A BeAuTiFuL LiFe!: Camotes Island

Camotes Island Adventure (2oo8)

A friend once told me that if he was to choose between Boracay and Camotes Island in Cebu, without a blink of an eye, he'll go for Camotes. I was intrigued. And so when Cebu Pacific advertised for some promo tickets, we set off to see if what my friend told me once was true. It was later when I remembered that he was a true-blooded Cebuano and that he may have been biased about it :)

But then, the trip turned out to be a perfect weekend adventure.

See for yourself. Enjoy!

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A total of 6-7 hours of travel from Manila to the resort; Exhausting, but definitely worth it.

Plane from Manila to Cebu, then taxi from the airport to Poro port where we boarded a small boat bound for Consuelo port in Camotes island. From there, we rode a minicab for about 15 minutes to Santiago Bay Resort where we stayed for 2 nights and 3 days.

***In Camotes, there are only two major resorts to stay: Santiago Bay which offers a wide (as in!) coast, and Mangodlong Rock Resort which boasts a more secluded ambiance and whiter sand.

Since we got so tired by the long hours of travel we just decided to enjoy the rest of the afternoon exploring the resort.

Crystal clear water, very fine off-white sand and an unbelievably flat slope that even a kilometer away from the shore, the water reaches up only to the knees, (Galing noh!)

***Camotes island is far from being commercialized and is not as accessible as compared with other beach resorts. Its appeal lies to its seclusion, the peace and quiet atmosphere. Its like being one with nature. Sarap ng feeling - sana ganito palagi :)

This shot was taken early morning the following day. It was still low tide so these two kids were collecting mini-crabs which are .

On our second day, we arranged for a tour of the island from the same owner of the minicab that brought us to the resort the day before.

The tour started at 8 am going to the nearby resort, Mangodlong Rock Resort.

In Camotes, these two resorts are the most frequented by tourists. I think they are owned by the same person.

Mangodlong Resort's coast was not as wide as Santiago Bay, and the beach here was a little bit rocky. But nevertheless, its has its own appeal.

We had our breakfast here. The food was cheap but delicious, though the menu was somewhat limited. There were times that some of them were not available. But who cares, we're there for the experience anyway. And it made up much more than the food.

After the breakfast, what else but photo ops!

Here was a small nipa hut atop a rock. It's already dilapidated so hindi na kami nag-picture taking dun.

A shot of the shore, still in Mangodlong Resort.

I'm just using a digital camera so the shots are not so good as it should be.

One of the few nipa huts inside the resort.

With a place this beautiful,

I just can't resist to take pictures :)

From Mangodlong Resort, we were off to Bukilat Cave.

Inside of the cave was a shallow stream wherein situated in the middle was a stone formation they called the holy family.

When the sun was up just like when this pic was taken, its rays directly passes through a small hole directly above this formation creating a magnificent view. Wonders of nature talaga.

A pic of the whole cave.

From Bukilat cave, we went to Buho Garden Resort.

A public resort with a P10 entrance/person. No fee for the few cottages but it comes in a "first come, first serve" basis.

This resort is basically created on top of a huge rock, they just created stairs leading to the clear water below.

From Buho Resort, our next destination was Timobo Cave. This one, medyo scary ng konti. You'll see why.

When we arrived at this area, hindi namin agad nakita yung cave. Unlike the Bukilat, this one we have to climb down a series of stairs that were mossy and wet, kaya medyo challenge. Medyo madulas and since mataas, medyo delikado. The place was also dark despite the electric bulbs. Natakot kami at first kasi hindi kami sinamahan ng guide going down and medyo mahaba na nalalakad namin. We thought of heading back pero since we're already there and hindi na mauulit, cge na nga. Go na.

And, when we saw this stream I think 10 feet below the ground, buti na lang tumuloy kami. We had the place to ourselves, no other tourists at that time.

The water was cold and crystal clear. It was so clear that it looked like it was only waist deep, so my friend jumped in the water only to discover that it was at least 8feet deep. Buti na lang she knows how to swim. Kung ako yun, nalunod nako. :(

We stayed for an hour, and then we're off to Lake Danao Park, our last destination.

Here, they have this boat that will tour you around the lake for 250/head per 30 mins. Since the sun was up and its too hot, hindi na kami nag try. Nag relax na lang kami and of course, photo ops.