Tag Archives: cebu

Philippines, Travelinds

Moalboal Reef

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30 July 2014

Moalboal is one of the best dive spots in Cebu and arguably in the Philippines itself.  H not being a diver, we did a snorkel tour instead and were amazed at the breathtaking underwater world we discovered here.

There are reefs that run from beyond White Beach all the way around the Moalboal ‘islet’.  We snorkelled as Pescador island, near Talisay and in the fish sanctuary beyond Kasai Point. We saw sea kraits (large ones!), psychedelic schools of purple, orange, blue, yellow and green fish, stone fish, puffer fish, sea needles and also a whole lot of Green Turtles in various sizes, including one that was large enough for our boatman to sleep on!

We did an early snorkel tour 8am – 1pm to try and avoid the sun, wind and rain. It was a fantastic underwater experience with so much vibrant colour and life.  The coral in the Talisay reef was stunning and we couldn’t believe how many interesting little sea creatures we saw.

Our boat skipper was very helpful and made sure that we were in an easy position to enjoy the snorkelling without having to fight strong currents.  We tried to discourage him from touching the turtles (it seems some tourists enjoy when the turtles are brought to them to touch and take photographs) and eventually he realised that we frowned on him disturbing the creatures and left us to enjoy them in their natural environment.

Overall, a fantastic snorkelling day!

Moalboal Reef
Moalboal Reef
Philippines, Travelinds

Sea Turtle House, Moalboal

28 July 2014

Sea Turtle House
The ‘private swimming pool’ – step right out into the ocean.

Sea Turtle House, or STH as it is affectionately known by its owners Stefan and Nenita, is a charming beach lodge right on the edge of White Beach, Moalboal. It is surrounded by tropical vegetation and gives panoramic views of the Tanon Strait between Negros and Cebu in central Philippines. The rustic atmosphere coupled with a fresh sea breeze makes for an ideal beach getaway and we had a wonderful week of complete relaxation.

Named for the Green Sea Turtles that frequent the coastline (we literally saw sea turtles popping up for air every day the water was flat enough), Sea Turtle House has to be our new favourite holiday destination; it’s reasonably priced, offers great home-cooked meals from Arlene, a beautiful location and a stunning reef to snorkel only 100m off shore. Check out more information at the Sea Turtle House Dive Adventure website.  It is also only a short walk from the long, white, sandy beach.

Sea Turtle House
Looking out over Moalboal reef.

What to expect: 

Hammocks, bamboo cabanas, sun loungers, air-conditioned rooms, tropical garden, stunning coral reef that runs from white beach all the way out past Panagsama towards the acclaimed Pescador Island, a great dive spot, home-cooked meals, scrumptious bacon breakfasts and lots of sunshine. Also, massages, snorkel tours and tuk-tuk trips in to Panagsama (for other restaurants) or Moalboal for groceries, are available on request.

Getting here:

Situated on the west coast of Cebu, it is less than a 3 hour taxi ride from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.  We flew directly into Cebu (Cebu Pacific/Air Asia X are the best low cost airlines for this) and then jumped straight in to a (white) taxi in front of the ‘Departures’. It cost us 2,500 pesos (US$ 58) for a three hour taxi ride – well worth it for two to four passengers! STH can also arrange an airport transfer for you for around the same price.

Tips:

Sea Turtle House1.If you go in the rainy season (June to November), even though a little rain can be expected all year round, then it is much quieter but be prepared for some rainy days of reading a book on your bamboo porch. or under the cabana.  We even had a typhoon pass by us during our stay here (July 2014), but the following day we had glorious sunshine and got thoroughly sunburnt on our (absolutely awesome) snorkel tour.

2. There are some basic rooms and others with kitchenettes. We upgraded when we arrived and it was great being able to prepare little snacks, tea or light meals for ourselves using our groceries from Moalboal town and the fruit market.

3. We requested massages, manicures and pedicures in our rooms on some of the rainy days and were sent an angel, named DaDa, who appeared to relieve all the stress and anxiety from our weary bodies. She was amazing, truly! And her rates were more than reasonable too – for an hour long full-body massage and also a great mani-pedi. She is a mother of four and a beauty school student so I’m sure your small financial contributions will be greatly appreciated in her life, especially for what you get out of the deal (a fantastic massage and the gift of giving back).

