What was once best known as a laid-back surf destination has grown into one of the Philippines’ most sought-after island escapes. Along with the growing number of visitors has come an expansion of a variety of places to stay — from small guesthouses and surf lodges to boutique resorts, villas, and larger hotels with restaurants, pools, and full-service amenities.
As more people discover Siargao, the island naturally has to accommodate different kinds of travelers. Some want the convenience and predictability of a hotel. Others want a private villa. Some are simply looking for a comfortable room close to the beach.
But interestingly, even as bigger accommodations continue to appear, homestays have not lost their appeal.
In fact, for certain kinds of travelers, they might make even more sense today.
The appeal of the bigger hotel
The first and foremost go-to on a vacation – which hotel should one stay at?
You know what to expect. There may be a restaurant downstairs, a pool, housekeeping, a front desk, and plenty of amenities within the property itself. For travelers who want everything in one place, this can make a holiday feel effortless.
And as Siargao becomes a more established destination, having more accommodation options is not necessarily a bad thing. It gives visitors more choices and allows the island to welcome travelers with different budgets, preferences, and expectations.
But hotels aren’t the only way people want to experience a destination.
In a time when experience matters more, people want a place to stay — not just a room
This is where homestays have a slightly different appeal.
A hotel room is designed primarily around the individual traveler. A homestay can feel more like a home base.
Some have a living room where everyone can gather, a dining area where people can have breakfast together, outdoor spaces where you can sit around after a day at the beach, and enough room for everyone to spread out.
That difference becomes especially noticeable when you’re traveling as a group.
A family of six, a group of friends, a small retreat, or even a team working remotely may not necessarily want six separate hotel rooms. They may want one place where everyone can stay together — while still having enough privacy to enjoy their own space.
And that’s something a traditional hotel setup doesn’t always provide.
The experience of staying somewhere that feels lived in
Part of the charm of a homestay is that it doesn’t always feel like you’re entering a perfectly packaged version of a destination.
There can be something comforting about coming home after a long day of surfing, island hopping, or exploring the island and having a space that feels familiar.
You can make coffee in the morning.
Leave your beach bag somewhere.
Sit around and talk with your friends.
Order food and eat together.
Work for a few hours if you need to.
Or simply do absolutely nothing.
These small things can make a stay feel less like a series of nights booked somewhere and more like actually having a little home on the island for a while.
It can also be a more social kind of privacy
One of the interesting things about homestays is that they sit somewhere between a hotel and staying in someone’s actual home.
You can have your own bedrooms and private spaces, while still having shared areas where everyone naturally gathers.
For groups, that can change the entire dynamic of a trip.
Instead of meeting downstairs in a hotel lobby or having to book a restaurant every time everyone wants to eat together, the accommodation itself becomes part of the experience.
Breakfast becomes a group activity. Someone puts on music. Someone makes coffee. Someone is still asleep at noon. Someone is answering emails from the dining table. Someone comes back from surfing covered in saltwater.
It sounds ordinary — but a little more lived.
Why Hotels & Homestays can co-exist in Siargao
The rise of bigger hotels doesn’t necessarily mean the end of homestays.
If anything, it gives travelers more ways to experience Siargao.
There will always be visitors who prefer the convenience and amenities of a hotel or resort. There will also be travelers who would rather have a quieter, more spacious place where they can settle in and experience the island at their own pace.
And this only adds to Siargao’s charm.
The island is becoming more diverse without every traveler necessarily wanting the same thing.
Some want a resort.
Some want a private villa.
Some want a simple room near the beach.
And some want a house where they can wake up, make coffee, walk barefoot outside, and feel like they temporarily live here.
Maybe that’s why homestays still matter
Travel has changed, and Siargao has changed with it.
Visitors today aren’t necessarily just looking for somewhere to sleep. They’re looking for experiences that fit the way they travel — whether that’s wellness, surfing, remote work, family time, group trips, or simply slowing down for a few days.
For many of them, a homestay offers something surprisingly simple:
space to live, rather than just space to sleep.
And as Siargao continues to grow, there will probably always be room for both.
Because at the end of the day, choosing where to stay isn’t only about the number of rooms, the size of the pool, or how many amenities a property has.
Sometimes, it’s about how a place makes you feel while you’re there.
And that’s something a homestay will always have a little more room for.
