This trip was supposed to have occurred last Year 2020 but we all know what happened.
My daughter and I planned this again before the summer season of 2021 for us to avoid the crush of people, and then another lockdown happened. After the first lockdown (or Enhanced Community Quarantine, ECQ for those of you who are into acronyms) was lifted this year 2021, we were able to squeeze in a Bohol trip, which was cut short because of the passing of my father in-law.
And then another lockdown happened, which is what Philippine bureaucrats seem to know as the only viable solution to this wildly unpredictable affliction called SARS-COVID 19.
This Siargao sojourn of ours was supposed to be for 6days 5nights but we had to cut it short again, which I’ll explain why later.
HOW WE GOT TO SIARGAO
Book a flight online via either Philippine Airlines or Cebu Pacific. You have the option of flying directly to Siargao, or via Cebu with a connecting flight to Siargao Island, which may have a 1-3hours layover.
We chose a Manila-Cebu-Siargao / vice-versa flights via Cebu Pacific.
WHAT ARE THE SURIGAO DEL NORTE-LGU REQUIREMENTS WHEN TRAVELLING TO SIARGAO
- You’re required to secure a Saliva Test 72 hours upon date of arrival, from the Philippine Red Cross that shows a Negative Result for SARS Covid 19;
- You’re also required to have a Confirmed Hotel Booking accommodation document with an LGU accredited place-of-stay;
- A clear copy of a government-issued Identification (ID) card.
All of the above should be in JPEG format so you can load these onto the s-pass.ph online site, after which you’ll be able to secure an Approved Travel Coordination Permit that looks like this:
By the time some of you read this, these restrictions may have been eased somewhat already or maybe even removed altogether, in line with the so-called lowering of Alert Levels by the Infectious Diseases Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
HOW WE GOT AROUND SIARGAO ISLAND
Alighting at SAYAK AIRPORT in Siargao Island, there are already tourist vans waiting to take you to your accommodations. Fare is P300.00 per person, no more, no less.
We booked our ride to our accommodations and back to Sayak Airport when we departed the island, with ARNEL (09365010921). Travel time from Sayak Airport to General Luna, Siargao and vice-versa, is roughly 35-40 minutes.
There are a lot of options to get around the main island itself.
You can either:
- rent a scooter; Fair warning, though, to scooter fanatics. You’ve got to be a real good rider in order to avoid becoming a statistic. A lot of accidents have happened on the roads of Siargao due to over-speeding on wet or dry roads.
- hire/rent a van;
- hire a tricycle for a land tour;
- or pay for a tour with a local tour guide (there are a lot of signboards offering land tours and island hopping tours).
One thing I noticed when we arrived: gasoline was P70.21 per liter, and when we got to Day 3, it was already at P71.40 per liter!
For our Land Tour of some of the island’s popular destinations, we contracted RENCE (09079788198). He also hooked us up with island tour boatmen Bryan and Piloy.
SOME THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN IN SIARGAO
- One thing to remember is that there are quite a few nice establishments such as places-to-stay and places to eat that aren’t really very far from each other. A lot of times, in the mornings. I’d walk to LUNARES CAFE for my morning coffee fix. When taking a tricycle, for example, fare shouldn’t exceed P20.00 per person to reach a place to eat or see that is just 2.5klms. away up to 5klms;
- DON’T DRINK THE TAP WATER unless the resort staff of the place where you’re staying says it’s safe to do so;
- BEFRIEND and be RESPECTFUL of the LOCALS. They’ll help you out for land / island hopping tours, and they may even broker for you a sweet deal;
- BE GOOD TO NATURE. DON’T BE A TRASH MONKEY. LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS;
- DON’T EXPECT A REALLY FAST INTERNET CONNECTION. It is intermittent, at best, so you’ve got to make do with what you get, ‘man;
- TEMPER YOUR EXPECTATIONS OF THE ROADS IN SIARGAO, some are paved smooth but most are rough also;
- Book and pay for your flight / resort accommodations / tours early and online. This is to avoid the stress of winging it as you go along.
WHERE WE STAYED IN SIARGAO
When going to Siargao, it is best to stay in GENERAL LUNA, where all the accommodations, places to eat, and where the action can be found.
We stayed at KAWILI BEACH RESORT because all the other accommodations that we scoured for were fully-booked already because of the long weekend holiday (Saturday October 30 to Monday November 1, 2021).
