Sun Xi (Alegria, Cebu)

Beach resort or mountain resort? In my case, why not both! 

Last weekend, one of my childhood friends married the love of her life. On Thursday evening, we departed the city and headed to Alegria which is located in the southern part of Cebu. It is about a 3-hour bus ride from the South Bus Terminal. 

At around 10:30 pm, we arrived at Sun Xi Beach Resort. We had a short sleep and at dawn, we woke up and prepared for the wedding.

At around 5:00 am, we were done eating our breakfast and because we were all ready and just waiting for the van that would take us to the church, we looked around the place. 

At around 7:00 am, we travelled from Alegria to Alcantara (about 30 minutes). The wedding started at 9:00 am and it was really a moving event since I know this couple has gone a lot of trials and tests in their relationship but now they are one in the eyes of God. :)

At 10:00 am, the wedding ceremony was finished and then we went back to Alegria. This time, the reception was held in Sun Xi Mountain Resort. The travel time was almost an hour also (from Alcantara to Sun Xi Mountain Resort). The road on the way was smooth but there were also some areas which were rough but once you arrive in the place, your breath will be taken away. The place is really beautiful. 

the entrance

The villas which were named after different flowers

Camellia- our room 

A nice place to relax and unwind 

Resto bar of the resort

We were disconnected from the world of internet for a few days but it doesn't matter. We were able to relaxed and have some fun with the company of family and friends. 

Bohol Escapade (2nd day)

Hello there! I've finally finished blogging about my Bohol Escapade (1st day). After the day tour, we headed to Guindulman, kuya Jun2x's hometown. From Carmen proper, we waited for a bus going to their place but since it was a holiday that day, we had a hard time catching a bus. We waited for about two hours and because of that we had no choice but to take a bus going to the town of Pilar. From Pilar, we were able to get V-hire going to Candijay. It was really dark that time and we were not really familar with the place. Good thing, after a few minutes of waiting in Candijay, some relatives of kuya Jun2x arrive and we headed to Guindulman. Whew! 

We are very thankful to Esquilla family for accommodating and taking care of us when we were there. Their family is really fun to be with! 

And so after eating dinner, we were able to sleep. 

Day 2 

The following day, we planned to go the beach. We went to a public beach just a few minutes away from Esquilla's residence. 

We opted not to swim that time. We just went there to ponder on some thoughts and enjoy the beauty of nature. :D

After some time, we then went back to kuya Jun2x's house and ate our lunch. In the afternoon, we then went to Anda (I'll be writing a different blog post for this). Stay tuned! 

Related blog posts:
* Bohol Escapade (1st day)
* The Buzzz Cafe
* Loboc River 
* Zoocolate Thrills
* Sevilla Hanging Bridge
* Tarsier Conservation Area 
* Man-made Forest 
* Butterfly Conservation Area
* The Shiphaus
* Chocolate Hills

Exploring Hidden Places in the South: Hidden Beach Resort (Aloguinsan) and Hidden Valley Resort (Pinamungahan)

What's a better way to cool out this summer season? Having a cold drink? Sharing your favorite ice cream to your best friend? Hitting the beach? Or just go on a road trip?

Well, why not do it all!

For this year's team building, the team decided to go to Hidden Beach Resort located in Aloguinsan, southern part of Cebu. The group departed via Ceres bus at around 5:45 a.m. and arrived in Pinamungahan's public market at around 7:30 a.m. 

When we arrived, we bought some food and other necessary ingredients for our lunch. After doing so, we boarded a jeepney bound for Aloguinsan. 

A month before this day, we already planned where we are going, we decided to go to Hidden Beach Resort in Aloguinsan and maybe after that, we could got to Bojo River. When we arrived there, true enough, this resort is really hidden, if we haven't made a deal with the jeepney driver, we would have ended up walking from the main road to the beach, which is a little bit far. 

The entrance fee is Php 15.00 and there are cottages that you can rent too. We rented one cottage and after everything was settled, we prepared the food for lunch. After eating, we had some games and hit the water! 

* preparing lunch

At about 12 noon, the group decided to leave the place and find another because honestly speaking (I don't know with the others. haha), I wasn't satisfied. So we told the jeepney driver (the same driver who took us in the beach) that we want to go to Hidden Valley Resort in Pinamungahan. He suggested we go to the other resort, which is still owned and managed by Hidden Valley, because he said that it's better there. So we were "OKAY koya" (kuya- big brother). But when we arrived there, it's not what we've imagined. It only has one pool and the cottage is expensive. And the bad thing was, the jeepney driver wasn't there anymore, leaving us hopeless (char. haha)

Anyways, our adventure began and so we hailed a tricycle and went to the center of Pinamungahan town. There, we haggled with the drivers who will take us to Hidden Valley Resort in Lamac, Pinamungahan. After a few minutes, we manage to agree with one another. The trip going there took us about 30 minutes, but we didn't regret it. When we arrived there, it was indeed beautiful!

