it's time for my trip report!
Day 1: Arrival and Sabang Beach Day- we arrived at the airport and picked up by Daluyon
- we soooooo love
Daluyon!!! we loved the view from our 2nd floor room. grabe, ang ganda ng ocean view from the terrace! very relaxing! we loved swimming in the beach - it's great for swimming kasi yung slope niya ay parang Boracay, yung hindi biglang-lalim. so ang lawak ng swimmable area niya, kahit malayo-layo na kami eh abot pa rin. sobrang hilig namin mag-swimming sa beach ng family ko.
yung dad ko nga mula 5:30am eh lumulusong na sa beach, hehe. hanggang 5:30pm eh nasa beach pa rin kami. malakas lang naman ang undercurrent after 6pm. as in very swimmable! so para sa mahilig mag-swimming sa dagat katulad namin, you'll enjoy swimming here. kahit nga yung strolling barefoot along the shore talagang feel na feel namin.
Sabang area kasi is a very peaceful community, talagang probinsyang-probinsya pa, which i love, kasi kung galing ka sa city, eh ganitong ambiance ang hinahanap-hanap mo. buhay na buhay ang mga kainan sa Sabang port pag lunchtime kasi maraming day tourists. pero pag dinner, bihira na ang nagse-serve for big groups kasi wala naman talaga sila masyadong clientele pag dinner kasi onti lang ang katulad namin who choose to spend 1-2 nights in Sabang.
pero for those who want to get away fro the hustle and bustle of the city and kung mahilig ka mag-swimming sa beach or mag-chillax lang sa terrace w/ an ocean view, i highly recommend Daluyon. may mga foreigners nga na guests din sa Daluyon na talagang chillax lang, nagbabasa ng libro sa terrace or sa beach chairs.
sarap magpahinga talaga pag bakasyon, hindi yung nagbakasyon ka nga pero haggard naman, hehe.
the room was spacious and as i said, the ocean view is amazing! meron pa nga silang wet clothes rack sa labas eh.
and the food is great! at grabe ang variety ng menu items (unlike sa Dos Palmas, ay grabe nakakalungkot ang menu, ang onti). sabi nga ng dad ko, kung papipiliin lang daw siya ng babalikang resort, kung Daluyon o Dos Palmas, sa Daluyon daw siya. mahilig kasi sa dagat yun eh.
eh yung sa Dos Palmas hindi swimmable ang beach, puro seaweeds of some sort.
Day 2: UGR and Sabang Beach Day- we went to
UGR in the morning, of course the natural formations were beautiful, but i honestly didn't like the narration (sorry, opinion ko lang po, wala sanang magalit, hehe), opinion ko lang dapat mas informative yung narration and less "mukhang ganito", "mukhang ganyan". don't get me wrong, i appreciate the hardwork of the boatmen (as in, i am very grateful to them) - yung narration eh tinuturo lang naman sa kanila yun. so i just wish na yung mga nasa kinauukulan eh gawing mas world-class yung eco-tour ng Underground River, and hindi lang basta mukhang ganito or ganyan.
that is one comment that i heard from a foreigner who visited UGR, na-turn-off especially dun sa formations na may "religious undertones", hindi masyadong "inclusive to all" yung narration sa eco-tour. sabi nga nung kasama naming mga Kano, nag-enjoy naman daw sila sa UGR pero mas nag-enjoy sila dun sa mga monkeys roaming around, as in tuwang-tuwa sila! hehe.
- lunch was included in the tour package we also availed in Daluyon, at yung lunch ay sa Daluyon restaurant na ang sosyal at ang sarap, hehe. from UGR nga pala, nag-
Sabang Zipline kami. oh my gulay! mas natakot pa ko dun sa trek paakyat ng zipline kesa sa zipline itself, hehe. as in naloka ako sa takot! may portion kasi na yung nilalakaran mo eh barely 2 ft wide lang yatam tapos mountainside na yung nasa gilid mo, kaloka pero masaya!
mas gusto ko yung trek kesa sa zipline, close to nature, and mas exciting, hehe.
