How to Get There: from Silay Airport take a Van to Silay (P50 Fare a Person) then take a bus going to Cadiz Viejo. We took the bus that goes to Escalante since it passes by Cadiz. Tell the Conductor to drop you off at Cadiz Viejo. Or just say you are going to Lakawon (P49 Non Aircon Ceres Bus). You will be dropped off at Martesan. At Martesan board a tricycle. Say you are going to Lakawon (P120 Fare). At the Pier go to the ticketing office. Register first so you can get your Queue Number. Then go to the Cashier to Pay for the Boat Fare/Entrance Fee/Terminal Fee (P310 Person). Wait until your number is called and you can board the boat.
Often overlooked, Southern Leyte has beaches which can rival the more well known beaches in the Country. An Attraction that Southern Leyte can be proud of is Canigao Island in Matalom. First how to get to Matalom and then Canigao.
HOW TO GET TO CANIGAO
- From Tacloban go to Van Van’s Terminal or Go to Tacloban’s Main Terminal
- Board a Van for Maasin City via BayBay.
- Tell the driver to drop you off at Matalom Plaza, Fare is P200 for the 3.5 Hour Journey.
- At the Matalom Plaza you can just walk going to the port for Canigao. The port is just located Beside where the Statue in the Plaza is located. It is just a few steps away.
- At the port you will have to pay 40 pesos (Entrance Fee) for each adult.
- Boat fare is P65. The boat will not leave until the Minimum Number of passengers has been reached. Minimum is 25 or a Total of P1625. The price is already Round Trip. If it is a Weekend, Chances are that it might take a long time before the 25 is met so you can just pay for the Minimum if you want to get to the Island. Travel time to the Island is 20 Minutes.
- You can rent a Very Basic Room for P1500. Basic means a Bathroom (No Flush), No Hot Shower, No TV. The room has 2 Double Deckers and a Fan.
- You can also rent a Tent for P200 plus P100 for the space or bring your own Tent.
- Cottages can also be rented, just bring your Blankets and pillows.
WHAT TO DO IN CANIGAO
- SWIM – Canigao’s Water is Crystal Clear. Perfect to Swim ALL DAY. I enjoyed swimming in Canigao that i did not notice that i already spent hours in the beach.
- SNORKELLING – Just bring your own Gear as they do not have any for rent in Canigao.
- EAT – Food is CHEAP in Canigao. Just go to the Market and see what is Available. Do Not Expect any fancy dishes to be prepared. Basically they can grill, steam, fry and make soup dishes. Also bring your own Utensils and Dishes and bowls. As they just make do with Empty Ice Cream containers for Containers.
- EXPLORE THE ISLAND – Go around the Island and check out other parts aside from the Main Area.
- JUST RELAX – Sleep all day if you want. Canigao Is the perfect place to REST, just dont go on a WEEKEND as the Island can be filled with people.
There are several options to get to Camiguin. The easiest though but the most expensive is via Cebu.
1. Via Cebu – Take a Cebu Pacific Flight from Mactan. Departing at 6am. Only 1 flight per day so have a plan b and c if flight gets cancelled.
2. Via Bohol – from Jagna there is a Ferry which goes to Camiguin though schedule is not daily.
3. Via Butuan – from Balingoan port there is a ferry which goes to Benoni. Fare is P170 plus P2 and P15 Terminal Fee. There is a ferry every hour. Last trip at 430pm.
4. Via CDO – from Balingoan port also.
*Our flight to Camiguin was cancelled so i just asked our flight to be rerouted to Butuan. From Butuan Airport we walked to the Highway (Just across the Airport) and hailed a Bachelor Express bus bound for Cagayan de Oro. I just told conductor we will be going to Balingoan. Fare is P215 for the 2 hr 30 mins trip. You will be dropped off at the Terminal which is just a few mins walk (around 2 to 3). Buy your tickets there for Benoni.
1. ANGUIB BEACH
2. PUNTA VERDE in PALAUI ISLAND
3. CAPE ENGANO LIGHTHOUSE
4.
While waiting for a Gadget we had fixed we saw Grand Duchess Cafe. There was just 1 person inside when we went inside. After settling on one of the tables i went to the Yoghurt Machines. I checked the flavors andwent to the Cashier. I ordered the ₱155 Cup plus a Strawberry Creamcheese Donut.
The Creamcheese Donut was served first. It was quite good. Next the Yoghurt was delivered, i was surprised at how BIG the serving was. It looked delicious but it ends there as i spoon of the yoghurt was my last.
I first knew about Hijo Resort via their FB Page, the resort looked great from the pics but did not like that their beach was black sand. Then when i went to the Travel Fair, the resort had a booth. I was a bit hesitant on booking but the Sales Girl did such a good job on convincing me that i booked their 3Nights for 2 promo. When i got home i thought to myself that i probably made a wrong decision of booking 3 nights as i do not usually stay that long in a resort. I got an email from the resort confirming my reservation after a few days. The day before of my stay i got an email from the resort confirming my arrival time. On the day of my arrival the Van of the Resort picked us up at the Airport. The Trip to the resort took an hour. When i saw rows upon rows of Banana trees i knew we were near the resort. Now onto my review of the resort.
Location: the Resort is located in Tagum, 60kms away from Davao City. The resort is located inside a Banana Plantation. I do not know how to get to Tagum since we did not have our own Transportation but it can probably be arranged.
Check In: Check in is done at the Tourist Center. You will first stop there to Register then you will be brought to your room via the Van you boarded. Check In was fast & friendly. Not all activities were explained though. This is what they should improve on, or put a list of activities one can do in the room.
