Siquijor Tourists Spots in One Day

(All photos belong to Michael Sabido, unless otherwise stated.)

It’s been two weeks since our Dumaguete - Siquijor rendezvous and the “high” I usually get when traveling is already waning. So before I forget the details about our trip, I am making this entry now not just for future travelers looking for information but also for myself, to remind me what took place and the beautiful spots we’ve been to in this island.

The day after we arrived in the island is our scheduled tour or what the local drivers call coastal tour. The tour involves going around the island in just one day. We circled Siquijor in just one day, like we did in Camiguin. Well, the island isn’t that big thus made it possible for everyone to visit the tourists spot in just one day even if they are scattered throughout the island. From the resort where we are staying in Solangon, San Juan, below is the list of the places we visited.

Capilay Spring Park

This was our first stop shortly after we left Coral Cay Resort. There is nothing spectacular about this resort except the water filling the huge pool comes from the spring somewhere in this pool. Since it was a weekday, there’s no other tourist aside from us. Our driver said that it is okay to swim in the pool but we opted not to as the water is not that inviting although we know that they’re clean since they’re flowing, not stagnant. Besides, it is kinda awkward (at least for me) to swim in an outdoor pool located in the heart of the town. It is not even enclosed in a fence to provide swimmers a little bit of privacy, away from the eyes of motorists. This one is a public place so entrance is free of charge.

Century-old Balete Tree

Our next stop was the famed century-old balete tree. While researching online about the tourists spots in the island, I was kinda hesitant to visit this particular area because I thought it is located deep in the forest that would require us to hike a creepy path but that is not that case. The site is conveniently located along the highway and it is actually far from creepy. The tree is indeed huge and the dipping pool is filled with fishes where you can avail their “fish spa”.  Like the Capilay Spring Park, there is no spectacular view or activity here but since it is popular (and probably a Siquijor trip is not complete without this), might as well drop by for a few minutes and enjoy the moment with the fishes. This is located in the town of Lazi.

Lazi Church and Convent

Also known as San Isidro Labrador Parish Church, the church with its huge convent is made with coral stones and hardwood. It is also part of the National Cultural Treasure and is also nominated for UNESCO World Heritage. The upper portion of the convent houses the Siquijor Heritage Museum and the ground floor serves as school for local children.

Cambugahay Falls

From the highway, getting to the falls probably took us 10 minutes, or less. I love it here! The falls aren’t too high like the other waterfalls I have seen but they are wider and the water is more beautiful. There are lots of shallow area also so a non-swimmer like me can enjoy.

Review: Coral Cay Resort

(All photos in this post belong to Michael Sabido.)

My summer officially kicked-off a few weeks ago with a big trip to the Isla del Fuego (Island of Fire), popularly known as Siquijor. I already posted my travel itinerary as well as the details of my expenses last week. Now, it is time for the review of the resort where we stayed for three nights - the Coral Cay Resort.

The resort is located in the town of San Juan, where many other resorts are located. Before booking this resort, we read a few reviews and we (especially my husband) were kinda apprehensive about this resort due to the mixed reviews online. Some love the resort while some simply don’t like the beach, the ambiance and one tourist even said that the resort’s bar/restaurant is not ideal for family dinners since it is "full of loud and drunk American sex tourists with their Filipino girlfriends hanging on their arms".

Well, different strokes for different folks. As for me, here is my opinion about the resort:

Rooms

We stayed at Layo during the whole duration of our trip. Layo is a fan room (no air conditioner), with two double beds good for four people but can accommodate extra person for an additional charge. It also has a private toilet and bath with hot and cold shower. It also has a veranda where you can see the beach (although not facing it) and the swimming pool area. One night stay costs Php 1700 and Php 350 for extra person with beddings.

The room is spacious enough for four or even five people. The toilet/bath is okay as well except for the door which was kinda difficult to lock. I think changing the door knob will do the trick. The beds are okay too - not too soft and not hard either, however, the pillows are too thin and soft for my liking. The beds come with mosquito nets too. When we arrived at the resort, the mosquito net is already set up and everyday when we come back from our tours/activities, they are made up again along with the bed and used towels are replaced with new ones. The toilet/bath is cleaned everyday too.