- we also did the
Mangrove Paddleboat Tour and it was quite fun.
pero warning: you really have to be a nature buff to appreciate this, otherwise you will get bored, because this is really an eco-tour, as in very informative: importance of mangroves, types of mangroves, etc. na-appreciate ko kasi i like being really close to nature.
Day 3: Honda Bay Island Hopping and City Strolling- we checked out of Daluyon and hinatid kami sa Empire Suites. then sinundo kami ng tour guide from La Tiara Tours para sa
Honda Bay island hopping. first stop was
Pambato Reef, i wasn't quite impressed... next stop was
Luli Island, which i loved! mahilig ako sa sandbar eh, hehe. ganda ng sandbar dun.
dito rin kami kumain ng lunch, sarap ng food! boodle! kamay kung kamay! hehe. ang ayoko lang eh medyo mapanghi yung sa may likod nung isa sa staffhouse ba yun? pero yung fish feeding was the best! grabe ang daming fish!!! sobrang therapeutic magpakain ng isda, ewan ko ba, hehe. next stop was
Starfish Island pero picture-taking lang. and the last stop was
Pandan Island, in fairness may mga fish din pag nag-snorkel ka, pero di masyadong marami.
- after ng island hopping, balik sa Empire Suites, shower, pahinga ng onti, tapos free day na kami.
kanya-kanyang lakad, bili ng pasalubong, etc. hindi talaga kasama sa itinerary namin ang City Tour kasi nothing interests us. for dinner we ate at
Kinabuch at tumikim ako ng crocodile sisig.
masarap, hehe.
- for an affordable city accommodation, i recommend
Empire Suites because of its central location - grabe malapit sa lahat, sa airport, mga kainan (walking distance to Kinabuch, Kalui), souvenir shops, public market. malinis yung room, pero yung breakfast is just so-so. basta ang masasabi ko lang, yung Superior room nila ay dapat max of 3 pax lang kasi 4 pax kami eh yung 4th pax ay naka-folding bed na very uncomfortable.
Day 4: Dos Palmas Day- ayon sa aking nanay na pangalawang beses na sa
Dos Palmas (her first time to go here was 12yrs ago), napakalaki na raw ng pinagbago ng Dos Palmas, hindi na to kasing-ganda ng dati. wala na nga yung accommodation nila on stilts eh, dilapidated na, hindi na operational. beach cottages na lang. tapos yung kuya ko ay may nakitang patay na ipis sa kama niya! kaloka! other than that, the room is spacious and the bathroom was huge and i loved the shower.
the thing that i loved most is its location kasi sobrang lapit sa
Helen's Garden, which was a very beautiful snorkeling site. as in, sobrang nag-enjoy kami. masaya din mag-kayak along the mangroves. BUT hindi swimmable ang beach, puro seaweeds of some sort, disappointing. mahilig pa naman kami mag-swimming sa dagat.
the food was quite good, pero sobrang onti ng menu items, wala masyadong pagpipilian. pero sobrang sarap ng halo-halo.
Day 5: Departure Day- checked out of Dos Palmas. one major complaint: the scheduled boat transfer did NOT leave on time. that is a no-no! kasi paano yung mga guests na may hinahabol na flight?? eh ang sabi ng management eh the scheduled boat transfers leave on time, kung late ka, you'll have to rent a boat at your own expense, kasi nga late ka! aba, eh kami nga para lang makahabol sa boat eh nilaklak na namin yung halo-halo namin, we were there on time sa boat, minadali namin ang pagkain namin para makarating on time sa boat, tapos merong mga guests na prima donna na LATE?!? the boat did not leave on time! paano yung ibang guests na may flight?? paano yung ibang guests na may iba pang itinerary for the day?? DISAPPOINTING. walang guts ang Dos Palmas management to stick to their rules. for the sake of the LATE guests eh they disappointed yung EARLY guests. oh well.
sorry mga sis, napahaba, pero i hope na maging helpful kahit papano sa iba.