There are a lot of high-end, mid-end, budget accommodations at Siargao but we chose Kawili because of its proximity to restos and it being just walking distance to the beach, and also because we’ve already put down a 50% deposit before for their SURF SHACK.
Unfortunately, because of the two (2) lockdowns of the year 2021, we weren’t able to use SURF SHACK and our deposit was forfeited. The only accommodation available was for their DORM ROOM shared with 4 other people who also had bookings for those dates of our stay. So we took it.
DAY 1 NOVEMBER 1, 2021 MONDAY
After settling in at Kawili, we immediately contacted Rence, and he took us to the COCONUT TREES VIEW DECK, about 25 minutes away from General Luna:
About 2 minutes away was the MAASIN BRIDGE BENT COCONUT TREE & RIVER SWING in Brgy. Maasin:
A further 3 minutes away, we went to the NEW BRGY. MAASIN BRIDGE:
After taking in these sights, we went back and got to the famous CLOUD 9 Surfing Area:
Time to get in some refreshments at SHAKA CAFE
We returned back to our accommodations and planned to have dinner at KERMIT Restaurant.
Unfortunately, KERMIT Restaurant had a long waiting list that night and we were famished already, so we tried out the home-made pasta at LA CARINDERIA, and they did not disappoint.
We called up Rence to make arrangements for our pickup to do the Tri-Island Hopping the next day.
It was lights out for us 9:00 pm, as we were flat-out tired from the flight and sight-seeing.
DAY 2 NOVEMBER 2, 2021 TUESDAY
LUNARES CAFE
I accidentally discovered this cafe’ when I was walking along Tourism Road in General Luna, looking for a place where I could score a hot cup. I had coffee and freshly-made croissant at LUNARES CAFE, and I tell you, their croissant looks, smells so good, is hot, and is so delicious, that for the next few days, I got up from bed 6am sharp to head straight for LUNARES CAFE. You must try out their Croissant and Coffee Americano:
TRI-ISLAND HOPPING TOUR
Rence picked us up and took us for a 5-minute ride to the port of General Luna. After paying P100.00 Environmental fee, I rented out snorkeling equipment, and Rence introduced us to our boatmen, Bryan and Piloy.
And off we went.
First stop was the MARINE SANCTUARY, and here are some screen grabs from my GoPRO:
I was scared as hell as it has been a long time since I snorkeled hahaha but the corals were worth watching, really
NAKED ISLAND
DAKU ISLAND
but my daughter didn’t want it.
So why would I boodle alone? Not much of a fight if you ask me hahahahaha, so I settled for just a light longganisa breakfast
GUYAM ISLAND
Back at General Luna, where we had LATE LUNCH AT BRAVO RESTAURANT, after spending 6 hours on the islands
After lunch and after buying some souvenirs, we came across this (sorry, the gear head in me had to include this), a pristine-looking Toyota MR2. SWEET.
That night, we had dinner at ARKA HAYAHAY and I had about three bottles of beer to go with dinner
DAY 3 NOVEMBER 3, 2021 WEDNESDAY
MAGPOPONGKO ROCK POOLS AND FLATS
It pays to start early.
After leaving my daughter to do her work-from-home thing, and after having coffee and croissant at CAFE LUNARES, Rence and I started our trip to MAGPOPONGKO ROCK POOLS and FLATS at 7:15am and arrived 8:11am, and I had the place all to myself:
Here are some screen grabs of what it’s like under the pools:
At around 10:15am, a lot of people were arriving and that was my cue to leave. I left at around 10:24am and arrived back at General Luna 11:15am, and had a late lunch at a place called CASHEY’s PLACE. and it was both instantly regrettable and forgettable. DO NOT EAT HERE.
Later that evening we had dinner at WHITE BANANA BEACH CLUB and the ambience, with its techno-trance music, was so chill and cool. The food was simply divine. You should eat here:
Craved for Hot Chocolate and dessert so we stopped by at Tom N Tom’s Coffee:
DAY 4 NOVEMBER 4 THURSDAY
I would walk down a sandy alley and emerge from it to this…
We rebooked our return flight to Manila for today Thursday Nov. 4, 2021.
Flight leaves @12:20 noon time. We contacted Arnel for an 11:00am pick-up.
