The boy finished our video for La Casa de la Playa. This was one of the best resorts I've ever stayed at. The owners, Terry and Emily really made the experience enjoyable. You absolutely must stay here if you ever find yourself on Siquijor island.
Casa de la Playa, Siquijor, Philippines
Showing posts with label The Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Philippines. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Things You Should Know About Travel in the Philippines
So as you know, the boy and I recently returned from a trip to the beautiful Philippines. As always, we learned so much in just the short time that we were there. We also learned some information that we think is valuable to all future travelers to the Philippines. Just a few pieces of advice. Keep in mind that these can be useful anywhere you go and are not only limited to the Philippines.
Take Cash.
Cash cash cash. There are ATMs everywhere on the big islands like Manila or Cebu, but Siquijor only had one (I think). Travel with cash. Cards aren't accepted at as many places as you'd think. I know a lot of people are worried about carrying a bunch of cash on them, but believe me, you'll be more secure if you have it on you rather than being penniless with no access to your accounts. Even when we stumbled upon ATMs in Dumaguete, none of them ended up taking my Master Card.
There are fees. Fees for everything.
If you are planning on traveling by plane, bus or ferry while in the Philippines, be prepared to be charged a terminal fee. Oh, and they only take cash. Fees range from place to place. At the domestic airport we were charged 400 pesos per person just to get to our gate. The terminal fee at the ferry cost us only 15 pesos. The international airport in Manila charged us a whopping 750 pesos just so we could go through security. If we didn't have cash on us we would have been royally screwed. You know, seeing as the only ATM at the airport wasn't accepting anyone's cards.
Take a metered cab or negotiate 1/3 of the initial price.
We have a theme. Whenever we go somewhere new and we have to take a taxi, we always get taken to the bank by our first driver. It never fails. If they can smell your "newbie scent" they will take you for all that your worth. We calculate that they'll probably charge you quadruple what the price really is for the locals. Yeah yeah yeah... we can act as savvy as we want, but taxi fare is just so hard to figure out. It's the one thing that we kind of fail at.
So how was our first ride in the Philippines you ask? Well, as soon as we got out of the airport we were approached by a man that worked for the airport. He organized a ride for us and even had a fancy schmancy notebook that had all of the fares to each region of Manila. He found where our hotel was supposed to be and told us that it was about 40 minutes away. I thought it was strange because we specifically booked the hotel because it was supposed to be near the airport. This wasn't the first time that a hotel website lied to me. Le boo. The total cost was 1,200 pesos which calculates to around $35 USD. That wouldn't be bad back in the States, but hot damn... it's a lot of money in the Philippines.
Traffic was bad, but we eventually got to our hotel. We even left a little Christmas tip for our driver. We waltzed through the door and told the man at the desk that we were checking in. He looked confused. As we started to look around I realized that the name of the hotel was different than the one we had booked. Are you cereal? So yeah, we ended up walking for about 20 minutes until we found a metered cab. He also had no idea where our hotel was, but he called his buddy and then turned on the meter. Turns out, the hotel is ridiculously close to the airport and the cab ride cost us a whopping 200 pesos. Bahaha.
Another useful tip is to ask the hotel staff how much it would cost them to go to your destination. If you're taking a tuk-tuk or a tricycle the fare will be relatively cheap, but you can get it lowered even more if you know what the locals pay. When we asked the staff at our hotel in Dumaguete how much a tricycle ride to the airport would cost they told us 50 pesos. The driver initially asked for 200. Not so fast, mister. After about 20 seconds of negotiation we were on our way to the airport with 150 pesos saved. Cha-chiing.
Keep your belongings safe.
Duh. We didn't experience any crime while we were on our trip, be we were warned beforehand to keep all of our valuables on our person. Our hotels also warned us not to keep anything of value in our room. It's pretty difficult when you're traveling with expensive video equipment, a waterproof camera, a Canon 550D, and a laptop. Most places will let you rent out a safe to store your valuables in when you're on the go. We never felt any real threat since we were on a secluded beach on a relatively secluded island- but just be warned. Keep 'em secret, keep 'em safe.
Take Cash.
Cash cash cash. There are ATMs everywhere on the big islands like Manila or Cebu, but Siquijor only had one (I think). Travel with cash. Cards aren't accepted at as many places as you'd think. I know a lot of people are worried about carrying a bunch of cash on them, but believe me, you'll be more secure if you have it on you rather than being penniless with no access to your accounts. Even when we stumbled upon ATMs in Dumaguete, none of them ended up taking my Master Card.
There are fees. Fees for everything.