Beach front cottages

Only one bedside table (placed in between two beds), is provided in this room. There is also one closet (with local version of safety deposit box at the bottom of the closet) and one shelf for everyone in the room to use. For its price, I really have nothing against this room except for one thing, the existence of rat/s. I haven’t actually seen one while we were there but our food supply can attest to it. On our first night, our leftover bread we placed in the shelf was attacked. During the second night, its the tablea (cacao) I bought from the souvenir shop. The tablea is placed in the plastic bag in the floor along with the souvenir shirts we bought. I am just thankful that they didn’t chew the shirts.

Amenities and Services

The resort boosts of restaurant and bar, swimming pool and air conditioned and fan rooms. They also have gym as well as recreation area both for adult and kids, all free of charge for resort guests. The use of their kayak equipment is free too. They have a standby generator (power outage happens often in Siquijor, they say, but we didn’t experience any when we were there) and they offer transportation (van or jeepney) for a fee. If you’ve been traveling and need something to soothe your tired body, there is a massage parlor within the resort.

Dumaguete - Siquijor Travel Itinerary and Expenses

Another trip has just concluded so a post about itinerary and expenses is in order. This trip is a bit complicated for we traveled through all modes of transportation - ferry, bus, multicab/tricycle and plane, since there is no direct flight from Iloilo to these places. But then, we survived the trip, albeit tired.

Without further ado, I am sharing to you our travel itinerary and expenses:

DAY 1
Time	Destination/Activity	Expense	Cost	Cost/pax
6:15 - 7:00 AM	Iloilo to Bacolod via fast craft	Ocean Jet		225
		Terminal		30
7:00 - 7:15 AM	Bacolod Port to South Terminal via tricycle	Tricycle	100	34
08:10 AM - 2:30 PM	South Terminal (Bacolod) to Dumaguete City via bus (stop over at Mabinay and Ceres Terminal in Kabankalan where we had lunch)			269
4:30 PM onwards	Explored Dumaguete City (Boulevard, Silliman University) Dinner at Sta. Teresa Resto
	Check Inn Hotel		1000*	334
Expenses for Day 1				892
DAY 2
08:00 - 9:00 AM	Breakfast at Check Inn and prepare for one more look of the city
9:00 - 10:30 AM	Explored Dumaguete City (Church, bell tower and plaza)
10:30 - 11:00 AM	Grocery for food supplies
11:00 - 11:15 AM	Checked out and travelled to Dumaguete Port	Tricycle		8
	Lunch (Dumaguete Port)
12:50 - 1:30 PM	Dumaguete to Siquijor via fast craft	Ocean Jet		220
		Terminal		12
1:40 - 1:55 PM	Dumaguete Port to Coral Cay Resort via tricycle	Tricycle	250*	84
	Checked in and relaxed at the resort
	Dinner (Dagsa Restobar)
	Coral Cay Resort		1700*	567
Expenses for Day 2				891
DAY 3
9:00 AM - 12:00 NN	Breakfast (Uptoyou Bar & Restaurant at Coral Cay)
	Coastal tour	Multicab	1800***
	- Capilay Spring Park
	- Century Old Balete Tree	Entrance		5
	- San Isidro Labrador Church and Convent (town of Lazi)
	- Cambugahay Falls	Parking	30***	3.75
		Life guard	50***	6.25
	Lunch(Maria Public Market food court)
1:00 PM onwards	Continuation of coastal tour
	- Sta. Maria Church (town of Maria)
	- Salagdoong Beach	Entrance		15
		Parking	20***	2.5
	- Church of Saint Francis de Assisi (town of Siquijor)
	- Guiwanon Spring Park	Entrance		10
	- Souvenir Shops
	Dinner (D' Barkads Restaurant)
	Coral Cay Resort		1700*	567
Expenses for Day 3				817
DAY 4
	Breakfast (D' Barkads Restaurant)
AM	Beach bumming
11:00 AM - 12:00 NN	Lunch (Uptoyou Bar & Restaurant Coral Cay)
12:00 NN - 03:30 PM	Paliton Beach	Tricycle		20
03:30 PM onwards	Coral Cay (kayak, swimming pool)
	Dinner (Uptoyou Bar & Restaurant Coral Cay)
	Coral Cay Resort		2500**	410
Expenses for Day 4				430
DAY 5
04:30 - 04:45 AM	Checked out and travelled to Siquijor Port	Tricycle	250**	50
04:45 - 05:30 AM	Waited for the the ticket booth to open
05:30 - 06:15 AM	Waited for boarding
06:15 - 07:45 AM	Siquijor to Dumaguete Port via ferry	GL Lines		130
		Terminal		15
07:45 - 09:30 AM	Breakfast (Chowking) and relaxed at Sans Rival
09:45 - 10:00 AM	Sibulan Airport via tricycle	Tricycle	100**	20
		Terminal		100
10:00 - 11:30 AM	Checked in baggage and waited for boarding
11:30 AM - 12:05 PM	Dumaguete to Cebu via Cebu Pacific	Plane		475.32
12:05 - 1:30 PM	Checked in baggage and waited for boarding
1:30 - 2:00 PM	Cebu to Iloilo via Cebu Pacific	Plane		787.32
	Iloilo airport to SM City Shuttle terminal	Shuttle		50
Expenses for Day 5				1627.64
TOTAL EXPENSES				4657.64
* Divided among three persons ** Divided among five persons *** Divided among eight persons

