Hotel Review: Casa Mia at Nami Resort

From one end of Boracay to the other end: Hello Diniwid Beach! You’re a wee little thing, aren’t you?

When we booked Casa Mia at Nami Resort (what a mouthful!), it wasn’t our first choice. One of our friends had booked the last room at Nami Resort and we wanted to stay close by because that’s what group holidays are about. We didn’t have many choices what with Diniwid Beach being such a tiny stretch of beach, so we booked Casa Mia since it was within the Nami Resort compound. And it was much cheaper than the Nami Resort rooms!

Reaching by trike, we walked down the alley to Diniwad beach, glanced right and there the hotel was. On the outside, the hotel looks breathtaking as it’s built on a hill. Sweet!

But as we reached the bottom of the resort, we were hit with an obstacle. Where was the hotel reception? We’d climbed up the stairs and all we could see was a door that seemed barred and a sitting area! So we went down again.

Was it up the stairs through the spa?

No. What about towards Spider House?

No again. By this time, our friends who’d left Villa Caemilla later than us had arrived with their porter. Up the stairs we went again, and lo and behold, the barred door was sn elevator! We’d missed the small button at the side of the door that calls the elevator down!

We finally made it up to the reception where we were given a refreshing lemongrass juice while we waited to be checked in.

And it was down the bamboo elevator again. Our room was right at the bottom. Isn’t that sad? We booked a hotel built on a hill, and we got to stay on the lowest level.

We opened the room door, and I was unimpressed. Even though it was a huge room, the outer beauty of the hotel does not translate to the Casa Mia room. Maybe that’s why they classed these cheaper rooms as separate entities online so that reviews for the main Nami Resort will remain high. As I looked more closely, I began to feel disappointed.

The cupboards were filled with dust and spiderwebs and couldn’t close properly. The electric plug was right next to the sink, which is rather dangerous! And the tap was wonky and difficult to use. And when I looked up at the showerhead, I was horrified. It was covered with greenish white rust! Urgh! I had to shiver my disgust off so I went out to the balcony.

Wow, we had a large seating area, and a complimentary huge bottle of water! And… A cat.

I fled back into the room, and went into the toilet. The floor was rather dirty with rotted wood ‘crumbs’ from the wooden platform, and the toilet seat had stains we couldn’t wipe off. I was lifting the seat up when I caught something at the corner of my eye.

Ahhhhhhhhh!

It was a bullfrog! The curse of bugs from Villa Caemilla had followed us to Nami Resort! Thank god for WJ. He chased the cat away and prodded the frog out of the room with our room key, which got covered in frog slime in the process. Don’t worry, he washed it off with soap!

Maybe animals like us, but one night, a wild dog appeared on our balcony too! I guess that’s another one of the cons of staying on the lowest level.

I might complain a lot about the condition of the room, but seeing as it’s a 2-star hotel, the conditions are pretty justifiable. Other than the terrible showerhead though! That, I can’t accept!

Nami Resort is secluded with nothing much to do in the resort itself. There’s no pool, which is a pity. But, of course, the sea is just steps away. So WJ and I went for a 1-hour Swedish massage, while our 4 friends took the 3-hour spa package. I went for a really relaxing massage in Hoi An once which had WJ snoring loudly next to me, and now compare everything else against it. This massage loses; it’s not bad, it’s just not as good!

We had breakfast at the alfresco hotel restaurant on our last day. The restaurant is right next to the reception counter, so we could either go up by the bamboo elevator, or climb the steep stairs. The view was amazing. We both ordered the omelette for 300 pesos each, and it came with toast, fruits, juice and coffee/tea. My omelette was good!

Would I stay at Casa Mia at Nami Resort again? Well… No. I’d rather spend the same amount on another 2-star hotel on Station 3 on White Beach where I can get a similar peace and quiet of Diniwid Beach but with more options of food. The best thing about the location of Nami Resort is probably the proximity of Spider House, a café right next to the hotel!

We stayed at Casa Mia at Nami Resort from 26th to 29th June in the Standard room. We paid SGD$233.59 for the 3 nights through Agoda, which works out to be about $77.86 a night.