Atulayan Island, Camarines Sur

I visited this beautiful place 5 years ago when Typhoon Bebeng was setting in motion in Bicol. 

Dark Clouds Looming otw to the island

Then boyfriend said he was scared that we would be trapped in the island because of the storm. Me, on the other hand couldn't get over how beautiful it was, even if the rain was lashing at our boat. I thought that if it was that beautiful on a stormy day, it would be twice as beautiful on a sunny day. So I promised myself I'd come back when the time is right.

It was drizzling throughout our stay but the beach was calm and picturesque

And come back we did! After attending a wedding, we headed to the island on May 29. I was right! The water was soooooo much more inviting! There were a lot of people yet it wasn't crowded, still perfect for an afternoon getaway. We had so much fun and my toddler who's such a water baby wasted no time in Swimming! 

Hubby's Panoramic Shot of Colacho Cove

Hi Beautiful!

Nognog na sha agad!

If you want to visit the place as well, here's a rough guide:

Directions via private car

From Naga, take the route heading to Legaspi. Bypass the town of Pili and turn left to the road heading towards Ocampo (the same one you take heading to Caramoan)

Pass through the towns of Ocampo and Tigaon and a few meters after the town proper of Tigaon, you will see a marker to turn right going to Sagnay/Sangay. Take that road and after 5-10 minutes, you will be in the town proper of Sagnay. 

Church in Sangay. It reminded me of the Paoay Church in Ilocos

Turn left when you see the multi-level market. The church will be to your left.

After 5-10 minutes, you will be in Brgy Nato.

Turn right and ask for directions for the Brgy Hall. The hall is part of the port complex itself.

View from the Brgy Hall

You will make boat arrangements there and the cost depends on your group size, which also determines the boat size. Our round trip boat transfer costed 1,100 php for our group of 4 adults and 1 kid, though we were told it was good for 7 pax.  The boat ride lasts about 30 mins before you reach the Colacho Cove (on the right side of the island). 

Total Travel time one way is approximately 1.5 hrs from Naga, depending on traffic.

Tips:

1. Buy your supplies from Pili or Naga because there are a few options in Sagnay.

2. There are technically 4 beaches in Atulayan- the first area you see as you approach the island, Colacho Cove and 2 more. The first one fronts the sea so water gets deep within a meter and the area is the front yard of fishermen. No one swims here. The 2nd is Colacho Cove, the one where bangkeros will bring you by default. This is the one I visited twice. I dont have information about the other two.

3. There is a sari-sari store in Atulayan where you can buy basic supplies and ask them to cook rice for you but they dont sell meals

4. There are technically three "resorts" though we didnt see actually rooms, just huts. They cost 750-850 for daytrip, depending on the size, but you can haggle.

5. Bring snorkeling gear and goggles. If you're a good swimmer, you can see random fish a few meters from shore.

6. You can stay overnight at the beach though we have been told the electricity has a schedule so it may only be available for a few hours at night. Not sure also if lodging options (other than your own tents) are available

7. The washrooms in the Brgy Hall are much, much better  and cleaner than the one in Atulayan though they only have 1 for male, 1 for female. If you're a small group, you can take turns washing up there or like us, just change clothes in Brgy Nato and wash up in Naga.

 

8. The water in Colacho Cove is very calm and perfect for lying on those ring floaties so bring as many as you like.

9. The bangkeros  are on time, so give them the exact time you want them to pick you up. 

10. This is a laid back, secluded beach and no real maintenance peeps. So please, please, pretty please, CLEAN AS YOU GO AND DONT LITTER.

Cheers and enjoy!

View Park Hotel Tagaytay

This is a long, long, long overdue post from our check-in at the hotel 5 months ago(did I say long)? Hahahaha....Anyways, now that I've left that mind draining work in Eastwood, my brain is "functional" again to do fun, creative, fell-good thingies like blogging!

So... what led us here?

The hubby and I celebrated our tenth year of being together(which, by present standards is like a century given that people break up before they can say third monthsary), and I think it called for a more-than the usual celeb, hence Tagaytay!

For staycation and the likes, I have three qualifications: Buffet Breakfast Included, Pool, Internet. Breakfast- because, come on, what's the point of staying in a hotel if I'm expected to pay extra for it, worse go outside to have a fill? Pool, because if I'm shelling out a few thousand bucks to sleep overnight, I gotta get some water fun with my boys. Internet- because in this day and age, no connectivity for a hotel is unacceptable. View Park met all three and the price was really pocket-friendly so it was a no-brainer to pick it among other hotels in Tagaytay.