App Review: Period Calendar for Android

For someone like me who’s monthly period is out of whack, using a period tracker can be very helpful. It helps you keep track of your period in an efficient way, predicts when the next period will be as well as ovulation, which is really helpful when you are trying to conceive.

But with so many applications available, both for Android and Apple users, choosing which one to download and use can be confusing. As for me, I am using the Period Calendar/Tracker by Abishkking. I have been using it for three years already and I couldn't be more contented with it. It does more than just track your period and ovulation. The app has a lot of added features that you will never have to use many other apps. With this app, you can input or record your mood for the day, symptoms you feel (can be helpful when something happens to you days after), your weight and even dates you had sexual intercourse.

Photo credit: Abishkking

Discovery: Salonpas Makeover

While doing household chores many nights ago, one wrong move triggered my lower back pain that prevented me from moving freely without the pain. The pain lasted until the next day and a co-worker suggested that I apply Salonpas to it. I felt silly because I haven’t thought of Salonpas while thinking of what to apply to my back to alleviate the pain.

So after work, I went to Watsons (SM Delgado branch) to buy a packet of Salonpas. After taking a shower when I arrived home, I opened the packet expecting to see the old white patch I used to see on my grandmother’s back and sometimes apply on my mother’s back as well. But alas! I was surprised to see the skintone and more stretchable patch. So when did they start creating this?

For some reason, this discovery made me happy that I decided to blog about it. LOL! (shallow, I know). And I’m even happier that it is indeed effective for my back is already pain-free just after one application. Overnight remedy! Now, I just have to incorporate exercise back to my regimen to prevent more back (or any other body parts) pain.

Review: Ellana Minerals Lip Scrub

It’s been over a month since my last review and that is not because I have nothing to review anymore. In fact, there are a few products calling out my name to give them time and attention but I wasn’t motivated enough to sit down in front of my computer and finish even just one paragraph. Well, maybe one reason for this lack of motivation is spending my free time playing a Facebook game which my husband and I are currently addicted to. LOL!

Anyways, here I am now, trying to get back to blogging with zest and motivation life before… I hope! :D This time, I will be reviewing Ellana Minerals Lip Scrub which I got early this year.

I have always been vocal about my love for lipstick since I ain’t that good when it comes to eye makeup, contouring and such. I would just wear lipstick, sometimes bold and bright, to compensate for that. With this, it is very important that my lips stays well-moisturized and free of cracks and the likes. I learned about this product from other bloggers and from beauty forums some time ago but I wasn’t that eager to get one for myself since I’m okay with my natural lip scrub, white sugar. But considering the good reviews of this scrub, I finally gave in and got one from Zalora.

Product Description

For a perfectly polished pout, use our sweet-smelling Strawberry Vanilla Lip Scrub to regularly exfoliate your lips!