I have stayed here twice in the past year. The first time I stayed in a deluxe room, and this month I stayed in Condo B for 13 nights.

The dive shop here is first rate. The staff is professional, friendly and accommodating. I took my Advanced OW class here and have logged about 50 dives with Big Apple. The resort is right on the beach so it's just a 5 minute walk from the shop to the boat. Most of the regs, BCDs and wetsuits are relatively new. Many of the dive sites are world class, and even if you don't stay at the Big Apple I would suggest using their dive shop to experience them.

As far as the rooms go, most are clustered around the pool. The "deluxe" room I stayed in during my first stay was rather spartan but adequate for me - I dived 2 or 3 times during the day and just needed a place to crash at night. If I was traveling with a partner I would definitely upgrade to a superior or condo.

I would never stay in a fan room. AC is a must have in the Philippines all year round. I made the mistake of getting a fan room once and I'll never do it again.

The pool is the best that I saw in Sabang, clean and well maintained. During the day it is sometimes used for dive classes but there's still enough room to swim. There are some nights when some guests hang in the pool until the wee hours of the morning even though it's supposed to be closed at 10 or 11PM.

The condo I recently stayed in was worth the money. Condo B was on the third floor of a building adjacent to the Big Apple and was private and relatively quiet. When I checked in the AC in the bedroom was weak but I complained and they changed the unit. The refrigerator and kitchen were clean. The unit was a bit worn but still suitable. The best feature was a large private balcony which had a view of Sabang bay. It was great to sit on the balcony in the morning and have a cup of coffee while watching the ships in the bay.

One thing that annoyed me was that the safe in the condo did not work. As a matter of fact, there aren't any safes in the regular rooms. To store your valuables there is a small locked room available with lockers across from the receptionist. You have to provide your own lock for the locker. I would much prefer to have a safe in my room.

I don't like the restaurant Some dishes on the menu, the pastas for instance, are okay but most aren't very good. I usually ate cup noodles in my room or went to other restaurants in the area. The bar is always open if you ever get thirsty.

Be advised that Sabang itself is rather seedy - a few discos and girlie bars. The place isn't really suitable for couples or families. There are quite a few single men who don't come for the diving but rather to hang out in the bars.

In short, if you're diving in Sabang and you want a reasonably priced hotel with a good dive shop then the Big Apple is a good choice. It's not luxurious but it doesn't pretend to be either.

We have stayed here several times in the past. It's relatively cheap and convienient for short trips.
The downfall is the online booking system is terrible or the way it is interpreted by the front office has a major problem.
You book, pay deposit and hopefully the room you booked is available when you get there.
Emails stating that you want to dive on arrival are basically ignored with no guides available when you arrive as "The message didn't get passed on".
The rooms are run down but clean most of the time.

The Big Apple has everything a diver could want. The staff is very helpful the rooms very clean and appointed. The air con is a must and it worked. The staff took care of everything from cleaning to getting the air con repaired. The food was very good the staff very helpful. The pool is a big plus and well maintained. The facilities are clean and some rooms have been upgraded and are very nice. So for a diver looking for a good value this is the place.

Dove with Big Apple in May 2011. The staff is friendfly, proffecional and really know the divesite. The atmosphere is really relaxed and the choice of divesite is made together with the customers. Ex. someone want currents the try to select a divesite with currents. Someone want's to photograph macro, they a good macro site is selected ant the dive is slow to allow time to take pics.
Oh, the restaurant IS tourist priced but the food is GOOD and the service friendly and polite