Read more…
  • About Panagsama (the neighbouring tourist area with hotels, restaurants and dive centers) here.
  • STH reviews on TripAdvisor before you book on Agoda.com
Philippines, Travelinds

Anthurium Inn

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Anthurium Inn, Mactan Island

Cebu, The Philippines

Having booked an early flight for the following morning, we decided to stay overnight in a cheap motel near the Mactan International Airport in Cebu.  We checked a couple places on Agoda.com and decided on Anthurium Inn for its good reviews and reasonable rates.

When we finally did get to Anthurium Inn, we were glad it was clean and that our booking was handled smoothly.  We grabbed some supper from the little market place down the road and ate it on the roof of the motel which looks down over Mactan airport.  There is WiFi on the roof as well as a few hammocks and chairs where you can relax.

The motel shuttle took us to the airport the following morning after an early breakfast and it only took about 15 minutes, at 95 pesos (for both of us). Anthurium Inn is on TripAdvisor.

Getting there:

When we caught a taxi from Pier 1 (Cebu City) we advised the driver that it was on Mactan airport road and showed him the google maps stills we had prepared to find the motel. We agreed on 250 pesos (a taxi from the airport to Pier 1 is usually about 220 pesos) and set off.

The driver promptly took us to the area just before the airport (instead of behind the airport as agreed) and then asked a few people where to find Anthurium Inn.  When he eventually did figure out where to go, he refused to take us any further unless we paid more money. We argued that we had already agreed on the price and had been very clear about the location to which he had originally agreed. We refused to pay and were told we had better find another taxi then (a play to make us feel guilty and give in to his demands, which unfortunately for him, did not go as he had hoped it might when we got out and found another taxi without paying him).

The next taxi driver charged us 250 pesos to get from just outside the airport (where we were left behind) to Anthurium Inn (about fifteen minutes drive around to the back of the airport). What a nightmare!

Anyway, the owner of Anthurium advised us for next time to tell the taxi to head for Bigfoot (a big white building on the main road) on the Mactan highway road that goes around the back of the airport. Turn right onto the first biggish road after Bigfoot. Anthurium Inn is just a little way along that road.

Philippines, Travelinds

Bohol Country Tour

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21 January 2014

The Bohol “Country Tour” is a standard tour offered by most travel agents (private and franchised) for exploring the inland attractions of Bohol island.  Most tour agents you speak to (willingly or not) will show you the same brochures and quote you the same starting price for this tour.

The tour we settled on was for just the two of us, going to:

  • The Blood Compact statue
  • Baclayon church
  • Loboc River Cruise for lunch
  • Chocolate Hills complex
  • Butterfly Farm
  • Tarsier Sanctuary

We travelled in an air-conditioned van and our tour guide was very professional and knowledgeable about all the attractions that we went to see.  We declined going to the zip-lining and the zoo as we wanted to spend unlimited time at the Tarsier Sanctuary, which was one of our main reasons for travelling to Bohol itself.

Blood Compact
The Blood Compact Statue – a statue dedicated to the pact made between the people of Bohol and the Spanish.
Baclayon Church
Baclayon Church – a very old, very large church which at the time (Feb 2014) had been very badly damaged by the earthquake in October 2013. It is beautiful. Stained-glass windows, large stones etc and there is a museum inside.
Loboc River Cruise
Loboc River Cruise – 450 pesos each will get you a ride on a boat and a buffet lunch, for two hours. The river is a fantastic turquoise colour and the scenery along the way is serene. We saw a couple of colourful birds like kingfishers, a monitor lizzard, a water buffalo and some small houses.
Chocolate Hills Complex
Chocolate Hills complex – the famous landmark of Carmen, Bohol. A must-see for its World Heritage status. The hills turn brown (like chocolate) in the summer because the intense heat kills the grass. They stretch as far as the eye can see, 360 degrees. The viewing platform was severely damaged due to the earthquake but a temporary one is in place.
Butterfly Farm
Butterfly Farm – this was a fun little detour into a butterfly sanctuary. The guide we were assigned to at the butterfly farm was a lively character who even magically transformed us into butterflies ourselves! The homemade ice-cream bars here are delicious!