If coming from the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road, turn left and go straight for about a kilometer or so. It's on the left side almost across Picnic Grove, so you'd hardly miss it.

We got a Standard Room which was a steal at 2400ish. sorry, cant remember. It was petite but for our small party of three, it was enough. Check-in Process was breezy and in no time, we were led to our room and since we came from Manila, we napped for a bit before swimming.

This was just about the whole Standard Room. ItBorlogs kung borlogs ang boylets ko!

CR was squeaky clean

Standard toiletries. They also provided shampoo and conditioner but I failed to take pics

We didnt have our own pics of the pool and this is from the hotel's website. The pool was small though I doubt if making it bigger would have mattered- it was cold and I think Reese and I only dipped for less than an hour. Hubby just shrugged that it was too cold and watched us from the side.

From the hotel's Agoda website

We needed to be back in Manila before lunch so it nice that they serve breakfast at 6 or 7, I think. Not too many choices but food tasted okay, hindi tinipid, so twas fine with me.

The buffet stubs felt like raffle tickets. lols

Not too many choices but as long as my scrambled eggs are fluffy, I'm good :)

Family pic before Reese rushed to roam around the area

 All in all, I liked our quick vacay in View Park. The hotel actually looks nice from the outside and can be a location from simple photoshoots, if you're aiming for this kinda Italian vibe/look.

Also from the hotel's Agoda website. I imagined myself making emotera poses here :P

Here's a quick review of things to consider:

Pros:

>Mid-range accommodation in Tagaytay that includes breakfast

>Super accommodating staff

>Cold aircon- Kinda stopped us from sleeping soundly kasi sobrang lamig but if you prefer a very cold room, I think this is a plus

Cons:

>Faaaaar from the Sky Ranch-Taal Vista, Bag of Beans everything else area. We went to Mahogany Market to buy dinner and it took us a while to get back(traffic na)

>There's a view in the parking area na "slum area" ung feel. I think its from the adjacent property but still felt like they can do something about it.

Ansayaaaaa! Hopefully it doesnt take ages for me to make the next post. Ciao!!!

Tips and notes to make the most of your Bacolod vacation

Just came back (This is five months blogging backlog from June)
We absolutely enjoyed our three day vacation in Bacolod. Of course, we did make an IT but as you know, schedules can only go as far as give you a background and everything changes when you actually do things. So here's a rundown of things we did and things (I think) can be of great help to you.

1.Tourist Spots

The Ruins
*This place is close to the airport and to Silay City so visit it together with the ancestral houses of Silay or before you head to the airport/straight ahead from your flight. Also, it is more beautiful in the afternoon before sunset. Lastly, note that this place can be booked as a wedding venue and become exclusive so they cannot accommodate guests on those days. We wanted to see the place on a friday afternoon but it was booked for a wedding, so I imagine Saturdays can be fully booked on particular months, especially wedding season. Do bring water, umbrellas and fans because the place is very exposed so it can be very humid.

Team Lagrimas for the win! :D

Mambukal
*I didnt enjoy our stay here as much as I hoped because of three reasons

1: We reserved a room since I wanted a secure place for our belongings since I was hoping to look around the facilities. However, it was only when we got there that I found out that rooms can only be used after checking in at 2pm, similar to most hotels. It was a waste for us since we were just on a daytrip and would leave the resort before 4pm. I also didnt know that cottages can be reserved as well so when we got there, there were no available cottages and we were basically palaboy.

2: I didnt expect the place to be so huge and for the walking paths to be so hot. I thought the facilities would be compressed in one area but we had to walk 3-5 minutes between areas, which was a waste of time and quite tedious with our bags(since we didnt have a cottage) and two kids that had to be carried.

Daytrips to waterfalls where you are only allowed to take pictures after trekking for a few minutes carrying a toddler and a preschooler aint fun Mambukal, It ain't fun :(

3: They were strict with the swimwear in the pool so we had no choice but to "reveal" our bodies sans the cover ups. I'm overweight so no questions asked, it was dead embarrassing, but equally as hard for my bffs who were conscious of their body post-pregnancy.