Before preparing to leave, I had my by-now customary coffee/croissant fix at CAFE LUNARES, showered and freshened up after, and we made our way to LAS PALMAS Restaurant for brunch. You must eat here:
WHY WE HAD TO CUT SHORT OUR TRIP FROM 6DAYS 5NIGHTS TO 4DAYS 3NIGHTS
There is a directive from Surigao Del Norte LGU that if you stay for more than 4 days in Siargao, before you can leave the island, you would have to undergo testing for C-19, and result should be negative. If the result is positive for the virus, then you can’t leave and you’d be quarantined for 7-14 more days. We knew this before going to Siargao.
What really rankled me was when we went to a local clinic (that I won’t name), no one can give us a definitive answer as to how many cases there are in the island as of the moment, and its staff’s seemed insistent that even if we just spent 4days there, we should be tested before leaving, saying something about us testing negative 4 days ago, October 30, 2021. Even KAWILI resort owner Robert said it was all about making money for the LGU. I’ll leave it at that.
Also, we’ve noticed that the internet connection seemed to go on and off all of a sudden.
Our plan was to go sightsee on Days 1-2, then my daughter will work-from-home on Day 3 Wednesday. then go on Leave Day 4 Thursday to continue sightseeing. But seeing that the internet connection is what it is, and the threat of us not being able to go back to Manila to our jobs, we decided it best to rebook our flight back scheduled for Saturday to Thursday November 4, 2021.
The end-result was I wasn’t able to go surfing, and we weren’t able to visit Sohoton Cove, Coconut Grove, Corregidor and Mam-on islands anymore.
But it doesn’t matter. We will come back for the things we were not able to do next year, as soon as we get Iloilo-Guimaras done hahahaha…
Siargao is an island of super-friendly locals. Siargao is so vibrant but at the same time so laid-back, so much so that it allows you to move forward living the island life at your own pace, and that is probably Siargao’s most alluring appeal, aside from the spectacular sights, surf, sand, and island beaches.
Oh before I forget, if you’re a group, you can actually hire an open party van blaring your own music whilst you go on an all-nighter around the island!
Siagao did not and will not disappoint!
This was a do-it-yourself trip for 2 persons, and I’m sure you guys can do better, so here’s a list of expenses that we incurred for a 4 days 3 nights stay:
| Antigen Saliva Test (Oct. 30 Saturday) | 3,123.00 |
| Sashamae / Spike Allowance | 1,000.00 |
| GRAB ! To Domestic Airport | 401.00 |
| CEBUPAC AIR FARE | 14,119.00 |
| Taxi fare & BREAKFAST @McDONALD’s LAPU-LAPU, CEBU | 650.00 |
| Van from Sayak Airport to General Luna (P300 per pax) | 600.00 |
| Check-in to KAWILI BEACH RESORT | 2,700.00 |
| TRICY /LANDTOUR: | 1,200.00 |
| SHAKA CAFE Smoothies | 490.00 |
| DINNER @LA CARINDERIA | 750.00 |
| BREAKFAST @LUNARES CAFÉ | 180.00 |
| ISLAND HOPPING FEE | 1,710.00 |
| Tricycle to Port of General Luna | 100.00 |
| Paid environmental fee P50.00 per person | 100.00 |
| Tricy fare back to KAWILI | 40.00 |
| Late LUNCH @BRAVO | 900.00 |
| Tricy to and from Arka Hayahay | 80.00 |
| DINNER @ARKA HAYAHAY | 725.00 |
| BREAKFAST @LUNARES CAFÉ | 180.00 |
| Hired Tricycle to Magpupungko Rock pools | 400.00 |
| Entrance | 70.00 |
| Tricycle Parking | 30.00 |
| Guide Fee | 100.00 |
| LUNCH @CASHEY’s Place | 550.00 |
| GLOBE LOAD | 200.00 |
| DINNER @WHITE BANANA (plus tricy going P50 and back P50) | 1,420.00 |
| Dessert @TOM and TOM’s Coffee | 260.00 |
| Tricycle fare from White Banana/ back to Kawili | 80.00 |
| Coffee @LUNARES CAFÉ | 180.00 |
| Brunch @LAS PALMAS | 920.00 |
| Van Pick-up & Depart for Airport | 600.00 |
| Paid Environmental Fee @Sayak Airport | 40.00 |
| LUNCH @CEBU airport (The BREW ROOM) | 564.00 |
| Miscellaneous expenses incurred (water, beer, cigs, souvenirs, etc) | 1,101.00 |
| GRAB ! to residence in San Juan, Manila | 476.00 |
| TOTALS | 36,039.00 |
Be kind to yourself and to others.
Dondz's Corner 