 

Tarsier Sanctuary
Tarsier Sanctuary – the highlight of my holiday to Bohol was finally meeting the tiny Philippine tarsiers. Cute, furry and nocturnal, it was worth the effort to catch a glimpse and a few photos of these incredible creatures. We’re proud to have supported the conservation efforts for these endangered animals in some way. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a very interesting day with so much to see and admire. The earthquake damage reminded us of the devastation that this community had to endure only a few months before our holiday and it was good to see the work that has gone in to rebuilding and moving forward.

TIP: Ask your guide to stop at the Bilsar Public Market on your way to/from Chocolate Hills complex.  Look for ladies selling sayre (rice bamboo treats) in small plastic bags.  These are DELICIOUS! Our guide stops there every tour day to buy himself some of these snacks.  It is like sweet&herb rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves (about 5 cm long).  A real local delicacy. Try it!

Read more about Bohol here.

Buy Local

This was the Loboc church before and after the earthquake.  The damage to the interior part of the island is extensive and rebuilding is slow.  Supporting the tour guides and spending money on ‘silly tourist’ things like the River Cruise and the Butterly Farm will help boost the local economy as they rebuild homes, businesses and lives affected after the earthquake of October 2013.

Bohol church beforeBohol church after

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Bohol Tours

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20 January 2014

While staying at Alona Beach (Panglao Island, Bohol), we booked a snorkel tour and a country tour with one of the local tour agents (the ones who walk around bugging you all the time).  We had priced a few and settled on one that we were happy to support.  Toto gave us a good deal for two days (one day snorkel tour, one day country tour) and agreed to all the little details that we insisted were deal-breakers (we needed snorkel equipment, guaranteed air-conditioned van, only two of us on our boat and in the van etc)

The tours were great fun and helped us to see a good deal of Bohol’s attractions that we may not have got to had we tried to wander around on our own.

The standard tour choices available all over Bohol are:

  • Country Tour:
    • Choose all or some: Zip-line, Tarsiers, Chocolate hills, Butterfly farm, Lunch River Cruise Loboc, Baclayon church, Blood Compact statue, Zoo and a few other little stops.

Toto was true to his word (but only because we insisted that he sort things out before we got on the boat – like there was no snorkel equipment?) and overall, we had a very enjoyable two days. The driver on our country tour was Toto’s cousin/friend and he was a wonderful tour guide and great conversationalist.  He was so professional and that made all the difference to us getting the most out of the day.

The total cost for both days (for two people, excluding lunches) was 2,000 pesos (about $45 US) but don’t let that stop you from bargaining with the vendor.  You will also have to pay extras for all the entrance fees during the country tour and buy lunches (ask about the cost of the attractions before you decide on which ones you would like to do).  To be honest, the “extras” didn’t come to that much either.

If you only have a couple days in Bohol, I highly recommend that you do these two tours, especially if seeing the main attractions on the island is one of your priorities.

Philippines, Travelinds

Tawala Beach

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19 January 2014

Tawala beach is one of the quieter beaches on Panglao Island, Bohol.  It is right next to the main beach, Alona, which is where the majority of tourists gather to enjoy the long white beach, restaurants, tour departure points and a large variety of accommodation. We chose to stay at a quieter location for our first week in Bohol, as we prefer peace and quiet to the buzz of the central tourist spots.

Tawala BeachThe lodge we booked was called Nova Beach Resort (Nova Beach Club) and it is situated on Tawala beach.  As H was sick with flu for a few days, it was the perfect place to relax, swim, read and sleep. There are hammocks overlooking the ocean, a deserted sandy beach, plenty of comfortable couch space with a view and air-conditioned rooms for muggy nights.  We slept, ate and relaxed here (and recovered from flu) and by the end of the week were feeling more than ready to take on our forthcoming five week travelling vacation.

