Cebu is not only famous for their beautiful water falls, food, and beaches. You will also find the biggest known fish in the world in Tanawan Oslob in the southern part of Cebu. To have a close encounter with this gentle giant creatures you will have to register, then listen to the orientation, and pay for Php500.00 if you're a local tourist, or Php 1,000.00 for foreigners.
Here are some of the photos I took;
Just a few minutes away, and we're ready to jump!
Fishermen feeding the whale sharks.
The closest encounter I had with the biggest fish in the world. Located in Tanawan Oslob Cebu.
If you're going to South, or coming from South of Cebu, you should drive thru their famous Lechon. It is located on the back portion of their Market building. My tip before you buy, ask for free taste from all stall. Don't worry some vendors there would even offer it to you before you even ask. Carcar is also famous for their chicharon, sandals and bags, and ampaw so you may want to stop by there as well.
Here are some of the photos I took while passing through Carcar Cebu;
It was almost 6pm when we pass through Carcar from Samboan. The photo is taken at the Carcar circle.
Carcar Market place. Back portion near the lechonan area.
The Lechonan area in the back portion of Carcar Public Market
After swimming with the Whale Shark in Oslob, and Food trip and chill in Blue Water Island resort in Sumilon, you're probably tired and just want to chill while watching the sunset. The best place to do that is in Samboan Fantasy lodge. You'll have a full wide view of the sunset and a very quiet environment. You'll absolutely love the place for just chillin and chill some more.
Here are the some of the photos I took;
This is the view from the back of the resort.
Stairs going to the beach.
Kawa Hot Bath.
The actual KAHA.
Fantasy Lodge has also a Dome room.
Sunset view. That big island in front is the Negros Island.
Swimming pool. Unfortunately there's no separate swimming pool for kids.
What to expect in Blue Water Resorts Sumilon Island Oslob
Another destination you don't want to miss when going South of Cebu is the famous Blue Water resort in Sumilon Island. They don't just serve good food, they have several activities in store for you too. You can go Fish feeding, Kayak, and more... The Php 1,500 day use rate is so worth it!
Visit their website for more information.
Here are some of the photos I took while we were there.
So it was Monday morning... I was about to go to ALA boxing gym to work out, when my friend sent me a text message saying they have plan to go to Balamban for a Halo-halo trip. I always do boxing work out every Sunday aftetrnoon or monday morning, so I thought this would be something new from my routine.
We met up at the Shell Gasoline station in Lahug. Around 9am, we decided to start our journey to Balamban halo-halo. I've traveled to Balamban several times already, so the curve and winding road is not new to me. I enjoyed the view of the mountains in the Trancentral highway, but nothing beats feeling the cold wind.
We did a stop over at the famous Felix Berto's burger ( famous for mc riders).
I had a coffee, while my buddies had a sweet corn.
I thought after the Felix berto stop over, we will be heading home but we went ahead to Balamban.
Balamban is not only famous for their Liempo. They have the best Halohalo too. It is located near the Bus terminal, right just behind their Public market.
If you happen to pass by Balamban, have a quick stop for this Halohalo. You won't regret it.
We got off from Cebu International Airport at around 6pm. We arrived in NAIA around 7:30pm, then went straight to Pasay Partas bus station 8:00pm. We booked a special trip ticket which will take us all the way to Laoag Partas bus station. We choose the special trip because it will only stop at the terminal. The bus left at around 9pm. I was amazed with the big buildings around Metro Manila and realized that Cebu has still a long way to catch up with the progressive capital city of the country.
We travel for more or less 8 hours and arrived in Laoag at around 5:30 am. Our contracted travel and tours agency sent a van to pick us up in the bus station. The driver was already there waiting for us when we arrived, then took us to our hotel. At around 9 am kuya bong the driver was already in our hotel for our Pagudpud tour.