* welcome!

Hidden Valley Resort is owned and managed by Lamac Multi-Purpose Cooperative. If you're a nature-lover and at the same time pool-lover, you can spend a great deal of your time in their 5 pools. Three kiddie pools and two for adults. They also have several rooms if you're planning to stay there for an overnight. It's also a great place to have team buildings, seminars or just a place for relaxing. 

* the roofs that you can see are some of the resort's rooms

The entrance fee is Php 50.00/ head for adults and Php 25.00/ head for kids. If you're going to use the pool, you need to pay Php 50.00 for adults and Php 25.00 for kids.

If you want to stay there for a night or two, they have a wide array of rooms that you can choose depending on the number of people. The price ranges from Php  2,200.00- Php 3,700.00. For seminars or conferences, you can also rent their function areas for Php 1,500.00 - Php 4,000.00.

At around 6 p.m., we returned to the center of Pinamungahan and waited for the bus. At 7 p.m., we departed and snooze away... haha We arrived in the city at around 9:30 p.m. and parted ways. 

CIAO! 

* credits to Cherry Culanag and Kim Berly Caminos for some of the photos here. :)

Plunging in Camotes

What's summer if you can't feel the scorching heat of the sun? What's summer if you don't cool yourself? What's summer without an escapade?

And because we can't stand our itching feet and the scorching heat and we think it's the perfect time, we plunged in Camotes Islands!

Camotes is situated Northeast of Visayas and is made up of 3 major islands. There's so much to explore in this beautiful island that one day is not enough. Surely, you'll be left wanting for more. ;)

How to get there:

We boarded a jeepney from Manduae hi-way going to Danao. In Danao, we took the 5:30 am trip for Poro, Camotes. The trip lasted for 3 hours and upon arriving there our shuttle was already waiting for us.

*Our shuttle service. 

First stop:

Buho Rock Resort is located at Poro. To witness the beauty of the place , you really need to take a flight of stairs and be enchanted by the view. One brave soul can even take a slide down to the sea!

*Buho Rock rocks! xD

*MU rocks Buho Rock! 

After feeding our eyes, it's time to feed our stomachs. haha We went around the town and looked for food. After a hearty brunch meal, we continued our adventure.

Second stop:

Timubo Cave in San Francisco. Getting in is not really that difficult because there were concrete stairs and lights to guide your way. As we were entering the cave, I was just expecting stalactites and stalagmites but I got more! The cave has an underground pool, cool eh? Of course, we dove in. The water was really crystal clear.

*going inside Timubo Cave.

*Enjoying the cool water inside the cave. :)

Third stop:

Lake Danao Park in Pajican Island. The lake which is shaped like the number eight is not only the largest lake in the province but as well as in the Visayan Region. Varied activities can be done once you're in Lake Danao. You can enjoy the scenic view under the shade of the trees, or you can even try horse-back riding but if you really want to satisfy your eyes and your curiosity, you can rent an outrigger boat ride commonly known there as "Sakanaw". If you like more adventure, then you can also do kayaking and explore the wonders by yourself.

*waiting for our turn (giddy faces. :P)

*kayaking Lake Danao 

After the fun filled activites that we had, we headed to Santiago White Beach. The pristine sand will welcome you with open arms (OMAI. haha) We checked in at Payag Beach Resort. It is one of the resorts that you can choose if you want to stay at Santiago.

*Santiago White Beach

The weather was not really that hot when we went there, it was even raining in some parts of the island.

We went for a swim eventhough it's low tide and had our photoshoots. :D

*Yvanne, Ms. Mitch, Tara and Mau

Late in the afternoon, I met Tita Lyn. She just recently opened a shop at Santiago Bay Garden and Resort. She gave us a quick tour inside the resort. The resort is strategically located at the top of Santiago White Beach and it's overlooking the whole place. Looking from above will enthrall you. After the tour, she gave us a souvenir. Thanks tita!

*Check out Tita Lyn's website: http://lyndeutsch.com/

We went back to Payag and had some serene moments with the bunnies. ^_^

The following morning, our shuttle arrived at around 8:00 am and much as we want to stay longer in Camotes, we just can't. So we have to say goodbye and we'll see you soon!



It's more fun in the Philippines, it's more fun in Camotes. 

*photo credits: Oda, Ms. Mitch, Dora (thanks guys!)