We stayed in the basic rooms at the back of the lodge (small room, two single beds, simple furnishing, en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning) and were very comfortable.  There are also deluxe rooms and villas available.  It would be a great place for honeymooners to enjoy some time to themselves.

There are dive tours available (just ask at the front desk) and we read reviews that when there are large groups of divers or Japanese tourists (the owner is Japanese), it can sometimes get a bit rowdy at the resort.  Our own experience, however, was of a tranquil atmosphere and we had plenty of time and space to ourselves for the week.

tumblr_inline_n4l3skCJBa1rg4d7lIf you want a night out or a change of scenery, you can get to Alona beach by tuk-tuk, motorbike, the shuttle van or even walking (if you’re fit and don’t mind sweating A LOT). These charged anywhere between 40 pesos and 300 pesos depending on your bargaining skills. When we changed hotels at the end of the week, we took our bags (we usually only travel with hand luggage) and each hopped on to the back of a motorbike – it was cheaper, and faster than taking the trike.

There is no entertainment on this stretch of beach so don’t expect any restaurants, tours or boats.  The advantage is that it is also free of tourists, pesky tour agents, vendors and noisy speedboats.  It is a beautiful big bay where you can swim and snorkel, before retreating into the shade of one of the low hanging trees on the beach.  Then take an afternoon nap on one of the hammocks or couches with a view before tucking in to a scrumptious dinner in the airy dining room.  The swimming pool area also has a few sun-loungers and private massage booths too.

We hope to return to Nova Beach Resort some day soon! It felt like our own stretch of private beach on a paradise island.

Check out reviews on TripAdvisor and make a booking on Agoda.com

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Alona Beach

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18 January 2014

Alona Beach is a lively stretch of white sand located on Panglao Island, Bohol. There are a large variety of hotels, lodges and dive centres, restaurants, tours and vendors available in this area.  It is a central tourist point for Bohol visitors and as such, there are a great number of tour agents looking for give you the deal of a lifetime.

Roberto's Resort
Roberto’s Resort

We spent one week here (after first exploring a quieter beach, Tawala) and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  The busy beach lane matched the boat traffic in the bay, but there was always a decent spot to sunbathe and to swim. There are quite a few nice restaurants too, which meant that we could enjoy a bit of variety in our chosen meals.

Not having booked any hotels, we went to search for somewhere for one night before deciding on a place for the rest of the week.  We booked into a very cute little roadside lodge called Roberto’s Resort (a good kilometer’s walk from the beach), and the next day then moved into Playa Blanca (Birdwatcher’s) Hotel, which was right on the beach.

Roberto’s was a great find with charming staff and large clean rooms, although it was a little too far from the beach for us with R having a bad ankle.

Alona Beach Sunrise
Sunrise, right outside our room at Playa Blanca Birdwatcher’s Hotel

Had we been in perfect health, we may have stayed at Roberto’s for the whole week and enjoyed a walk down to the beach everyday.

 

Playa Blanca (Birdwatcher’s Hotel) gave us a good rate for five nights and it was right on the beach.  It is just a couple of rooms and villas located a few metres off the White Beach and owned by the same Australians that run the pub-restaurant next door to the lodge.  We took the room in the building right behind the bar (Room 2?) and were a little concerned that it might be too noisy at night.  We found, however, that the loud music from the bar carries out to sea rather than finding its way to the back of the bar and so the building insulates the sounds rather well.

Our recommended restaurants for the week were: Aquatica, Trudi’s and Alona Pizza/Burger.  Trudi’s breakfasts were especially delicious.  There are so many other restaurants too that we didn’t have time to try (especially the seafood speciality ones).

Getting here: 

  • After travelling from Cebu to Bohol, take a taxi or trike from the Tagbiliran Harbour.
  • Our trike ride from the Tagbiliran Harbour cost 300 pesos and took approximately 45 minutes to Alona, over an hour to Nova Beach Club.
  • To and from Tawala Beach (where Nova Beach Club is located), a motorbike costs about 50 pesos (1 passenger)

Read more about Snorkel Tour, Country Tour, Tarsiers and Tawala Beach.