2. Making the most of the sweets that this city has to offer

You get what you pay for when it comes to pasalubong.
They're all butterscotch, Piaya and biscocho, but some brands are better than others. So far, the best Napoleones I've had are from Pendy's and the best Biscocho is indeed from Biscocho house. I'm torn about who has the best butterscotch and I don't like Piaya(so I'm not the one to ask), but I think Virgie's products are more expensive but more delicious; compared to the cheaper brands Margie's, Bongbongs and Merci.

Always leave room for dessert.
The people of Bacolod do loooooooooooooove their sweets and most of them are the best(I believe) in their range. Hence, it would be a huge loss on your part if you would only be able to try a few. Therefore, I suggest that you make it a part of your plan not to stuff yourself too much with meals(which was something since they were equally delicious) so that you can still indulge on that Calea cake or what have you.

I lost count of all the cakes we ate and ordered, but these were some that I had pictures of :)

If it's that big of a deal, prioritize your pasalubong.
We were familiar with Pendy's napoleones but didnt realize that it would be a big deal so we went there on our last afternoon in Bacolod- only to find out that stocks usually run out before lunch time so we were not able to buy. My heart "ached" (yup, the sweet tooth needs to be pleased and settled for a different brand which was okay but not spectacular.

I never know when we will visit again the city of smiles but I will surely take note of these things when the opportunity comes along. Ciao!

An expanded local destination travel wish list

Recently, it has been featured in the news that the Immigration will require more documents to be presented for travelling tourist Filipinos and the first and last thing that came to mind was that they are a bunch of douche bags. Yup, nothing more, nothing less. Anyway, with that in mind, I realized that it can actually be a good thing since people like me, who have considered going  to nearby countries for travel, will put those plans on hold at the moment and step up the urge to travel to local destinations.

I am lucky to have been able to visit a few of those destinations, thanks to promo fares and stuff. Nonetheless, I dont want to use the term "bucketlist" because I have accepted that our destinations would highly depend on the available promo fares and the date.  To cut the story short, here's a list that expands that list further, a list of places I wish to visit in the years to come:

1. Cagayan De Oro-Camiguin

CDO is such a bustling city and after our awesome trip to Davao last year, we are definitely excited to visit another city in Mindanao! Of course, I wouldn't say no to an opportunity to hit the beach, in this case, Camiguin. Based on initial google searches, Camiguin can actually be reached through a number of routes but CDO remains as one of the most used routes.

The famous sand bar in White Beach

2. Northern Cebu

I have been to Cebu twice- once in passing as we waited for our flight and the second one with hiking buddies and then bf(now hubby). However, we were only able to explore the southern part- Osmena Peak, Moalboal and Kawasan Falls, and this time, I hope we can visit either Malapascua or Bantayan. Lack of budget also stopped us from doing the edge coaster in Crown Regency but when we do it the third time around, I'm hoping we can do that ^^

BRING.ME.HERE.IMMEDIATELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY!

3. Carabao Island and Boracay

I have long wanted to go to Carabao Island but recently did I find out that it can actually be visited via Boracay. I have been to Boracay but it wouldn't hurt to revisit the place and Carabao Island as a bonus.

One of 'em cheesy photos before we got married ^^

4. Davao-Bukidnon

We had such a good time in Davao and given that it is such a big city(we were hardly able to explore it), I am definitely eager to go back. Our van driver also told us Bukidnon is not that far by land, so we are hoping to couple the two destinations. Travel buddies and I would probably do a "repeat" of things that we enjoyed in Davao plus some interesting destinations in Bukidnon- like the pitcher plant farm and pineapple plantations

ze giant pineapple in Camp Phillips

5. Dumaguete-Siquijor

There's not much to see in Dumaguete(or maybe I just havent googled properly) but it is the gateway to beautiful Apo Island and  Siquijor. Siquijor had a bad sound to it due to urban legends but a few google searches told me I had to visit this place. 

Salagdoong Beach, Siquijor

Other places in the country I would love to visit are Coron, Batanes and revisit Bohol and Puerto Princesa, but given that I promised hubby that we'd limit our out of town trips to one per year, still got a lot of time before I blog about those, don't I?

Lemme know whacha think and know about these spots.. Ciao!

Davao Diaries: Tips for a Samal Island Daytrip

I just received a very appreciative comment which made me feel very warm and nice about being a writer-wanna-be so I decided to break my writing hiatus. hehehehe

*This is one of many posts I'll write about our Davao trip. Mostly it'll just be side stories of what the place is all about and important stuff I wish somebody told me about Davao in general.