If you are planning on traveling by plane, bus or ferry while in the Philippines, be prepared to be charged a terminal fee. Oh, and they only take cash. Fees range from place to place. At the domestic airport we were charged 400 pesos per person just to get to our gate. The terminal fee at the ferry cost us only 15 pesos. The international airport in Manila charged us a whopping 750 pesos just so we could go through security. If we didn't have cash on us we would have been royally screwed. You know, seeing as the only ATM at the airport wasn't accepting anyone's cards.
Take a metered cab or negotiate 1/3 of the initial price.
We have a theme. Whenever we go somewhere new and we have to take a taxi, we always get taken to the bank by our first driver. It never fails. If they can smell your "newbie scent" they will take you for all that your worth. We calculate that they'll probably charge you quadruple what the price really is for the locals. Yeah yeah yeah... we can act as savvy as we want, but taxi fare is just so hard to figure out. It's the one thing that we kind of fail at.
So how was our first ride in the Philippines you ask? Well, as soon as we got out of the airport we were approached by a man that worked for the airport. He organized a ride for us and even had a fancy schmancy notebook that had all of the fares to each region of Manila. He found where our hotel was supposed to be and told us that it was about 40 minutes away. I thought it was strange because we specifically booked the hotel because it was supposed to be near the airport. This wasn't the first time that a hotel website lied to me. Le boo. The total cost was 1,200 pesos which calculates to around $35 USD. That wouldn't be bad back in the States, but hot damn... it's a lot of money in the Philippines.
Traffic was bad, but we eventually got to our hotel. We even left a little Christmas tip for our driver. We waltzed through the door and told the man at the desk that we were checking in. He looked confused. As we started to look around I realized that the name of the hotel was different than the one we had booked. Are you cereal? So yeah, we ended up walking for about 20 minutes until we found a metered cab. He also had no idea where our hotel was, but he called his buddy and then turned on the meter. Turns out, the hotel is ridiculously close to the airport and the cab ride cost us a whopping 200 pesos. Bahaha.
Another useful tip is to ask the hotel staff how much it would cost them to go to your destination. If you're taking a tuk-tuk or a tricycle the fare will be relatively cheap, but you can get it lowered even more if you know what the locals pay. When we asked the staff at our hotel in Dumaguete how much a tricycle ride to the airport would cost they told us 50 pesos. The driver initially asked for 200. Not so fast, mister. After about 20 seconds of negotiation we were on our way to the airport with 150 pesos saved. Cha-chiing.
Keep your belongings safe.
Duh. We didn't experience any crime while we were on our trip, be we were warned beforehand to keep all of our valuables on our person. Our hotels also warned us not to keep anything of value in our room. It's pretty difficult when you're traveling with expensive video equipment, a waterproof camera, a Canon 550D, and a laptop. Most places will let you rent out a safe to store your valuables in when you're on the go. We never felt any real threat since we were on a secluded beach on a relatively secluded island- but just be warned. Keep 'em secret, keep 'em safe.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Siquijor and Dumaguete. Day 4.
Well our fourth, and last full day in the Philippines was shared between the mystical island of Siquijor and the fast[er] paced island of Dumaguete.
Now being half Filipino and from a Hawaiian background, I told the boy that it was imperative that he give me at least two uninterupted hours in the sun. That's it, just two. Korea's a little harsh when it comes to my tan, and I wanted to lather my body in some good ol' Vitamin D. Lather I did. I even rinsed and repeated.
Uh yeah, the water was that clear.
I also got to spend some time with some lovely pups. They were everywhere in the Philippines, but the dogs on Siquijor were so chill and lazy. You'd often find a pack of them lying on the beach under the shade of a palm tree. We had a mama pup that would actually stay on our porch all day. I might have accidentally fed her a piece of my breakfast and after that she refused to leave my side.
We pretty much just stayed by the beach for the majority of the morning and early afternoon. We had been awaiting the arrival of our good friend and fellow travel buddy, Ryan Sheldon. He found himself stuck on Dumaguete after the ferries closed down for Christmas. Being the devoted wanderer that he is, he lept on an early boat to Siquijor on the 26th and spent a good 5 hours with us. We were able to go for a little dip, eat at a local hot spot, and take a tricycle back to the dock in order to catch the last ferry back to Dumaguete at 4:30.
Once we arrived in Dumaguete we found ourselves surrounded by other foreigners. It was a little bizarre since we hadn't really seen any since we landed in Manila. Dumaguete was bustling with tricycles, pedestrians, street food, loud music and laughter. We immediately found ourselves a room for the night and then took to the streets. We wandered up and down the boardwalk taking in the sights and indulging in delicious treats along the way. I might have had a rum and coke or two. They were extra special because they came with real limes. LIMES. A fruit that I have yet to see in Korea.