Breakfast
Our daily breakfasts at Trudi’s were a definite highlight at Alona beach.

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Turtle Sunset

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New Year’s Eve 

Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines

A week in Moalboal was the perfect end to an exciting year of new experiences.  The Czech In resto provided a scrumptious sunset dinner of fresh seared Red Snapper and Tuna fillets – with a spectacular view of Panagsama Bay.

As the sun sank below the horizon, we watched the exquisite colours dancing across the sky.  Turtles popped their heads above the glassy water of the bay to take a breath and the swallows gathered to flit in great numbers from one side to other, as is their customary behavior around this time of the day.

Another daily scene was the groups of local children who swam and played together in the ocean, jumping off boats, paddling around the bay and having a whale of a time; while also entertaining the tourists looking on from the restaurant decks that jut out over the water.

As the sunset faded and night fell on 2013, a white yacht sailed into the bay and anchored for the night.  This was one of the most beautiful New Year’s Eve experiences I’ve had in a long time. What a perfect ending to a happy year!

Philippines, Travelinds

Panagsama to Kasai

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27 December 2013

Feeling adventurous, we took a walk one afternoon from Panagsama towards the Kasai Resort pier. We wanted to explore the coastline and possibly get to White Beach (although, we were totally oblivious to how far along the coastline White Beach actually is and the fact that it is not accessible except by the inland road).

We set off along the rugged coastline climbing over quite a few ‘private’ walls and jetties which separate each property from the next. The rocks were jagged and slippery and the rising tide was steadily making our chosen path impossible.  We pushed ahead, over coconut dumps, a sewerage river, sharp rocks, half-built walls, private property and scratchy plants and finally, as we reached the Kasai resort pier, were unable to go any further. This was after climbing up and down rock faces and sliding on our bottoms in certain places.

Along the way we’d seen half-broken bamboo huts, a couple of goats, some naked children cliff jumping into the ocean, a kingfisher and a lot of crabs and cowrie shells!

Disappointed that we were still nowhere near White Beach and unable to go back the way we came due to the tide (and lack of motivation to repeat the rigmorol in the ensuing rain) we headed back to Panagsama on the inland road from the resort. It must have been at least a two kilometre walk back to Panagsama (in the lightish rain), which took us through lazy villages and groups of local children playing in the streets.  The rain was a welcome change in temperature and it was great to get a taste of local life for an afternoon.

We never did walk to White Beach. Moalboal 1, Travelinds 0.

Funny moment:

A couple of children followed us for a while down the road asking us all the questions in their limited English vocabulary. Questions like “What’s your name?”, “Where are you from?”, “What’s your bride’s name?” etc

We’d noticed that this friendliness is present in all Filipinos we pass on the roads, but especially the toddlers who wave energetically and call out greetings as tourists pass by. We were busy discussing whether this is ‘just being friendly’ or if they ‘wanted something’ in return when one tiny mite piped up behind us, “Ok, give me money,please” at which all the others took up the mantra in turn to bring their point home.

(Unfortunately for them though, we don’t carry much money with us if we can possibly help it – safety first!)

Moalboal 0. Travelinds 1.
Philippines, Travelinds

Chilling in Panagsama, Moalboal

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26 December 2013

There was a welcome break for one week over New Year’s, so we jetted off to Cebu for the week on a $200 return flight (Air Asia X) direct from Incheon International Airport to Mactan International Airport.

A three hour air-conditioned taxi ride later (at 2000 pesos, shared between four tourists we managed to round up) we arrived at Panagsama, Moalboal.  On the way back we took the local bus back to the Cebu City South Bus Terminal (open windows, less than 200 pesos, 4 hours) and enjoyed it much more than the crazy taxi driving. And then took a taxi from the bus terminal to the airport (220 pesos).

Sumisid lodge was everything we had hoped for and was well worth the trip.  With clean rooms and cosy facilities, it is a lovely little place with its own strip of beach sand and snorkelling spots right off the shore.  There are tables, chairs, sofas and beach loungers available and the adjacent dive center offers alternative activites, as well as motorbike hire options.  The breakfast options at Sumisid Lodge were great and the american breakfast (with REAL, crispy bacon) was our main preference for the week.