Samal Island is actually called IGACOS or the Island Garden City of Samal. However, given that the main entry point to this island is Davao and that most tourists who go to Davao go here anyway, it's a given that it's included in my blog entries. So here goes my tips from me to you, ala-countdown, of how you can maximize your time if you're just staying in SAMAL for less than a day.

Tip # 1: Be familiar with the modes of transportation available
In reaching and going around samal, you have three options: 
Option 1- ride a banca or roro and ride habal-habal in going around the island(recommended)
*I recommend this because both "lantsas" and "roros" leave the babak port every fifteen minutes therefore its not a big deal if you miss the previous trip. Second, going to SAMAL on just one day is for those who wish to see the tourist spots and not lounge on the beach all day and given that motorcycles are the primary mode of transportation in the island, it's your best bet

Our view inside the lantsa otw to Samal

Option 2-ride a banca directly to your resort( good option for those who wish to stay in the resort and just relax)
*The primary advantage of this is that you feel a more "personalized" service but then again, it can come with a hefty price tag
Option 3- rent a van from davao city( such a buzz kill in my opinion and much more expensive)
*The rental fee ranges from 2500-3000 depending on your contact but I found it weird because when we were aboard the Roro, those who had four wheel transportation did not get off the vehicles anymore. Yes, You read it correctly. If you rented a van, you will be inside the van(engine turned on of course), but imagine how weird that feels that you are INSIDE A VAN WHILE RIDING A SHIP. FREAKIN' WEIRDEST 15 MINS OF YOUR LIFE.

Tip # 2: Leave as early as possible to accommodate delays
Given that Davao is the largest city in the country, travel time within the city may take longer than you think. From our hotel, we paid 15 pesos each for our jeepney fare and by Manila standards, we thought it would take less than 30 minutes but it took us close to an hour to reach the Sasa wharf.

Tip #3 Be familiar with the ports
Samal can be reached in two points-via Sasa wharf and Sta Ana Wharf. However, "Sasa" in Davao city actually refers to a long stretch- a kilometer or so- that faces the sea and so if you tell the jeepney driver/conductor ( like we did) to drop us in Sasa, he gave us a confused look and asked a ton of question on where we would alight specifically. As for Babak and Sta. Ana Wharf, Babak Wharf Sta. Babak Wharf caters to those who wish to access the northern and mid parts whereas Sta Ana wharf caters to passengers who wish to go to places closer to the southern tip of the island.

Tip #4 Hire a habal in advance if you can
There are actually plenty of habals in the ports but it was quite annoying to be surrounded by 5-10 men or so offering their services. I would have given you the cellphone number of the habal we hired(which we got from pinoyadventurista) but he lost his cell while he was with us and when I checked after a few days, I couldnt contact him, meaning he wasnt able to get it back.

Tip #5- Allot a looooooooooot of time in Maxima Aqua Fun if you're a waterbaby.
I give this place 5 stars!!!!! Their name is very apt- it was really all about aqua fun! ^_^
The all-in rate for weekdays was 250, and with that, we were allowed to use the giant slide unlimited,kayak unlimited, the trampoline(it was under repair at that time) and the canopy walk. The giant slide wasnt as scary as I thought it would be but after the first time, I didnt do it again because one mouthful of salty seawater was enough. What we enjoyed a lot was snorkeling and the kayak! 

This wide area on the side of the giant slide serves as the snorkeling and kayak area

Tip #6-Skip the beach altogether (if it's okay with you)
I put this tip at the very last because I know I'd get a lot of raised eyebrows but lemme tell you why
*From the research I've done, it seems that Pearl Farm has the best shore line in Samal, and for its price and distance from the ports, it's not worth it for people on a daytrip to this island
*The sand in other areas of Samal ranges from gray to white and our habal drivers actually brought us to a resort with good sand but the water was very shallow, we decided to just go ahead to Maxima first and it was the best decision we did. If I may compare, the sand was actually close to the sand in other white sand beaches but if you've been to Boracay, Palawan, Calaguas, Hundred Islands and the likes, you're not missing much.

All in all, our day trip to Samal was very tiring but nonetheless awesome, so don't miss out if ever you're in Davao. Until the next thought bubble!

Beautiful Samal as we were aboard the Roro