I admittedly haven’t seen a lot of the Philippines yet. I was in college when I first flew domestic to Cebu, an island about an hour of flight away from Manila. It’s surrounded by white sand beaches but over the recent years, had also evolve to a bustling metropolis comparable to the capital. Being an editor of our campus paper, I was sent to attend our year-planning held in idyllic destinations such as Cebu and the year after, Bohol. In 2017, my cousins and I also flew to Coron, Palawan which still remains as one of the most breathtaking spots I’ve ever seen to date.
Those trips became a gateway to a broader understanding of my country and made me wish I could’ve explored more locally before moving to the US. If only circumstances are more normal now, I made a promise to myself that I would check out at least one destination every time I go home.
In February, Choco and I already did a head start on our trip to Siargao. I first heard of the island some years ago as an up-and-coming surfing spot, barely commercialised and probably not as accessible as it is now, before their airport renovation finally allowed bigger commercial aircrafts. In the beginning, celebrities would frequent the island for its exclusivity given flights are usually expensive. I remember checking airfares years ago that amounted to 200USD, much more expensive than, say, a ticket to Hong Kong.
To be honest, booking the tickets now at the last minute didn’t do much of a difference but I learned from a friend that it’s way cheaper to book from Clark to Siargao (CRK-IAO,) instead of flying from Manila. They have direct flights from there, too, compared to our route where we laid over in Cebu to get the cheaper bargain.
Probably the first disclaimer I have to say about Siargao that most vlogs fail to disclose, is that it is an expensive island. From the plane tickets, lodging, expenses, and etc., it can be pretty costly. I guess this is understandable as the remote island outsources supplies and foreign tourists account largely to its market.
Where we stayed:
Purok 5 Tourism Rd, General Luna, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
We first booked our accommodation before our flight that we ended up having an extra day. As a filler, we booked Kaza Boutique Hotel located on Tourism road in General Luna. It is a fairly-new boutique hotel smacked in the middle of where the night life and restaurant scene is. Probably the only downside though is the rocky alley leading towards the hotel. It was quite tricky to carry our luggage while on a motorcycle.
The rooms are festooned with boho pieces, primarily making use of rattan and wood panels and accentuated by vibrant murals. I especially loved how they upcycled a coconut shell and turned it into a soap dispenser—very native! While our room didn’t have an impressive view, across the hall was a balcony that overlooked their pool area. Choco and I loved hanging out there, feeling the fresh breeze from the ocean nearby while reading our books.
For the price point, we could’ve went for a more upscale hotel, perhaps with a beach inside their property, but it’s not that bad of a deal considering the location and how we booked it at the last minute.
Bayud Boutique Resort
Malinao, General Luna, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte, Philippines
This is going to be an honest review of this seemingly posh resort hotel. I think most people prefer it for some peace and quiet but I personally wanted us to check in there for their stylish villas, private beach area, and boodle fight which we could only avail as guests.
High points:
We knew Siargao is a party island in its own right but never really one to drink or hit the nightlife scene, I knew Choco would appreciate the more quiet side of the island. True enough, the resort probably only had two groups of guests, including us, which made the ambience more exclusive.
I’m pretty sure we only booked the most standard room as they were priced quite steeply but much to our surprise, the superior room is bigger than what we expected. It is very spacious for two people and the bed has a sophisticated canopy I only ever used to see on pictures before. Throughout our whole stay, we were given complimentary fresh buko (coconut,) and they also served complimentary breakfast in their in-house restaurant by the pool area. It is supposedly a buffet but most days we were only served ala carte meals upon request. They only did follow through with what’s promised on a Sunday and I’m thinking this is because there aren’t really a lot of guests currently checked-in. Nonetheless, the food was delicious! One can not go wrong with any of their silog meals (typically a protein of your choice served with sunny side-up egg and fried rice,) and their champorado.
The ultimate high point, however, would be the boodle fight, which we were most excited about and turned out to be more glorious than we imagined. It’s honestly quite expensive for two people (priced at 120USD,) but definitely worth it. They prepared the feast by the beachfront and laid it out beautifully. Our spread, which included the usuals like grilled liempo (my favorite) and chicken, humongous crab, grilled squid and fish, and garlic shrimp were accompanied no less by rice and tropical fruits like mango and watermelon. It was incredible. I think Choco and I just sat there eating with barehands (non negotiable!) so merrily not wanting the experience to end anytime soon. It’s definitely up there in one of our most memorable dates yet.