We went first to Cape bojeador Lighthouse, then Kapurpurawan Rock formation, then to Bangui Windmills, and we had stop over for lunch at Saud Beach. I thought it would be our last destination for the day but I was wrong because there would be two more long ride. I was already tired but when I saw the beautiful beach of Blue Lagoon, I was energized. If you have read my previous blogs you'll know how much I love to be in the beach. It was really nice there, the sand and the calm beach is perfect for free diving. Again, I thought it would be our last travel destination for that day, but I was wrong because after that we went to Bantay Abot Cave. It was a cave shaped by the nature of waves and sands. Then we went to Kabigan Falls. As per kuya bong it is "hashtag wala lang.. " Literally, it looks like an ordinary water falls to me.
And that's how our day 1 tour ended. I felt like it was the longest day of my life ever. I even ended up with a fever that night, but it was still fun!
Day 2 is extreme
Around 5:30 am the Laoag Sand dune driver was already waiting in the hotel lobby. I literally have no idea what will happen in this Sand dune thing. I didn't research about it because I thought what we're going to is just a relax, picture taking vacation.
When we arrived at the location, I was like saying to myself, "really?, I never expected this!". It was a mountain of sands and mepo told me we will be standing at the back of the big tire jeep and we have to hold on tight or we will be thrown away to the sands. I was not ready for it, but the challenge is here so bring it on!
There's no picture or video can express the feeling I felt while there. A mixed excitement about the adventure, and worry about my mepo because her head is really heavy if you know what I mean. After the "roller coaster like ride" we had sand boarding.
Again, I didn't know we were up to that, so challenge accepted! Chim is really good at it like a pro. Mepo is good as well, changing the sand boarding to seat boarding. But she took the challenge without hesitation. Brave mepo.
After that, fever strikes in again. After we arrived at the hotel to fixed ourselves, kuya bong pick us up and took us to for the Laoag travel tour.
Laoag and Vigan tour is full of historic site visit
Our first stop was the Malacananang ti Amianan. Unfortunately, I was not feeling well, so I just stayed at the van. Next stop is Paoay Church, then Marcos Mausoleum. The sorround sound is really scary in there. Then we went straight to Vigan Tour.
Vigan is one of the 7 wonder cities in the world. People there were able to preserve the structures which is part the history of the Philippines when we were colonize by the Spaniards. The most famous street was the Crisologo Museum, and the Heritage Village. We also went to Burnayan (pottery-making), and Baluarte.
It has been the second longest day of my life.
Day 3, is our free time
We just chill at the hotel, then around 12am we were took to the Partas bus station going to Vigan.
We stayed at Vigan for the last time, and left there around 8pm. We arrived at Pasay Partas bus station around 4am, then head on to NAIA for our flight back to Cebu.
It was really a memorable experience for us. It is the farthest place we've been through so far, and I was happy with the people I have been with throughout our adventure.
Thanks to all the people who made it possible, specially to our tour guide, chim and jp, and most importantly to mepo who arrange everything for me.
Tags: budget travel in vigan, how to travel in vigan, travel agency in vigan, travel and tours agency in vigan, travel blog vigan, travel destination in vigan, travel guide in vigan, travel time vigan to pagudpud, travel to vigan from manila, travel to vigan philippines, travel vigan tips
Literally lost in Aloguinsan is what happened to us last Sunday. After going to church in the morning, Mepo and I decided to have a supposedly short ride to a beach somewhere in Aloguinsan. I have never been to that place before, and our only guide is google map. According to google map, it would only take us an hour and 20 minutes to get to Aloguinsan. But I learned my lesson not to trust google map that much because it took us more than 2 hours and the road from Carcar City to Aloguinsan is worst.
We saw this post from the Internet about hidden beach resort. The pictures taken by that person were really nice so we got curious and decided to explore the place.
So it was a day after valentines, I and my girlfriend went to Intosan Water park in Danao. Our plan was initially to go to Camotes Island, however, we don't have enough time to spare so we ended up in Danao. There are several resorts to choose from when you're going North of Cebu, but we decided to choose this place because of the pictures are so inviting and my mepo loves swimming pool.
