JJ’s Backpackers Village

I WANT to say I had a great experience here. This place has so much potential yet here are the deal breakers I had from 2 visits. I would read other reviews over time to see if they improve. Well... I brought my parents and my fiance there for lunch end of January 2025. I was told the waiter was asking money per person BEFORE we sat down to order and eat food. (My dad was already seating himself for lunch. My fiance is fluent in Cebuano and English. So I do not think there was any misunderstanding). I do not remember if they were asking for 200 pesos per person but I think it was the total for the 4 of us just to sit down. I just remember thinking no one in the USA charges money just to sit down at a restaurant? Sure bars charge to walk in and JJ's has a party scene but this was for lunch and they had no one else there. I felt like they were making us into a fool as if we did not know what 200 pesos was so I apologized to my parents asking if it was okay if we went somewhere else. I am not surprised reading about the staff on reviews here -- sure maybe the waiter there in 2025 was just an employee having a bad day or not happy asking for money up front or something but... ? So we went to Monkey Business which has no beach but the food was great, the waitress was super happy and we were told how we could go to the beach down a trail. They even have "swings" next to the bar. I went to JJ's in 2019 with my girlfriend -- they did not charge us a cover at that time. The food may have changed or I had a weird fluke not being able to taste that specific afternoon (???) so you need to take a grain of salt with the following review (pun intended given what I say next). We ordered a hamburger that was loaded -- I will attach a picture. I was so shocked there was no flavor to the bread or the meat. The bread tasted like cardboard and I thought it was homemade (?) but it may have been from another business although I would be surprised if it really was. (Maybe it is a cultural thing???) No seasoning to the hamburger. It was the MOST tasteless hamburger I ever had I was in disbelief. I see there was cheese in the photo I took but I do not remember tasting the cheese lol. I felt so sorry for wanting to have my Filipino gal try a hamburger with me because it was the "worst" hamburger I had maybe in memory? (It felt like I had COVID with all my ability to taste taken away, not that it has happened to me and COVID did not exist then.) Let me say I see bacon in the hamburger (?) but I do not really remember tasting it. I know what bacon tastes like yet... ? Maybe I did have some kind of issue (virus or whatnot) that day? I did not have any complaints with tasting anything else my entire trip so it is bizarre. If anyone tries a hamburger feel free to post if it tastes like there's seasoning and how the bread is because I would love to change my mind about their food. I thought an American must have married a Filipina and owned the business (???) but they should have known hamburgers come with flavor? Ah hmmm. Beach is beautiful and things like that but the food and employees... ?????? Maybe somehow the food is better but I am seeing at least one review with an issue. The service by the people alone makes me not want to be there sorry to say. This can change. I would be happy to try this place again but if they ask for a cover charge for lunch, they automatically lose my business. If they REALLY want that money, increase the food prices. That is a no-brainer although less people may eat there?

The bar is incredibly slow, the staff inattentive, and the drinks are honestly terrible. The music? Always the same playlist, repeating every party. And if you dare to voice a complaint, be prepared for the owner’s unprofessional attitude. Disappointing experience overall.

Disclaimer: We didn’t stay here—we came purely for the party scene! The vibe was lit. Local bands were playing, and their music had the crowd going wild. Great energy, great beats—definitely a fun night out! Now, about the service… it could’ve been better, especially when it came to food. To be fair, we made the rookie mistake of not eating before partying on a Friday night. Our finger food took over an hour and a half to arrive, and we were so hungry we ended up claiming it ourselves at the kitchen window and eating right there. Pretty sure we finished all the Jägermeister they had that night. No regrets. It was so good, we actually came back twice. P.S. The guy in the photo? Just someone we spotted near the bathrooms. Definitely not part of our group!

Went here for the party, and it was super lit! ... Met tons of people here as well, danced along with them and really had fun... We went there during friday and it was very crowded, but nonetheless, it was definitely a nice experience! One of the reasons why I want to go back to the island lol

The bar is in a prime location and was very busy on a Saturday night, but the drinks were average and the staff were not particularly friendly. I appreciate that it was busy but the vibe was not great. On a VERY busy Saturday night there were only TWO female toilets available, both of which were absolutely disgusting. Overflowing, flooded floors (and I mean INCHES of awful dirty water / urine on the floors) and no toilet paper. Genuinely one of the worst toilets I’ve experienced (and I’ve been to UK festivals!). For somewhere that charges an entry fee, the service provided is abysmal for what I’d consider to be a very average vibe.