August 28, 2009

I’m living in Manila these days.   I just returned home to Cebu to visit my friends and also the beach.  Soon after returning, my friends and I, as is our custom, made a trip to an Island Pandanon Island.  This island is located between Bohol and Cebu.  You can almost see the Bohol Island from Pandanon.  It is a 45 minutes ride from Hilton Resort, one of the nicer hotels on Mactan Island.

The beach is nice, and yes, they do have white sands and clear water.  One thing that I didn’t really like there is the lack of food options.  You will have a difficult time even finding a place to buy snacks.  The only option we could find was to buy some raw crabs and other kind of fish that the fishermen offers you – then pay someone nearby (of questionable culinary skill and personal hygiene) to cook the food for you.   Lucky for us we brought our own food.  So if you visit this quite little island, bring your own food and water.  There are not many other options.

My friends and I in particular, really enjoyed the ride going to Pandanon Island. We rented a large pump boat with a 40 person capacity for only 3,500 pesos.  We were offered to use if for the whole day, the boat was really big for us we have plenty of space to fool around and take some pictures on board.

Once you get to Pandanon Island, the entrance fee t is 150 pesos and the use of cottage is 200 pesos.  It is worth the trip if you like to swimming in clear water and enjoying white sandy beaches that are quiet and peaceful.

VIEW ALL OF THE PICTURES HERE

On board to Pandanon

June 05, 2009

Several times I visited the Cebu White Sands Beach Resort to attend weddings.  The property is beautifully landscaped and has a large open area that is perfect for  weddings.  I understand the resort offers a variety of wedding packages that are reasonably priced.

Recently some friends and I decided to spend the day at White Sands to enjoy their beach, swimming pool, and restaurant.  The Day Pass cost us P600 each, but P200 of this amount could be applied to food and/or drink purchases.  We enjoyed the breakfast buffet, went for a swim in the ocean, then relaxed by one of the two swimming pools on the property.  The buffet is regularly priced at P400, but when we applied the P200 credit from the cost of our Day Pass, the net cost of the buffet was only P200.  So, the total cost for the day’s use of the resort property and the delicious buffet was only P800.

In addition to the beach and swimming pools, you can enjoy volleyball, billiards, darts, and a putting green at the White Sands Resort.  For an additional fee, there are several vendors on or near the resort who provide island hopping, scuba diving, jet skiing, and parasailing.  If you are into pampering, you can get a massage or take advantage of any of the other services offered at the spa.  We did not stay overnight, but I understand rooms cost in the area of P6,000 and up.

I would place the White Sands Resort a notch or two below the Shangri La Plantation Bay properties on Mactan Island – but these exclusive resorts are much more expensive.  Among the mid-level resorts in the Cebu area I have visited, the White Sands Resort is probably the best.  It is a good choice just to spend a day at the beach or to host a gathering.  For an out-of-town tourist, it might make more sense to stay at this beautiful resort that is only fifteen minutes from the airport, than to spend half a day traveling to more secluded resorts on Cebu Island.  Considering the time, cost, and inconvenience of traveling outside Cebu City/Mactan, the best beach resort value might just be found at the Cebu White Sands Beach Resort.  I like it more compare to Tambuli and Cebu Beach Club.

VIEW ALL OF THE PICTURES HERE

May 31, 2009

My friends and I left of our trip to Bantayan Island from the Cebu City North Bus Terminal early in the morning.  Once our group was assembled we were off for the 2.5 hour ride to Hagnaya.  The trip was a bit bumpy and hot since the bus was packed and there was no air conditioning.

From Hagnaya we waited for one hour and thirty minutes for the ferry to arrive that took us to Bantayan Island.  The pleasant one-hour ferry ride was more fun than the bus and gave us a chance to take a couple of pictures. ( of course)

Upon our arrival in Bantayan, we quickly located another tricycle for a short, five minute trip to the Sugar Beach Resort.  The whole trip from Cebu City to our destination at the Sugar Beach Resort was around four hours.

