Who would not be excited when you have been hearing talks of the beauty the island could offer to every traveller visiting the place. Hours of wait for the boat trip to the island is really worth it as you will be welcomed with the panorama of the resort where we stayed and the beach itself.
I didn’t really expect that this stretch of the beach would look great ten-fold or more than I just saw from online photos. Who would not be captivated with the wide white sand beach of the bay, which is great for outdoor activities with family, friends, colleagues and loved ones?
Everything seems almost perfect for me as we arrived at Santiago Bay Garden Resort that is rightfully situated on a cliff overlooking the spectacular view of Santiago Bay.
It is best if you are looking for a place for an escape from the busy everyday life of the city. Here, you are free to do anything on the wide beach, have some watersports in its dazzling blue ocean with different rock formations seaside, and/or just roam around to find its coconut trees and green tropical plants anywhere around the village-like resort.
Should you be looking for less expensive food and drinks, you may go nearby and have good stuff for your hungry stomach. We just did this, while enjoying the food without leaving empty handed.
You can feel the island as people were all out the bay side singing, dancing, having chitchat and enjoying the place with music around. Some even have group event with their tents all set up on the sand. Meanwhile, our group headed directly to the resort’s pool area to stretch our arms and legs for swimming.
We then decided to have some alcoholic beverage intake at their restaurant and continue our talk and even plan for our next possible destinations.
Early morning the following day, I and one of my friends (Ashley) greeted the sun rising up, had bay walk, took some photos and got wet with the seawater. We ate our breakfast at the resort by 6 a.m., got back to the pool for less than an hour and prepared for a tour around the island.
Our first stop was at Mangodlong Rock Resort, which is a sister resort of Santiago Bay Garden Resort, where you can enjoy the beach since it is not quiet far from the seashore.
Next, we went to the underground cave of Tinubo Cave in Sonog, San Francisco, Camotes. The cave highlights the amazing forms of gigantic stalagmites and stalactites reminding me of the Hinagdanan Cave in Bohol.
We then ended to a crystal clear pool-like water that would really tempt you to try as you will be shedding sweat as you go down towards the bottom of the cave.
Our final destination before going back to Cebu City was at guitar-shaped Lake Danao Park in Pacijian island’s northern part.
The park offers many activities including duck ride, crocodile ride, horseback riding, kayak, swimming at its pools and a visit to its islet.
The foods and drinks of the park are also mouth-watering.
It might just be a short visit to the island, but it’s as if I had a weeklong vacation because I really enjoyed everything even just seeing the views.
Where will I be next? Let’s see where my thought, feet and heart will lead me. ‘Till my next escapade then.
THE WANDERING ITINERANT 