Low points:
Don’t get me wrong—the amenities are no less impeccable. But I think the bad factors outweighed the good ones, or at least we could have been better off in a more convenient hotel than Bayud.
I was warned beforehand that the hotel is quite a travel from where the central area is but I thought that shouldn’t be a problem. In reality, it was kind of a hassle going back and forth the hotel and Tourism road which would take us about 25 minutes each way. One night, Choco and I even had to drive our motorcycle with broken headlights, only using my phone’s flash light as a feeble guide, as it was the only way out of the hotel.
The way leading up to it is dark and very much remote. Hence, local tricycle drivers would charge up to 500 pesos per head (10USD) if they really want to take advantage. It’s either this or they would refuse the trip knowing how far the hotel is. This is the reason why we were compelled to rent a motorcycle for the duration of the trip. Although not necessarily bad, it was more caused by the fact that it was our sole option to get around. On the contrary, establishments on Tourism road are easily walkable from each other.
For a resort marketed to be quite luxurious, customer service wasn’t 24/7. Come early evening, only the guard by the front gate would be left to oversee the entire property. Imagine having an emergency in the middle of the night and feeling totally helpless. There were also a couple of nights where the electricity was cut off only to find out they didn’t have generators either. This was exceptionally inconveniencing as it could get hot in the rooms at night.
On top of it all, the wi-fi service was weak. We were told that their connection was just having problems at the moment but basing off other reviews, it seems like that’s the perennial case. I understand people might want to disconnect while on the island but really, they have to be more considerate of everyone’s needs.
Now the biggest disappointment of it all is the beach. Sure it is beautiful from a distance, but once you cross the white sand, the water is just filled with seaweeds that it is barely swimmable. This is why most people just dip in the pool like we did.
Overall, coming from a constructive criticism’s point of view, we think the management needs to rehabilitate the beach more. It’s obviously not taken care well of. Knowing how far the hotel is from immediate tourist spots, guests would most likely want to spend a good amount of time just lounging in the resort’s private beach but we weren’t able to do that. The staff is very friendly and assistive but they could definitely improve on the availability of customer service.
Where we ate:
A friend of mine in college is also in Siargao so we decided to meet up over dinner on our first night. Bravo was a no-brainer choice as it is a good middle ground from where we were staying and I’ve heard good reviews of it. The ambience of the place was amazing! The open-air restaurant faces the beach and on that particular night, there was live music going on. Choco and I ordered their patatas bravas and peri-peri chicken thighs which were both delicious. We loved it so much that we even went back on another night to have some desserts. Our most favorite would be their white chocolate and coconut cheese cake among a couple other that we got to try.
There are only a few coffee shops on the island and our first pick the following morning was MA+D Siargao. Their bar area resembles that of a nipa hut with the outdoor seating located across the beach. It was very relaxing sitting there and relishing the quiet that we didn’t mind the food and coffee took a while. It is not a place for lattes and the likes but, for those who prefer their coffee black like Choco, you would enjoy their manual coffee brewing method. He ordered the hot Kapeng Barako which we paired with a serving of pastil, a Maguindanao breakfast food consisting of packed rice, shredded chicken, and crispy garlic, all wrapped in a banana leaf. As someone who likes having savory dishes in the morning, this one hit the spot for me. It was quite an experience trying a native delicacy that was uncommon in Manila.
Not quite getting the dosage of caffeine that I needed yet, we headed over to another coffee shop inside Harana Surf Resort called Fili Beans Espresso. I was so impressed that they offer vegan milk and just had to get my latte with coconut. They served it with an edible straw made of rice and tapioca, something I’ve never encountered before. This was probably my most favorite coffee shop in the whole trip.
Kermit had been making a buzz for years, arguably one of the pioneer restaurants that became popular in Siargao as we know it now. They have already branched out in Manila but people (like us) still do not miss the chance to try the original location on the island. It was a little bit confusing looking for the restaurant at first as our GPS was leading us to a back alley. The way leading there was rough and passing through a residential area made us question if there really is a restaurant down the street.
