunset views, serving cocktails, beers, and light snacks above the dive centre, and offering informal evening hangouts.
Entertainment is low-key and nature-focused, with activities including snorkelling, kayaking, island-hopping, and occasional bonfire nights on the beach.
Resort packages can be booked with Bed & Breakfast only, however, due to the resort’s remote location, we recommend you book with Full Board which includes all main meals.
Transfers: Flights must arrive at Manila airport. After collecting your luggage and exiting into the arrivals hall, a driver from Solitude Acacia Resort will be waiting for you. The drive to the resort takes around 2 hours by air-conditioned car or minivan.
Diverse Travel will provide you with a quote for a complete holiday itinerary that includes international flights, local transfers, plus all accommodation nights required.
Solitude Acacia Resort features 25 modern, well-appointed and comfortable rooms. The rooms are built across four low-rise blocks surrounded by tropical greenery, boasting garden, pool or sea views.
All rooms include individually controlled air-conditioning, ensuite bathrooms with hot showers, bidets, bathrobes, face and bath towels, hair dryer, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, safety deposit box, a wardrobe, a desk with universal electrical points, mini bar/fridge, plus tea & coffee making facilities. Some rooms are inter-connecting and some can accommodate for triple occupancy.
Rooms are cleaned daily. Sheets, bath and face towels are changed every 3 days of use, unless requested otherwise.
Deluxe Rooms
12 Deluxe Rooms (27 – 37m²) are located just behind the sea view rooms, with mainly garden/pool views and are available with a King or Twin Beds or Triple Share and offering convenient access to the restaurant, bar, and pool area.
Sea View Deluxe Rooms
9 Sea View Deluxe Rooms (31m²) are located on the ground and first floors and offer the best views of the ocean and pool with west-facing balconies or terraces. King or Twin Bed options.
Sea View Suites
4 Sea View Deluxe Suites (42m²) are situated on the top floors and are the largest room type, offering ample space and an unobstructed view of the ocean and pool from west-facing balconies. King or Twin Bed options, plus a sofa.
Suite bathrooms have the same facilities as other rooms, but they are larger and include a spacious bathtub.
Anilao is a premier diving spot in the Philippines, just 3 hours drive from Manila City, and home to Solitude Acacia Resort and Dive Centre. The region boasts some of the best and rarest muck diving critters in the Philippines, as well as vibrant reef wall dives.
Shallow muck slopes like Secret Bay (Mainit Muck) and Basura are packed with rare and fascinating critters: pygmy seahorses, frogfish, mimic octopus, ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, and much more. A staggering 600 nudibranch varieties have been documented. Night dives and blackwater dives elevate your diving experience further, offering encounters with blue-ringed octopus, goblinfish, mandarinfish, larval plankton, and bonfire-style dives exploding with light.
Beyond the macro world, Anilao offers vibrant coral reefs, soft coral forests, walls, and reef slopes teeming with anthias, schooling jacks, turtles, reef sharks, barracudas, and even occasional whale sharks. Iconic dive sites include Twin Rocks, Cathedral, Matu Point, and Kirby’s Rock – each delivering a captivating blend of macro and scenic wide-angle photo opportunities. If you’re passionate about photographing the smallest of creatures – or you enjoy rich, varied dive sites – Anilao will deliver countless opportunities.
Solitude Acacia Resort has a wonderful house reef that guests can dive and snorkel for free in a buddy pair, 24 hours a day with their resort package. Your resort package includes 3 boat dives daily and can be booked with either air fills or nitrox fills. There is a supplement charged for nitrox fills.
Acacia Dive Centre is conveniently located on site and offers a professional and fully equipped facility, with experienced dive guides and boat crew. All levels of PADI courses are available, from beginner to Divemaster, with a comfortable classroom and training pool. The dive centre has a high-performance Bauer membrane compressor with a dedicated compressor room and premium air purifiers, offering Enriched Air Nitrox fills and support for technical diving, including twin sets and rebreathers.
Traditional Philippine bangka-style dive boats offer reliable and stable trips into Anilao’s sheltered waters. They offer generous space onboard, dive ladders, and all are equipped with emergency kits, mobile phones, and medical oxygen tanks.
Three boat dives are included every day as part of your standard resort package. This equates to 2 morning boat dives and 1 afternoon boat dive each day (except arrival & departure days). Extra dives plus night and blackwater dives can be booked and paid for locally. A strict 2:1 diver-to-guide ratio is maintained on all dives, supported by a dive team certified in first aid and rescue.
Underwater photographers and macro enthusiasts will smile with glee at the spacious camera lounge, with 28 individual workstations, charging outlets, rinse tanks, drying racks, and expert-led photo workshops, covering macro, wide-angle, blackwater, and post-processing techniques. Dive guides have an acute eye for spotting the local macro life and most are skilled at handling technical and photographic equipment. Full dive equipment is available for rental, including BCDs, regulators, wetsuits, and technical diving gear.
Offers
BAHAMAS DIVING
LIVEABOARD OFFER
16 – 23 August 2025
NOW from JUST £1245pp
MALDIVES DIVING
LIVEABOARD OFFER
29 August – 06 September 2025
NOW from JUST £1975pp
PHILIPPINES DIVING
RESORT OFFER
02 – 10 September 2025
NOW from JUST £1995pp
RED SEA DIVING
SHARM RESORT OFFER
11 – 18 September 2025
NOW from JUST £925pp
CARIBBEAN DIVING
RESORT OFFER
13 – 20 September 2025
NOW from JUST £1895pp
MALDIVES DIVING
LUXURY LIVEABOARD OFFER
04 – 12 October 2025
NOW from JUST £1895pp
The Dive Diaries
Insights, recommendations and dive experiences from our team

Diving into Luxury aboard Emperor Harmoni in Indonesia
Holly shares her experiences on a luxury liveaboard diving holiday aboard Emperor Harmoni in Raja Ampat, Indonesia When you arrive in Sorong, the Emperor Harmoni

Holiday Review: Indonesia Underwater Photography Trip
Diverse Travel guests Peter and Peps tell us in their own words about their experience on one of our exclusive Underwater Photography guided trips to

Win a Mares Sirius Dive Computer!
This promotion has now closed. Happy New Year from Team Diverse! All the very best for 2025! Start the new year in style with our