Last Hurrah Before School Officially Starts

For two consecutive years, we usually schedule out-of-the-country trips during the kids' summer or midyear break. But this summer, we invested on a few activities for the kids instead. We decided not to have any flight trips - well, flight trips out of the country atleast. Because a few days before the kids go back to school, our family is off to a 3-day vacation in Badian Island, Cebu! Woohoo! 😍

Our first stop is Dumaguete. We stayed there for a day before going to our vacation destination. We stayed in the hotel majority of the time but decided to look around late in the afternoon. We didn't really plan anything on this day.

Walking along Rizal Boulevard

Photo Op at the end of the boulevard.

Dinner at Jo's Inato

The next day is when the adventure begins. From our hotel, we took a tricycle ride (P150) going to Sibulan Port. Then, we took a ferry (P70 ea) to Bato Port, Santander, Cebu. From there, we took a tricycle ride again to the bus terminal. The bus ride (P70 ea) to Badian was around 1.5 hours long. We were dropped off at the side of the road, with a sign that says, "To Badian Island".

Bato Port, Santander, Cebu

What a gorgeous view! (Bato Port, Santander, Cebu)

We were expecting a ride from the resort or, at the very least, a few tricycles waiting for tourists like us. But unfortunately, after 20 minutes of waiting, not one came. We called the resort but all they did was assure us that tricycles frequent the area and to patiently wait. It was drizzling a little and we were already contemplating on just walking to the speedboat pickup area (which we later found out was 2 kilometers away), when a guy in a motorcycle offered to give us a ride. He took me and Kate first, then went back for my husband and Jacob. The guy told us that we should've gotten off at the Badian Town Proper instead, where the tricycle terminal is. Oh well!

All that was very tiring, but at the same time, I'm glad my kids got to experience it. Finally, here we are, waiting for our final transportation going to the island.

Upon arrival at the resort, we were greeted by the resort staff with kalachuchi necklaces, gave us wet towels, and juice in a coconut shell. Kate can't help but say, "Mommy, it's like we're in Hawaii!" 😂

Uhh... Aloha?

The walk from the entrance to our suite is quite long. We got ourselves the Family Suite. Far from the beach but near the restaurant and pool. It has 1 queen size bed, 2 twin beds, a patio, and a really nice, big bathroom with a bathtub. For 10K/night, it's actually not bad at all. The bathroom is my favorite - the floor was dry throughout our entire stay. That's how big it is. The only thing I didn't like about it is that the clear sliding door doesn't have a curtain for privacy. At night, I had to close the lights while taking a bath. 😒

The Bathroom

The Bathtub - which my kids used as a mini pool

The Patio

As soon as we're done unpacking, the kids wasted no time to take a dip in the pool. Raymond and I stayed in the restaurant (which is right beside the pool area) eating lunch while watching the kids from there. 

The Pool Area

After we all had our lunch, we went to the beach area. Weather was a bit gloomy but that didn't stop us. It was already low tide around this time. There were only a few guest, so we had the beach and the amenities all to ourselves. At this point, I found out I forgot a lot of important beach stuff - like goggles, the Tribord, and Jacob's beach shoes. SO ANNOYING. Good thing my beach shoes fit Jacob, so I was the one left wearing slippers while swimming in the beach. Despite of that, we were able to use the paddle boat and went as far as we could go. They got tired of paddling eventually (I was seated in front like a princess taking pictures), but it was super fun for everyone. 😊

When we got back to shore, Raymond and I took advantage of the Happy Hour discount on drinks (which ends at 6 PM), while the kids were playing with the sand. I got myself a Pina Colada. 🍹

Day 2 (June 2, 2018): Raymond and I woke up early the next day to check out their breakfast buffet. But because only a few guests (or maybe just us) checked in yesterday, food is ala carte. It was good, and a lot!

Just us - kids still asleep

As soon as everyone had breakfast, we went to the beach to try out the pedal boat. Unlike the paddle boats, it's for rent at P500 for 1 hour. This one is easier to maneuver, even the kids can do it by themselves. We were able to go further from the shore. When we were far enough, Raymond and the kids jumped off the boat and had a quick swim. This is the longest Jacob has ever been in seawater and he loved it! Usually, Jacob would feel uncomfortable when swimming in seawater because of his skin asthma. He prefers pool water. But here, I didn't hear him complain at all. Maybe because the seawater around these parts is cleaner. 💗 

Yey Jacob!

We went back to the resort to have lunch, then to the beach again to go to the Coral Garden of the island. Before leaving, we were able to rent diving goggles for P100 from the resort's Diving Center (Thank God!). We got in the speedboat and were dropped off at the shore near the garden. From there, we swam (yes, swam) for a good 15 minutes to the Coral Garden site. I don't have pictures of the garden because another thing we didn't bring (because we also didn't have) is an underwater camera. This is a must when exploring anything underwater. All I can say is, it was AMAZING. 💗 God's work is truly amazing. After awhile, Jacob got a little scared because we're taking too long and we're quite far from the shore. We had to go back sooner than expected. Anyway, our ride to the resort got there just as we were swimming back to shore.

On our way to the Coral Garden

At the resort, after washing up, Jacob and I went to the Sun Deck Area where we played billiards and foozeball. The bar was just right beside us, and it's Happy Hour again so I got myself another 50% off drink. 😁

J enjoyed foozeball very much!

We basically just poked the balls one by one until each go to the holes

It's dinner time and there are more guests by now. Food is delicious but a bit pricey in this resort. Maybe because everything has to be delivered by boat. There were native dance performances and a fire show while the guests have their dinner.  

Day 3, Last Day (June 3, 2018): We had breakfast together as family. We didn't do much anymore until check out. We just stayed in the resort and spent the rest of the day in the beach. What I love about this place is that it is so peaceful and far away from all the busyness, not very rocky by the shore, and the seawater is so clean and clear. And the view is just beautiful. We enjoyed our stay very much. 💗

The con for me was the long wait from the bus drop-off going to the resort island, and on the way back to Dumaguete, another long wait for the bus going to Bato Port. Maybe it would have been more convenient for us if our flight to Manila was in Cebu. 

Nevertheless, I take it as a good experience, especially for our kids who grew up mostly in comfort. This trip made each of us appreciate our country even more. Talaga namang kay ganda ng Pilipinas! Can't wait for our next adventure. 😎