Holy Week Getaway Plan Post I

Summer is right around the corner, which means a Holy Week getaway should be in place. Quaint Demeanor and I are trying to figure out where to go for this year. A place by the beach, untouched territory, where the party will be but definitely not the too crowded ones (insert Moalboal here, HAHA!)

Suggestions are appreciated... and as we think about the perfect getaway for Easter weekend, I'll take you to a look on how we spent it years back and maybe you could get some ideas too on where to spend your Holy Week 2013. 

Flashback 2011, when I was a fresh out of college and finally allowed to go on an out of town trip without the parents... Camotes created such a buzz at that time that it would be crazy not to go.

We packed our bags on a Holy Thursday and went for it! Okay but before that, I did make some research about how to go there and boat schedules to the island. From SM Cebu you ride a jeepney to Danao and you get off at the pier, that simple. Although you could take a bus from the terminal in North Reclamation Area. Fare for jeepney would cost not more than Php30 at that time, not sure now though?

As usual, we would be late for the said time but no worries, we still had big and excited smiles on our faces. When we reached the pier, the sight we were not ready for was flocks and flocks of people lining up for a boat ticket. In my mind I was like 'Noooooooo', a naive holy week adventurer did not have a plan for this. Since the boat leaves every 2 hours, I kept calm and asked the boyfriend to help line up to get us tickets. With our wit and charm, we were able to get tickets from a man that supposedly reserved it for someone else for the after lunch trip, but didn't show up... Score! We paid P180 for the non-aircon ticket, and the aircon ticket costs P200. (Prices may not be the same at this time)

 

It was a bit of a wait for our 1:30PM trip, but we lounged under the trees and relaxed. We ate by a nearby wet market where they had fresh seafood...eating it by the bay was perfect by the way. Finally, the boat arrived and yes, there was a lot of pushing and kids crying... you cruise through because you know it will be worth it. Yes, after a 2-hour boat ride, it was. We met a habal-habal driver in Consuelo port that cost about P150 to take us around the area to look for a vacant place to stay in. We should have booked in advance but we took the long shot, although I did scout for names of the recommended places here so we were familiar with it.

                        

On the habal-habal

We arrived at Santiago White Beach, and lucky us, we were able to talk to the owner of a small rest-house  It had 3-4 
rooms that were already packed, but they had the option to take us in for a tent stay that would cost P500. Looking at the view, we couldn't say no. It was already a good deal and the tent would give us easier access to the beautiful beach. The landlady and everyone there was very nice, they had very good accommodation from pillows, blankets, charging privileges, and even breakfast. (On a slightly bad note, cellphone signal is so bad in that area BUT I wouldn't mind since I prefer not to get any calls or text when on vacation). It was already late afternoon so we walked by the beach since it was low-tide. We  built some sandcastles with the local kids and enjoyed the sunset. At night, there were fairly a lot of happenings along the slightly long shore. We walked to Santiago Beach resort which was the tip of the shore, and we ate sugba-sugba nearby. Then we went to the nearby church where there was a concert happening right across it. There were a few people we knew from Cebu who turned up and we enjoyed the night away. Going back to our tent, we had nothing but relaxing waves of the sea and the cold blow of the wind.

Warning: Tons of pictures coming

                                                                                                                 
                                            

              

                                             
                                              

               

                

               

               

                                            

                                            

                                            
                                            

We had an early start to our day since we were leaving later in the morning (already!) to catch up with some friends in Bantayan. As we were waiting for our breakfast to be served, RB talked to the habal-habal driver outside to test how he could do on a motorcycle since we thought we could rent one and go around the island for 2 hours before we leave. He did good and couldn't contain himself the whole time we were eating since he couldn't wait to get on and ride away. So when we were ready, we put gasoline in the motorcycle and hopped on. We went straight, turned, and Aaaaahaaaaaaa!!!! Ok, so an accident had to happen since apparently the dogs and chickens there don't get out of the way even with a motorcycle coming towards them. So I screamed and RB panicked and we crashed into a wall. It was quite embarrassing, so he hurriedly got on again but I didn't want to since I got scared and I hurt my toe. The driver came to check on us and asked if RB was okay, when I looked at him he was bleeding on his lip and on his hands with scratches. I thought that was the end of our little journey but thankfully the driver offered to take us around despite our injuries. We were so grateful to get out of there (oh, the embarrasment hahaha!)

Lip Injury

                     

  

   

To catch our 11AM trip, we can go to one spot only which was Lake Danao Park. It was quite a long ride, that's when we realized that Camotes is a big island and so many places to go to. It would be best to bring your car or motorcycle there and explore it by yourselves, or you could rent a van but certainly not a motorcycle since it would hurt in the butt for all the long rides. We stopped by Mangodlong Beach Resort which was very beautiful as well and we arrived at Lake Danao and washed our scratches off there in the restroom. Maybe the adrenaline made all the pain go away since it wasn't painful at all. We enjoyed the view for a while and took some pictures before heading back to Consuelo Port where we would be taking the trip back to Danao. We arrived on time, and although this is the end of the Camotes adventure (and still hoping to go back to visit more sites, the caves, and more of the beach)... at this point, we couldn't wait to meet up with our friends who were already in Bantayan. I'll be talking about how we got there and our Virgin Island adventure on the Post II of the Hoy Week Getaway Plan.

Mangodlong Beach 

                                      

One thing is for sure though, I wouldn't hesitate to go back to Camotes with a better itinerary. The beaches were definitely an A+ and the people who were very nice, friendly, and accommodating helped us enjoy our short stay in their island.

Boat to Danao Port

                                                   

Xarie