As this was a week between the end of semester and English Winter Camps, we literally did nothing for the entire six days. Two novels, a nice tan, plenty of delicious food and a lot of sleep left us feeling completely refreshed and ready to head back to work the next week.

We did take a walk along the coastline from Panagsama towards White Beach, but could only get as far as the Kasai Resort (read more here).  We didn’t do the trip to the nearby waterfall, or snorkel, or do any other ‘day trips’ that can be done to other parts of Cebu. We did take a short motorbike trip one morning to see White Beach, but after seeing our accomodation options (New Year’s week is quite full so not much was available), we quickly retreated back to Panagsama to lounge around at Sumisid lodge. Next time!

Panagsama strip is a great place for restaurant choice too and top three were:

1. Czech In (European cooking, fine-dining, high price) – try “fish of the day” and the tuna steak. The desserts were really delicious too!

2. The Pleasure Principle Resto (Mixed cuisine, reasonably priced) – great for lunches and excellent mango shakes!

3. Chilli Bar (Mixed cuisine, reasonably priced) – don’t miss out on sunset drinks and dinner to look over the bay at the turtles popping up all around.

Panagsama really impressed us with its chilled out vibe, friendly locals,reasonably priced restaurants and lodges and the many options to either relax or do a range of different activities.  We definitely hope to be back there soon!

Philippines, Travelinds

Turtle Point and Virgin Island

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22 January 2014

Balicasag Island

Part of our snorkel tour included a couple of hours at Balicasag Island (off the coast of Bohol).  We started out with snorkelling and then headed on to the deserted stretch of beach in front of the island lodge to wile away a few hours of sunshine.

Balicasag Island has a tiny local population most of whom thrive off the tourism to the island by selling trinkets and running the small local food stalls where tourists can grab a bite to eat.  There is also a lodge on the island which looked quite peaceful. It is a very small island and you could walk around it in under an hour. There are shallow reefs right off the beach which means you have to take a boat out to the drop-off to be able to snorkel.

This is, of course, another money grabbing scheme (not only to ‘protect the reefs’) because you need to pay a local boy to take you out to the spot on his tiny boat.  He supervises you and then returns you to the shore where you can go back to your original speedboat.  We had to pay the boatman to take us out to turtle point (he rows) in this TINY two man boat (three of us) against a very strong current. Interesting, and fun.  And we were happy to be supporting his monumental efforts at transporting at least 160kgs of us to the Turtle Point.  It didn’t look that far, but it took a long time to row out there.

The snorkelling choices here were one of three places (we could do more than one if we paid an additional fee per snorkel spot). We chose to go to “Turtle Point” as it seemed the least likely spot to be filled with boatloads of tourists. As we had hoped, we were the only ones snorkelling there, probably due to the very strong currents that abound off that particular point.  H held on to the boat for a while to try and stay in one place longer to admire the underwater beauty and R managed to read the currents a little better.

The main thing is that we actually swam with turtles, H for the first time, and we saw at least 15 turtles altogether.  It was super exciting! Turtles are really the most graceful creatures and despite looking like slow-pokes, it was impossible to keep up with them. It was an amazing experience!

Virgin Island

Virgin Island

The next stop on the island hopping tour was Virgin Island (it’s nickname only) and this was truly one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen.  White sand and the bluest water colour of any bay I’ve seen around the world – it is so difficult to describe that clear-sparkling-blue-cobalt-turquoise-perfection!

The island has no shade whatsoever, so take suncream, hats and sarongs to cover yourself.  You can walk across a shallow sandbank to a mini island with a few mangrove trees.  Be careful, the sun is hot and the walk is way longer than it looks! Dodge the sea urchins and marvel at the beautiful pansy shells and starfish that lie strewn across this stretch of sand.

It was the perfect place to end the day with an afternoon snack of bananas and bread rolls our well-deserved reward for reaching the other side of the sandbank. Stunning!