Just got back yesterday from a 7d6n trip to Siargao. Definitely one of the most chilled out places we've been to!
Kung tutuusin, pwede naming isingit ang Enchanted River, Tinuy-an and Bucas Grande kasi mahaba naman stay namin, pero we decided against it dahil sa layo ng mga byahe from point A to B to C. This trip was meant to be relaxation time for us after all.
Besides, may certain vibe ang Siargao (General Luna in particular) that makes you want to just chill!
We didn't have a set itinerary, which worked really well for us because hawak namin time namin and we just went wherever we wanted to (IF hindi tinamad haha).
ACCOMMODATION: AirBnB. Only paid a total of P3,100 for 6 nights for a 2-storey native house with kitchen amenities. Sweet, sweet deal! Fan room nga lang pero super linis tapos may 2 hammocks pa.
TRANSPO: We rented a scooter for P350/day. The locals said around P300/day daw ang rental pero sa lahat ng napagtanungan namin, P400-500/day ang rate. Naka-discount lang kami kasi 5 days kami nag-rent. Sa Papa Wave Store kami nag-rent. Driver's license not required. Walang trapik so ang sarap mag-motor! Maayos na rin ang daan and sobrang scenic ng views habang nag-drdrive. Habal-habal is P20/person sa mga malalapit na lugar, e.g. Cloud 9 to town proper; around GL. Airport transfer is P300/head/way if van (ask your resort to arrange it for you). Tricycle I think is P150/head pero medyo hassle especially if maraming dala.
FOOD: Sa lahat ng nakainan namin sa Siargao, walang hindi masarap! Sulit lahat. We splurged a bit on food since nakatipid naman kami ng bongga sa accommodation. We tried the following:
1. Kermit - authentic Italian pizza and pasta (owner is Italian). Prices start from P250/dish. Beer is P70 each (happy hours from 4pm-7pm, buy 1 take 1). Fruit shake is P80 ('eto pala hindi masyadong masarap haha).
2. Buddha - try their pad thai and chicken curry! Super sarap. Thursday is burger night, comes with a free drink if you order a burger (P250). Their breakfast meals are sooo big din so super sulit at P190. Their cloud 9 shake is P110.
3. Kitya's place - just in front of Papa Wave. Masarap ang carbonara and lemon pepper chicken nila (P250 each meal). Shakes are also good, price starts from 80 to 100, depende sa fruit.
4. Cafe Loka - great, great location! Beach front sa Cloud 9 with view of the boardwalk. Sarap mag-chill dito. Sandwiches are P120-150 each, tapos if 2 orderin mo P200 lang for both. Shake is P75. Beer is P60.
5. Patrick's - eto malapit lang sa town proper. Decent breakfast at P195-250 per meal. Masarap lang din kumain dito kasi beachfront.
6. Ronaldo's - just in front of Patrick's. Ito na 'yung pinakamura naming nakainan. Breakfast meals are P110 each. For dinner, nag-order kami ng nilaga and garlic shrimp for only P160 each. Super sulit. Meron din sila mga isaw and BBQ.
Pwede makatipid by buying fresh seafood sa market tapos ipaluto sa resort you're staying at for a fee. Pero ayaw na namin ma-hassle even though pwede din naman kami magluto. Sobrang tamad lang haha. Meron din palang mga karinderia sa port.
ACTIVITIES:1. Island hopping - We joined Kermit sa whole day island hopping. Price is P750/person all-in. Dalawa lang kasi kami ng kasama ko so mas nakatipid kami sa Kermit kesa DIY. If you want DIY, go to the port may mga nag-ooffer ng P1200 for 4 hours up to P1500/boat. Buy your own food sa market tapos paluto sa mga locals sa Daku island for a fee. We went to Naked Island, Daku and Guyam. Naked island is not so naked anymore kasi meron nang tinayong tent sa gitna and a couple of chairs. It's still my favorite among the 3 islands. Actually, all of them really nice naman. White sand and turquoise waters.
2. Surfing - P500/hr rental ng surfboard with instructor na. If board lang, P500-P600/day. Medyo mahal compared sa La Union and Baler. And the instructors are not as helpful as those in Luzon. But the waves are really good ha, kahit na low season ang August and pangit pa daw 'yun sa lagay na 'yun. What really sets Siargao apart is bukod sa ang ganda ng waves, ang ganda pa ng beach and ng water. Tapos hindi lang sa Cloud 9 pwede mag-surf. Ang daming choices ng mga surfers kung saan nila gusto mag-surf. Best time to surf is, of course, during high tide. The week na andun kami, high tide was 7-9am.
3. Magpupungko - we went here THRICE! Hahaha. Dahil may sarili kaming scooter, binalikan talaga namin
2 liters ng gas sobra sobra na. An hour drive ito from General Luna. Super scenic ng mga tanawin going here grabe. Nakakaiyak. Haha. Entrance is P50/person and P20 naman ang parking fee. Ang mura ng beer nila dito! P35 lang ang saya saya. Mura lang din ang food and masarap pa! P130-P150 lang per order. We ordered grilled pork, grilled fish, grilled pusit, garlic shrimp. Sarap lahat! Best time to go is during low tide (1-3pm nung pumunta kami, you can check google for tide forecasts). Sarap din mag-cliff jump dito. Habal-habal is P1000 for 2 people exclusive of entrance fee. So laking tipid talaga if may sariling scooter.
4. Sugba Lagoon in Caub island - We chose this over Bucas Grande. It's nearer kasi and cheaper. Nasa town siya ng del Carmen, 10kms north of the airport. So mga 1hr drive from General Luna. Standard ang rates ng boat trips. Just go na lang sa tourism office nila. P1600 ang boat to Sugba lagoon, malaki and maganda 'yung boat pero ang allowed max capacity lang ng tourism office nila ay 6pax/boat. P20/person ang envi fee. Before makarating sa Subga lagoon, dadaan muna sa pagkalawak-lawak na mangrove plantation (~8600 acres, 2nd largest in PH). Sugba lagoon is very similar to Big Lagoon ng El Nido. Sobrang linaw ng tubig. Pwede mag-snorkel pero sira na mga corals dahil sa anchor ng mga boats
May hut sa gitna ng lagoon pero under construction pa siya hanggang ngayon. Half-day lang kami dito. Maraming resorts nag-ooffer ng day trip dito for P1200-1500/head all-in. 'Yung iba ang OA ng price, P2000/head. Mas tipid ang DIY.
5. Take your scooter and get lost - Ang daming magagandang unnamed public beaches in Siargao. Sinundan lang naman ang Google Maps (satellite) at naka-discover ng ilang mga beaches. The one in Malinao is sobrang ganda if low tide. Ang pino ng buhangin (mala-Boracay) and ang linaw ng tubig.
If gahol sa time, you can combine activities sa isang araw, e.g. Surfing in AM + Magpupungko in PM; Island hopping in AM + Magpupungko in PM.
Next time na si
Bucas Grande if marami na kami kasama and if sa Butuan or Surigao ang point of entry namin. Pero among sa mga kinontact namin, pinakamura offer ni
Kuya Lito (09073103333). Binigay niya sa amin ng P3000 lang 'yung boat, eh ang rates nung iba P5k-6k.
Sorry, napahaba na naman ang kwento ko!
I will definitely go back to Siargao! Hindi na ko nagtataka kung bakit ang daming foreign tourists na bumibisita dito.