The Casita: I got the Aircon Casita (or the Premium Casita). It is a modern Bungalow with filipino touches. There is a wooden deck around the Casita which gives it a warmer look. The Premium Casita is BIG. It has a king Size bed, a Sofa Bed with a pull out bed. A Dining Table for 2, a Sofa which can also be used as a bed, A Mini Bar with electric kettle, coffee/tea set, an Empty Mini Ref, a 32″ LED TV. The Casita has glass sliding doors wrapped at a corner of the Casita. You can open the Glass Sliding door and pull up the screen door if you want fresh air. There are a lot of Mosquitoes or small flying insects (common in areas with a lot of plants/trees) at night so do not forget to close the doors and windows, this is common in a place with lots of trees so do not expect the place to be mosquitoe or insect free. Bring Off Lotion.
The Bathroom: very spacious bathroom. The shower area is big. Water is via centralized heater. Toilet unfortunately has no Bidet. There is a big cabinet and inside is their Mini Safe (you need to contact them if you need to use it). Shampoo, Conditioner, shower gel, dental kit, cotton buds provided.
The Food: for food you have 2 options. The Spot and the Restaurant. The food served at both restaurants was very good. During some days they only have buffet for dinner. Their breakfast is very good too, their corned beef breakfast is particularly delicious. They boast of Farm to Table concept so you are assured of what you are eating. I was not expecting the food to be soo good. I did not taste a bad dish during my 3 nights stay.
At the Spot you can go fishing first and then give your catch to their staff to be cooked (Cooking Charge is P250). We were able to sample the ff at The Spot. This is a beautiful place to have lunch.
Fried Bangus (Milk Fish): this was a delicious dish. The Milk Fish was fried to perfection. The skin was crispy while the meat was soft.
Sinigang na Bangus: another delicious dish. It was soured just right.
At the Restaurant we got to taste the following:
Corned Beef Breakfast Set:
Activities: the Acitivities you can partake of while in Hijo Estates. Plantation Tour & Forest Tour (300) and River Cruise (500), use of Kayak, paddle board, water trampoline, mountain bike, banana boat, archery, target shooting, tennis court, horseback riding. They also have Axe Throwing and Knife throwing. Swimming at the Pool or Beach.
Service: It was fast, efficient and friendly. The Manager or whoever is responsible for training the Staff did a good job at it. Staff who did more than a good job where Mario of the Spot, Jun the Forest Ranger / Archery Guy, Joan of Housekeeping, Robert the Driver. The guides(who were also the staff at the tourist center)
during the forest tour and plantation tour were both knowledgeable and friendly.
Overall: it was a stay which i enjoyed immensely. From the food to the service to the accomodation everything suited to my satisfaction. I will definitely be back.
The other day we were supposed to eat at another restaurant along Lilac Street but when we arrived at the Restaurant it was still closed and so we ended up at the nearest restaurant we could find.
The Restaurant that caught my attention was Dapo at Tisa. Formerly an Old House and repurposed into a Restaurant. There were a lot of Diners at Dapo at Tisa when we arrived and that was good.
Staff were friendly at Dapo at Tisa. We were asked how many we were. We seated ourselved at a big table for 6 (we were just 3). The Menu of Dapo at Tisa looked like what i would usually eat at home.
There were so many choices. Since i was reducing my intake of meat i concentrated on the fish dishes. We ordered the following, Prichon, Sigarilyas, Adobong Hito sa Gata, grilled blue marlin, cucumber lemonade and Dapo Secret.
Our order arrived after a few minutes. The first to arrive was the prichon. It consisted of 7 pcs of Lechon wrapped in wrapper. It was delicious!! I wish i could have ordered more. This is a MUST order.
Next to arrive was the Sigarilyas. This too was delicious. The Sigarilyas was just cooked right. Just love how this dish tasted.
Located in Don Pedro Street (Beside Z Hostel and near Mini Stop in Barangay Poblacion, Makati.
We went to Bucky’s to buy Brownies (Not A Brownie! According to them) for my Nephew. We ended up buying more than just Brownies. Bucky’s is just a small hole in the wall boasting of warm interiors. Their Brownies are displayed in the counter, you can choose from there what you want. Packaging of Bucky’s is Unique and instead of putting your brownies in a Paper Bag or Plastic Bag they are put inside Nylon Bags.
I also bought a Cone of their Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream and it was just delicious. A Must Try!
My Sister also bought their Swedish Meat Ball with Warm Potato Salad and it was very good.
Service at Bucky’s was fast, efficient and friendly. They even offered us water even if we just ordered take-out.
BTW if you are staying at Z Hostel you get a 10% Discount just by showing your room key.
Location: located in Sabang Beach. Near the port going to the Underground River. Sheridan Resort is nearby.
Check In: Fast, Friendly and Efficient. We were given a Welcome drink and a towelette to freshen up.
The Cottage: I got the Deluxe A Cottage. Very very nice! Loved the Warmth provided by the Wooden Floors and Windows. Just love the Windows. The Cottage is Big, it has a King Sized Bed, a 24″ TV with DVD, Stocked Mini Bar, tea and coffee making set. A Sofa is located in front of the bed. The Cottage faces the Sea and is just a few steps away from the beach. The Cottage has a Balcony where you can just rest the whole day and let the day just pass by.
The Food: Food at the Resort is quite expensive BUT Delicious! The included breakfast buffet was good too.
The Beach: Sabang is Wide and Long. When Lowtide the Water is quite far away. Water is clean and clear. I really enjoyed the Beach.
thepinoybyahero 