3 ft. swimming pool view
We arrived in Intosan around 11 am, went straight to the reception area and paid for the room for Php 1,200.00. Then we proceed to the water park and waited for the 2pm check in time... The name of our room was Rosa. It was like a separate house with air conditioned and located at the back part of the water park. Just outside of it is the swimming pool.
We have a horror story to tell about this place, but I'd rather tell the story in person. :)
My thoughts about the place
The place is wide and ideal for family outing specially if you have kids with you because the swimming pool is only 3 ft. and 4 ft. deep so less worry for parents.
They do not allow you to bring alcoholic beverages, because I guess they want you to buy that in their bar, but aside from that, you can bring food, soft drinks, etc.. without corkage.
Remember, when you're in Danao to check out their Lechon manok. It taste different, it taste really good. You will find it in Danao Public market.
Here are some of the photo's I took while we were in Intosan Water park in Danao.
This their main swimming pool. It's the pool close to the tables area where we waited for our check in time.
4 ft. swimming pool. View from our table.
Their slide is pretty nice, not so long but I didn't try sliding here. I will never ever take any swimming pool slides again. Never! If you have read my previous blog posts, you'll know why. lol
Slide in Intosan Water park
We explored the resort, and we saw this small swimming pool. It's really nice but we didn't swim here. Init kaau.
At the back of Intosan Water park I guess its just 2 ft deep so you can let your kids play here.
Entrance view of Intosan Water park
Back view of the resort Intosan
Outside our room
Back portion of the resort
See Saw at the back of the resort
Our new stuffs for swimming.
Tagging: Resorts in North Cebu, Danao, Swimming pool in Cebu.
Note: I am not paid to blog this resort. Everything I wrote here is based on my personal thoughts. If you have questions or concern about this resort, you can reach them through this link Intosan Contact Information
They say I have a photographic eyes, and a natural talent with cameras... lol check out my random pictures below. Enjoy watching, and please let me know what picture you like the most through the comment section. I appreciate that a lot! :)
Samal beach with Mepo's cousins
Beautiful sunset view at Samal beach.
Going to SM Cebu
In between dump truck and sedan..
SRP sunrise picture
Somewhere near Ayala fly over and Parklane hotel Cebu
This post will be updated regularly. More pictures coming soon!
It was weekend when we decide to take some adventure in swimming with the famous giant whale sharks in Cebu. We did some research about where to stay when we get there, and my girlfriend as usual found a place to stay in Tanawan Oslob. (She's really good at searching for cheap but nice places everywhere we go.)
We woke up at around 3am and have our things ready. We started our ride at exactly 4am going to Tanawan Oslob. After an hour ride, we reached Argao and stopped over for a cup of "sikwate and suman" the best morning snack ever. We head on to Oslob after almost 30 minutes of stop over.
We arrived in Tanawan Oslob at around 7:30am. We went straight to "Chateau de Oslob" where we stayed overnight. It is a house owned by a kind Filipina and American couple. They have extra rooms in their house and they made it for rent.
When we arrived, there are people renting the room but was about to check out. So while waiting for them we went to the Whale shark watching briefing center which is just walking distance from Cheteau de Osob.
When we arrive at the briefing center, I was a surprised because there are many people already lined up for the orientation. Probably because it was Saturday. Before you can swim with the whale sharks, you will have to go through a short orientation about do's and don't's.
We paid Php 500.00 each. For foreigners I think they have to pay Php 1,000.00.
It was really worth it to be there. A combination of thrill and excitment plus amusement. Tanawan Oslob whale shark watching is worth going to.
Watch our short video from Tanawan Oslob swiming with the Giant whale sharks below.
This video was taken in Secdea, Igacos. Camera used was 8ten Silver edition.