Chris and Ryan decided to really immerse themselves in Filipino culture by ordering "balut" from a local street vendor. Some of you already know what it is, but for those of you that don't- Balut is a boiled fertilized egg. Fertilized enough that you can clearly make out a baby chick inside. This nearly-developed embryo sits is a soupy liquid that one is supposed to drink before eating the contents of the egg. nom nom not. I thought I might be able to coax myself into at least trying it, but as soon as I saw the little baby chick and Chris's uneasy face, I said no way jose. You can actually hear me on the video say, "Ohhh yeah. That's probably not going to happen".
We ended the night people watching with drinks in hand. Not a bad way to spend our last night in the Philippines. Below is a video that the boy made for tripfilms.com. It has a little of the Dumaguete nightlife and the end is dedicated to his balut experience. Doesn't his face just make you want to go out an buy yourself a dozen?
Watch more travel videos at tripfilms.com
Now being half Filipino and from a Hawaiian background, I told the boy that it was imperative that he give me at least two uninterupted hours in the sun. That's it, just two. Korea's a little harsh when it comes to my tan, and I wanted to lather my body in some good ol' Vitamin D. Lather I did. I even rinsed and repeated.
Uh yeah, the water was that clear.
I also got to spend some time with some lovely pups. They were everywhere in the Philippines, but the dogs on Siquijor were so chill and lazy. You'd often find a pack of them lying on the beach under the shade of a palm tree. We had a mama pup that would actually stay on our porch all day. I might have accidentally fed her a piece of my breakfast and after that she refused to leave my side.
Once we arrived in Dumaguete we found ourselves surrounded by other foreigners. It was a little bizarre since we hadn't really seen any since we landed in Manila. Dumaguete was bustling with tricycles, pedestrians, street food, loud music and laughter. We immediately found ourselves a room for the night and then took to the streets. We wandered up and down the boardwalk taking in the sights and indulging in delicious treats along the way. I might have had a rum and coke or two. They were extra special because they came with real limes. LIMES. A fruit that I have yet to see in Korea.
Chris and Ryan decided to really immerse themselves in Filipino culture by ordering "balut" from a local street vendor. Some of you already know what it is, but for those of you that don't- Balut is a boiled fertilized egg. Fertilized enough that you can clearly make out a baby chick inside. This nearly-developed embryo sits is a soupy liquid that one is supposed to drink before eating the contents of the egg. nom nom not. I thought I might be able to coax myself into at least trying it, but as soon as I saw the little baby chick and Chris's uneasy face, I said no way jose. You can actually hear me on the video say, "Ohhh yeah. That's probably not going to happen".
We ended the night people watching with drinks in hand. Not a bad way to spend our last night in the Philippines. Below is a video that the boy made for tripfilms.com. It has a little of the Dumaguete nightlife and the end is dedicated to his balut experience. Doesn't his face just make you want to go out an buy yourself a dozen?
Watch more travel videos at tripfilms.com
Monday, January 3, 2011
Best Beaches on Siquijor Island, The Philippines
Here's our featured tripfilms.com video on some of the best beaches on Siquijor island. Beautiful, no?
Watch more Cebu videos at tripfilms.com
Watch more Cebu videos at tripfilms.com
Best Day Trips on Siquijor
Here's one of our featured videos on tripfilms.com. The best day trips on Siquijor island, The Philippines.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Chasing the Sunset
We spent the remainder of sunlight on Christmas day making our way to one more secluded beach on the island of Siquijor. The sunset was absolutely breathtaking. These pictures are actually mostly of the reflection of the sunset from the other side of the island. I couldn't have imagined a better way to spend our Christmas evening.
We were in such a hurry to make it to the last beach before nightfall that the first four pictures were actually taken from the car. Not too shabby if I say so myself. Although I can't take credit for the beautiful colors of the sky. Just another reminder of how blessed we are.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Siquijor. Day 3.
