Hostel in Malinao · Siargao

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About Bajala

Bajala means it’s up to you

A stay with room for your own version of Siargao: quiet mornings, full island days, shared dinners or time to yourself. A Filipino-owned hostel in Malinao, General Luna, run by a husband-and-wife team.

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Coconut palm leaning over a bamboo fence at the shoreline, with calm blue sea and sky behind.
Top-down view of a kidney-shaped pool with stone edging on a lawn, with a person lying on a lounger beside it.

The name

Bahala na, or send it

Bajala, or Bahala, means “it’s up to you” and comes from the Filipino expression “bahala na.” For us it also carries the surfer’s “send it” spirit: when the wave comes, you commit and go for it. Bajala na.

That is the idea behind the stay. Sleep in or catch the early wave, keep to yourself or join the table at Little Rotti. How you spend your days here is up to you.

Our story

The long way to opening day

Malinao sits a little away from the busiest part of General Luna. We opened here with a simple purpose: whether or not people chose to make the trip, we would offer the best of Filipino hospitality. Clean and comfortable rooms, delicious food, safety and genuine kindness, in a cool, relaxed, laid-back surfer atmosphere.

White arched cottage with a wooden door and a black-framed window, set behind a garden.
Private room cottage / 01
  1. 2019

    The first plan

    Bajala was meant to open in late 2019. Construction delays moved the date to March 2020.

  2. 2020

    Closed before opening

    Just as we were ready, COVID-19 quarantine measures closed travel, and the property stayed shut.

  3. Odette

    A base for relief

    When Super Typhoon Odette struck Siargao, the property lost its windows and suffered extensive damage. Its concrete structure and roofs held, so Bajala became a home base for doctors and storage for relief goods during the community relief effort.

  4. 2023

    Finally open

    After a renovation that included internationally rated hurricane-grade windows, Bajala found the strength to stand up again and opened its doors in 2023. Bahala na.

The Bajala stay

Three simple promises

  1. 01

    Live at your own pace

    A private room or a bed in an ensuite dorm, a pool to slow down by and a quiet corner of General Luna to come home to.

  2. 02

    Find room to connect

    The garden, terrace, cinema room, guest kitchen and Little Rotti make it easy to meet people when you feel like it.

  3. 03

    Explore with clear answers

    Transfers, rentals, tours and the practical details are arranged at reception, with prices and policies set out before you arrive.

People and place

Rooted in Malinao

Bajala is a Filipino-owned small business, founded and run by a husband-and-wife team.

  1. 01

    Hiring locally

    Bajala hires locally, so the welcome you get here comes from Siargao.

  2. 02

    Solar energy

    Solar panels on the roofs help reduce our energy footprint.

  3. 03

    Grown onsite

    We grow some of our herbs and vegetables in the garden.

  4. 04

    Hardin ng Pagbabago

    Bajala took part in Barangay Malinao’s community garden, helping develop a sustainable garden and a master plan for vegetable and fruit farming and local food security.

Top-down aerial view of the hostel's white buildings with solar panels, a small pool and the garden among coconut palms.

Come. Or don’t. Whatever.

Here while the waves keep coming

Whenever you make the trip to Malinao, there’s a room, a meal and a warm welcome waiting.

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