The Island Garden City of Samal is considered as one of the best tourist destination in the southern part of Mindanao. A famous white-sand beach resorts, and welcoming view of nature is what its known for. One of the resorts I've visited there is Secdea Beach Resort located in San Isisdro, Babak Igacos.
They offer day use for P700.00 that includes the use of swimming pool up to 5pm.
The swimming pool is really wide and there's for kids and adults. If you prefer to swim on the beach, you'll enjoy the white sand just a few walk from the swimming pool.
Here are the different services and rates available
Rooms Rates:
Seaside Rooms(2 pax)- Php 3,900
Seashell Rooms(3 pax) – Php 4,900
Sea Breeze Lodge(4 pax) – Php 7,400
Villa Secdea Two/2nd Floor (12 pax)- Php 15,900
Day Use(inclusive of Entrance, Lunch and Pool use)
Adult Rate- Php 650/pax
7 years andyounger Php550/pax
– Complimentary breakfast is served for overnight guests
Amenities Rates:
Jetskie- Php 4,000 per hour / Php2,500 per 30 min
Kayak (Single) – Php 300 per hour / Php 200 per 30 min
Kayak (Double) – Php 400 per hour / Php 250 per 30 min
Paddler Boat – Php 200 per hour / Php 150 per 30 min
Banana Boat Ride(4 pax min) – Php 300 per 30 min
Life Vest Rental – Php 150 per day
Bicyle – Php 400 per day / Php 150 per hour
Van Pick-up from Port vice-versa – Php 1,000 per way (to be arranged in advance) Helicopter Transport (3 pax) – Php 26,000 per way (to be arranged in advance)
These rates I got is as of October 2014. Please contact Secdea directly for questions and inquiry, I'm not working for them ha. Ga blog raku :)
Tags:
Resorts in Samal Island, Resorts in IGACOS, Best resorts in Samal, tourist spot in Samal Island, Swimming pool in Samal Island, Davao beach.
I never been this close watching wild fishes. Enchanted river was really an awesome destination for summer. It doesn't look as awesome as before the typhoon hit this place, but it is still worth going to.
The Enchanted River is also known as the Hinatuan River. It is a very popular tourist attraction in Surigao del Sur. It is said to be wrap with mystery and features that keeps you wondering about the place.
RATE:
Entrance fee = P30 pesos
Life Jacket rent = P15 pesos
Cottage rent = P100 pesos
This rate is as of October 2014
Another tourist destination in Surigao del Sur is the Tinuy.an Falls. It doesn't look as good as what I saw in the pictures and videos. They said that it has been greatly affected by the typhoon when it hits the place.
The route we took going to Lianga Surigao del Sur is from
Cebu International Airport to Davao International Airport.
Lianga is a fourth class municipality in the province of
Surigao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2010 census, it has a population
of 28,905 people. – source Wikipedia
Cebu West town lagoon is located near MO2 Mandaue City. It started accommodating guests last August 2014. If you're looking for a place where you can relax with your family but doesn't like to go away from the City, then this place fits your criteria. I personally like the swimming pool because of its size, and there is a separate pool for the kids.
What I don't like about this place is their slides. It's very dangerous for kids, and even adults. I was traumatize with their slides because I hit my head hard and almost lost consciousness there. Close call. I will never ever recommend that slide to anyone! Anyway, aside from that everything is perfect.
How to get to Cebu Westown Lagoon?
Here is a screenshot for googlemap in going to MO2/Cebu Westown Lagoon.
Its just a few kilometers away from the City proper.
Tips:
Make a reservation and pay it asap because they only have few cottages.
Bring your own food, drinks, etc...
Overall, the place is nice and clean. The swimming pool is perfect, and the attendants are very hospitable and attentive.
Don't wear slippers on the white part of the pool or the lifeguard will blow his whistle really hard on you..lol
Rates: Entrance Php 300.00 Cottages Big cottages Php 2,400 Small cottages Php 1,200 Room rates is around Php 4,800 - Php 8,000.00