For a Saturday night, the place was astoundingly packed. The waiting time would be an hour or so which normally, would’ve discouraged us but we knew it’s a place worth trying. As we were seated, Choco and I ordered a customized pizza with parma ham, and a plate of tagliatelle al tartufata which has truffle sauce. Disappointingly, we were told the pizza would take another hour since they ran out of fresh dough and have to make a new batch. At that point, we were already too jetlagged and tired but thought might as well just give in since we already waited for a long time. The pasta was nonetheless delicious, probably the star of the whole meal for me. The pizza, on the other hand, was actually served after two hours (!!!!) that we ironically annihilated in a span of a few minutes. The ingredients are undoubtedly fresh and the parma ham’s saltiness, much like what prosciutto tastes like, is something I really liked but honestly? The overall wait just doesn’t cut it for me.
Said to be owned by a Filipino-Italian couple who settled in Siargao, La Carinderia offers a fusion of two cuisines in a laid-back, carinderia-style setting. We ordered their pumpkin tortellini with truffle cream sauce and a sizzling plate of sisig which was irresistible especially with the egg. The pasta was a little sweeter than I expected coming from the pumpkin filling. Comparing from Kermit’s quality just the night before, I would say the former makes better Italian food although La Carinderia has quicker service. This restaurant is also on the pricier side for servings that aren’t that big, so that’s something to take note of.
I have been looking forward to this restaurant for days, being a huge fan of Filipino barbecue. There is an even more popular joint not too far called Mama’s Grill but we knew the line there would also be long. One of our tour guides recommended Azuete and it lived up to the hype! They grill each item upon purchase which makes the service a little slower but it was definitely worth getting the food hot off the grill. We ordered their chicken inasal, grilled liempo, and pork barbecue. The barbecue was so good that we even had a few to-go. Ahhh, just thinking about how flavorful they were paired with rice is making me salivate.
Where we went:
I have to be honest that I am not a very adventurous traveler. I’ve been in a constant war between wanting to seize each trip and having enough time to rest, as I was perpetually tired. Note that this was back when I was still working (I’m currently on a leave,) and I feel like I’m always chasing time to get enough sleep.
I have also never surfed before and while Siargao is one of the best destinations to start learning the skill, I didn’t fully-trust myself that I won’t get injured. Choco was considerate of this so we mostly just went swimming and sightseeing for this trip.
Guyam, Naked, and Daku island
As recommended to us, we availed My Siargao Guide‘s tri-island tour which seemed the most reasonable for me, price and itinerary-wise. They have other interesting tours as well although more expensive and only scheduled a few times a week. We also wanted to try the Magpupungko Rock Pools tour but it was closed at the time. On a separate day, we even drove two hours back and forth on our motorcycle just to see if it already reopened, only to find out it still wasn’t. We got extremely sunburnt from that attempt that we still haven’t recovered from until now.
We met up in Bravo Resort and a couple of tour guides welcomed us, seemingly fun and energetic despite the early call time. I highly recommend My Siargao Guide if you’re travelling with a significant other or a group of friends. The two are very well-versed with the happenings on the island that they can answer any question in a heartbeat.
It was a whole day tour so we had to divide our time accordingly among the three islands. My most favorite one has got to be Naked Island which was breathtaking as I have imagined from the photos! Its pure white sand can give Caribbean beaches a good run for their money. The water is turquoise blue that was so vibrant, it looks like it was straight from a photograph. I wish we stayed longer there but we shortly had to leave for the next one as another boodle fight lunch was awaiting us.
If I could avoid it, I really stay away from tours as I like the freedom of controlling my own itinerary but this one was well worth the bucks, logistically-speaking.
I can still remember how beautiful Siargao is coming from a bird’s eye view. We didn’t see the ocean right away but instead, the coconut trees that are perfectly manicured. There is a famous viewing deck some 40-minute drive away from our hotel that has become popular on Instagram and of course, what self-respecting tourist would miss the chance to see it? The drive was already scenic but the deck itself gives an even more panoramic view of thousands of coconut trees.
On our way back, I spotted a nondescript sign to an alley that leads to this so-called “Secret Beach.” It’s not really much of a secret as a lot of people were there. It’s a bit of a walk from the road but it opens to a sanctuary for surfers. The water is rocky and the currents are strong so it wasn’t recommended to swim. We mainly just stayed by the shore and waited for the sunset.
I think Siargao is best enjoyed with a bigger group and through surfing. I was expecting more of a laid-back, beach vibe like Boracay but it reminded me more of La Union, another surfside town north of Manila. It was, however, my first time traveling domestic with Choco which made the experience still fun despite a few hurdles.
Next stop after the pandemic? El Nido, Palawan!