Noordzee Hostel is situated in Boljoon, which is in the south of Cebu city. This hostel is a very popular stopover for backpackers who have come to visit the whale sharks in Oslob. Another reason is because there are no other hostels in the area like many other places in the Philippines!
The hostel is about a 15 minute walk to the town center. There are no big shops but just small family owned places to eat bbq meats, bread and a small market to get some fruits. It has its own private beach and bamboo hut on the front to just relax and admire the view of the sea. The waters around this area is pristine clear and often you will see fisherman on their traditional boats going out to hunt fish during the day.
The dorms start from 450Php and the one we stayed was a mixed dorm. There were other dorms with a private bathroom, which were 550Php per night. Generally in terms of thePhilippines hostels are on average more expensive than other Southeast Asian hostels we have stayed in. Expect to pay around £4.50 and above for a bed. Everything was very clean from the bed, which they made every day and to the bathroom, landing areas and the beach outside. There is also no aircon at this hostel but you do get a fan. At times it did feel cooler outside than inside our room, so we did manage to borrow another fan, which meant we all had a fan to ourselves. Top tip – get a bottom bunk or you will be sweating all night.
The hostel also offers a lot of activities such as spear fishing, going out on a traditional boat, advice if you want to trek to the 2 waterfalls or see the whale sharks and the staff are friendly. They also cook up an awesome meal!
Other things to note:
– There are many animals around the hostel – chickens, ducks, puppies, goats which is super awesome.
– Laundry was expensive here – 100Php per kilo!!! Do not do your laundry here as there is nothing special and if you’re next stop is Dumaguete or back to Cebu city wait and do your laundry their for as low as 20Php per kilo.
– Even though this is a hostel the prices of the restaurants were on the expensive price – way past my budget. Average cost of a meal was around 280Php and upwards. I say it is expensive but we did have a really nice meal there!
– If you are a backpacker and want to drink they prepare to pay a lot for a beer. A small bottle of water was 30Php.
A really good hostel but besides the really nice clean bed, everything else is not really catered to a backpackers budget, which is a real shame. Nevertheless it is here or sleeping on the streets and my basic requirements are it has to be clean.
Check out their website: Noordzee Hostel
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