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 Siquijor La Casa de la Playa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Siquijor La Casa de la Playa. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
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.
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| 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!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Siquijor. Day 2.
Our second day in the Philippines started off with our alarm clock failing to go off. Thank you sweet Jesus that the boy randomly woke up and decided to look at his watch. It was 5 minutes past the time that we were supposed to meet our cab driver. We quickly dressed and made it (with plenty of time) on our flight out to the island of Dumaguete.
As soon as I could see the island from the plane I knew it was going to be awesome. Dumaguete is drastically different from Manila. It's way more tropical, less urban and really nostalgic. It is still very colonial and it reminded me instantly of my time spent in Martinique. The air is so fragrant and my spirits were immediately lifted. Once we landed, we hopped on another tricycle and made our way to the ferry terminal and boarded the first boat out to Siquijor.
So first things first, just a little about Siquijor. Siquijor is an island province located in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It was 4 days before we left for the Philippines that I was skyping with my mother. As soon as I told her that the boy and I would be visiting the Visayas she said, "Oh! Did you know that you're Visayan?". Uh, whaaaaaa? Yup, turns out that I am in fact a quarter Visayan. woot woot point for me. Siquijor is the third smallest island in the country and it was originally called "Isla del Fuego" by the Spaniards because of it's eerie glow. Turns out that this 'eerie glow' comes from the swarms of fireflies that inhabit the island.
Now if all of that isn't enough to sell you on a vacation to Siquijor, listen to this: Siquijor has a reputation as a place of both magic and mystery. Apparently, there are many "witches" that live on the island and they practice both white and black magic. In fact, there's a festival that happens every spring where many of these witches get together in the center of the town and brew a special potion to last them throughout the year. It's both a blessing and a curse to the island as many locals are scared of the magic that the island possesses and won't step foot on it. On the other hand, it also draws curious tourists like us to it's mystical waters.
It was Christmas Eve, and as soon as we landed on the island I knew it was going to be simply amazing. We immediately hired a tricycle and bumped our way through the winding roads to our accommodation, the Casa de la Playa resort.
We are so blessed in that Trip Films contacted La Casa de la Playa beforehand and told them that we were coming and that we wanted to shoot a piece on their resort. In turn, they offered to host us for our stay on the island. They were almost completely booked so we were originally supposed to get one of their garden villas. Luckily for us, they had a guest leave a day early, leaving their beachfront property open for a very happy boy and girl.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing by the beach and exploring the town of Larena. More on La Casa de la Playa, Larena, and Siquijor in my next post. My body thinks that I should still be on vacation and refuses to let me stay up past my bedtime.
As soon as I could see the island from the plane I knew it was going to be awesome. Dumaguete is drastically different from Manila. It's way more tropical, less urban and really nostalgic. It is still very colonial and it reminded me instantly of my time spent in Martinique. The air is so fragrant and my spirits were immediately lifted. Once we landed, we hopped on another tricycle and made our way to the ferry terminal and boarded the first boat out to Siquijor.
So first things first, just a little about Siquijor. Siquijor is an island province located in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It was 4 days before we left for the Philippines that I was skyping with my mother. As soon as I told her that the boy and I would be visiting the Visayas she said, "Oh! Did you know that you're Visayan?". Uh, whaaaaaa? Yup, turns out that I am in fact a quarter Visayan. woot woot point for me. Siquijor is the third smallest island in the country and it was originally called "Isla del Fuego" by the Spaniards because of it's eerie glow. Turns out that this 'eerie glow' comes from the swarms of fireflies that inhabit the island.
Now if all of that isn't enough to sell you on a vacation to Siquijor, listen to this: Siquijor has a reputation as a place of both magic and mystery. Apparently, there are many "witches" that live on the island and they practice both white and black magic. In fact, there's a festival that happens every spring where many of these witches get together in the center of the town and brew a special potion to last them throughout the year. It's both a blessing and a curse to the island as many locals are scared of the magic that the island possesses and won't step foot on it. On the other hand, it also draws curious tourists like us to it's mystical waters.
It was Christmas Eve, and as soon as we landed on the island I knew it was going to be simply amazing. We immediately hired a tricycle and bumped our way through the winding roads to our accommodation, the Casa de la Playa resort.
Monday, December 27, 2010
We're Back!
So I'm a liar. I didn't actually do any posts while we were in the Philippines. It was just too beautiful and our time was way too short that I couldn't bare to spend it by the computer. That and the fact that there was little to no internet to be had.
The sun-kissed boy and I returned home at about 1 o'clock this morning. We're still unpacking and getting situated and heading off to work in a little bit. I'll be sure to post much more about our tropical holiday later tonight. Until then, a few pictures...
The sun-kissed boy and I returned home at about 1 o'clock this morning. We're still unpacking and getting situated and heading off to work in a little bit. I'll be sure to post much more about our tropical holiday later tonight. Until then, a few pictures...
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