Our third day in the Philippines just so happened to also be Christmas day. We've apparently started a tradition where there must be sand somehow incorporated in our Christmas. Last year it was the desert of Dubai, this year it was a tropical beach (or should I say, beaches) in the Philippines. Who knows? Next year it might be the desert sands of Mongolia. (fingers crossed)
Terry, one of the owners of La Casa de la Playa, offered to take the beau and I on a day trip around the island. Her girlfriend Romy decided to join us and we spent a good seven to eight hours exploring all that Siquijor had to offer. We started off at a Christmas celebration at a local church. It brought back so many memories of my time with family in Hawaii. There were people everywhere and everyone was so happy and welcoming. There were children playing and people were singing and dancing to Christmas tunes. I could've probably stayed there all day, but we had more of the island to see. In all reality, we could have probably spent the entire day hopping from Christmas party to Christmas party. Everywhere we went, people were having outdoor extravagant parties. As soon as they saw that we were foreigners, they would flag our car down and basically force us to join them. They'd clear a spot for us at the table, pour us a rum and coke and ask us all about ourselves. As soon as we brought out the cameras they would put on a show of dancing and singing. There was even a rousing game of musical chairs. It was all so refreshing and there was joy, so much joy. One might say that it was ubiquitous.
We not only party hopped; we also visited a local healer, explored Terry's favorite beaches, visited the gravestone of a woman who died at 116, hiked to some beautiful waterfalls, dipped our toes in a natural pool at the base of a "magical tree", and chased the sunset. It is impossible to recap everything in one post, so instead I'll post some pictures from the day and I'll have separate posts dipicting each activity later. They have to be highlighted- they're just too good to miss!
Like I said- a LOT of Christmas parties! The remainder of our evening was spent relaxing on the front porch and playing card games to see who would win the chance to sit in the hammock. Not a bad way to celebrate!
Terry, one of the owners of La Casa de la Playa, offered to take the beau and I on a day trip around the island. Her girlfriend Romy decided to join us and we spent a good seven to eight hours exploring all that Siquijor had to offer. We started off at a Christmas celebration at a local church. It brought back so many memories of my time with family in Hawaii. There were people everywhere and everyone was so happy and welcoming. There were children playing and people were singing and dancing to Christmas tunes. I could've probably stayed there all day, but we had more of the island to see. In all reality, we could have probably spent the entire day hopping from Christmas party to Christmas party. Everywhere we went, people were having outdoor extravagant parties. As soon as they saw that we were foreigners, they would flag our car down and basically force us to join them. They'd clear a spot for us at the table, pour us a rum and coke and ask us all about ourselves. As soon as we brought out the cameras they would put on a show of dancing and singing. There was even a rousing game of musical chairs. It was all so refreshing and there was joy, so much joy. One might say that it was ubiquitous.
We not only party hopped; we also visited a local healer, explored Terry's favorite beaches, visited the gravestone of a woman who died at 116, hiked to some beautiful waterfalls, dipped our toes in a natural pool at the base of a "magical tree", and chased the sunset. It is impossible to recap everything in one post, so instead I'll post some pictures from the day and I'll have separate posts dipicting each activity later. They have to be highlighted- they're just too good to miss!
Like I said- a LOT of Christmas parties! The remainder of our evening was spent relaxing on the front porch and playing card games to see who would win the chance to sit in the hammock. Not a bad way to celebrate!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
La Casa de la Playa
So the boy and I were blessed with the amazing opportunity to stay a few days at La Casa de la Playa on the mystical island of Siquijor. The place is amazeballs. No joke. Let me just start with the owners of this resort. Terry and Emily have been business partners for over 16 years. Terry is a German expat who was traveling the world with her girlfriend, Romy. They decided to take some time off of work and see all that the world had to offer. After exploring most of southeast Asia they decided it was time to spend a few weeks in the Philippines. They spent time in Manila, Cebu and Bohol before stumbling upon Siquijor. They had some trouble finding a place to stay and decided to walk along the beach to see if they could find some reasonable accommodation. They eventually found Emily who agreed to let them stay in the only house that she had on the property.
 |
| Emily singing a traditional Visayan Christmas song |
Emily has grown up on the island and her family owns a significant amount of beachfront property. She agreed to let Terry and Romy stay with her in the house thinking that it would only be for a week or two. Well, after two weeks Terry and Romy were far from ready to leave. They decided to extend their stay for another two weeks. Those weeks flew by and they decided to stay just a little bit longer. Weeks turned into months and months inevitably turned into years. Sixteen years to be exact.
They now have 12 bungalows on the property and have had guests stay from all over the globe. There's a wonderful restaurant and they even provide guided tours around the island. Double bonus because the restaurant boasts an assortment of both Filipino and German inspired dishes. Nom nom nom.
I cannot even explain to you just how fabulous this resort is. Not only is it relatively secluded and private, but the staff is so genuine and friendly and they all remember you by name. It's like a tropical version of the tv show Cheers. The staff even had a few performances for us on Christmas Eve.
You best believe that they boy and I videotaped the sheet out of this place. Once we get everything uploaded I'll be sure to post the final product on here. Until then, go online and book your stay at La Casa de la Playa. Who knows? You might never leave!
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