Two different resorts on Bantayan Island were recommended to us – the Ortong Cave Resort and the Sugar Beach Resort.  We decided to stay at the Sugar Beach Resort because it has a fantastic, white-sand beach.  While we were there, the employees of the resort worked continuously to keep the beautiful grounds around the resort looking as clean and neat as possible.  Too bad they could not have spent some of their time cleaning the resort’s guest rooms clean and neat.  The rooms were quite basic and dirty.  Several of the cheapest rooms did not even have locks on extremely flimsy doors.  This would seem to be a very serious security problem, but I guess some people don’t mind or feel safe travelling in large groups.  The budget rooms, that cost P700,  p1,200 also did not have TV, air conditioning, phone, hot water, soap or towels.  If you want soap, towel, and a blanket, you can rent them for an extra charge.

The budget rooms were quite sparse, but afforded great views of the ocean.  The rooms with air conditioning cost about P1,700 but are located around the back of the resort and do not have nice views.  We did not have a look at these rooms, so I don’t know if they have hot water, soap, towels, and a blanket.

The Sugar Beach Resort does not have a restaurant.  When you get hungry, the first step is to make a trip to the local market – about five minutes by tricycle.  There you can buy fish, chicken, pork, rice, and some veggies.  With your shopping complete, you return to the resort’s kitchen where they will cook your dinner for P40 per item and bring your food to your room.

Just next to our resort is the Ogtong Cave Resort.  This place looks more like a resort hotel.  They have a restaurant and rooms that include air conditioning, TV, hot water, soap, etc. – starting at P1,600.  Aircon villas start at P3,500 a night and the Honeymoon Suite is P18,000.  While the Ogtong Cave Resort offers much better amenities, it does not have the same expansive, beautiful beach that we found at the Sugar Beach Resort.  I guess you could stay at the Ogtong Cave Resort and use the beach of the Sugar Beach Resort for a small P35 entrance fee.

Ogtong Cave Resort
Phone no: 032.438.0165
Website: www.stafebeach.com

As far as the activities while we were on Bantayan Island, we had an opportunity to do some island-hopping.  Our group rented a pump boat with driver for P1,200 that gave us about a four hour cruise to visit  Virgin Island and the surrounding area.  The trip to Virgin Island took about an hour.  Once there we enjoyed swimming, snorkeling and generally frolicking on the beautiful beach.

The highlight of our trip to Bantayan Island was the beautiful beach.  To be honest, there was not much else to do there or reason to make the trip.  The two options we had for accommodations were either extremely poor but cheap, or modest but expensive for what you get.  I would say the Sugar Beach Resort is fine for backpackers who bring their own towels and soap.  The accommodations at the Ogtong Case Resort looked much better, but at prices that could not be justified in our minds.  Given the hot and dusty trip that took a half-day each way from Cebu City.

April 28, 2009

The Shangri-La resort in Cebu is simply the best resort in the Philippines and among the top tier of resorts found anywhere in the world.  It starts off being a five-star hotel with provides all of the luxurious services and pampering one expects from this designation.  Guests are offered a number of wonderful restaurants offering a variety of cuisines, bars, a health club, beauty solon, spa, clinic, business center, and a concierge service to guide you events and facilities outside the resort property.  In terms of outdoor activities, you can choose from tennis, pitch & put golf, boating, volleyball, or a cabana massage.

What makes the Shangri-La resort truly unique, however, are the grounds.  The beach, swimming pools and other recreational facilities are seamlessly integrated with some of the most beautiful landscaping I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing.  This beautiful integration of facilities and nature is first appreciated as you enter the resort’s lobby.  The lobby is huge and fully embraces the gorgeous natural vistas without windows or doors.  You know you are in a building, but it feels like you are in a delightful garden.  The Shangri-La is a feast for one’s senses – all of them.

at shangrila