Ocean Vida Beach & Dive Resort - A Pleasant Stay!

Forgot to make an entry about the hotel we stayed in when we went to Malapascua, so here goes a "short" review.

Funny story - "Angry Backpacker" was a bit stressed out about booking a hotel that she thought would "fit her companions' status." She didn't want to get a room that's too small or too basic, thinking that we only inhabit high end hotels (the rumors are not true people - I just need the basics: aircon, a decent bed and a bidet). So we ended up in what the locals described as the "most expensive hotel in the island," or something close to that: The Ocean Vida.

We loved sitting on those beach side couches.

Problem number 1: There are 4 of us in the group (5 if you include the 3 year old kid) and we only got to book one room. We were all fine about sharing it and just getting an extra bed, but we got into a little friendly discussion with the front desk officer when we got to the hotel. Apparently, they can only "technically" fit 3 adults in a room. We had "no choice" but to book another room, but not on the first night since they were fully booked that day. See what she did there? Pag fully booked, okay lang? We had to consider getting another room from another hotel, or getting a second room for P4,700 (Angry Backpacker not happy at all). In the meantime, we settled with getting 2 extra mattresses that actually fit the room comfortably (there was a lot of space).

Can't resist a good (yet poorly lit) selfie on this giant mirror.

Over dinner, we were told that the current setup can be accommodated as per approval by the owner. In other words, we all get to share a room. Wow, that was a very good gesture and we asked the front desk officer to thank the owner for us. We got to meet him during breakfast the following day (I wish I could remember his name - my attention was on the bacon) and he was indeed a very nice guy (German, I believe - I should really pay attention to these things more). That, for me, is great customer service and we ended up throwing out all our grievances out of the window.

Take 2! I got my shirt upside down!

Our room was located at the second floor and had a huge balcony (the four of us can actually party there, and have space left for guests). The ocean view was great, and I loved seeing it first thing in the morning. Except for a few mosquitos, the seats were also comfortable enough to get some work done before breakfast. The only downside - it was designed so that you can see the neighboring room's balcony. And I got a surprise when an old caucasian guy with nothing but his underwear on stepped out of his room to hang his towel.

Dinner was good overall, but we ended up ordering too much. The server told us that the dishes were "good for one person only" and we were shocked to see that they were actually portioned for sharing. If that wasn't a shot at our "healthy bodies," then I don't know what it was. (Let it go, Sam). They also have Happy Hour from 4PM to 6PM (with a little extension if you use your charm), and you can get cocktails at buy 1 take 1. Not bad!

Sad that there was no mint for the Mojitos, so I ended up ordering something else.

It's a diver's island, and there were a lot of divers in the area. Foreign divers. Half naked guys and scantily clad women. I wish Lyn and Mami Ann were with us during this trip - they would have loved all the blue eyes and the other exposed body parts. The entire island had a "chill" vibe, making it a great place to just kick back, relax and leave the rest of the world behind. I wish I can transcend my laziness and hatred of long travel time and muster the will to come back to this place someday.

Rico's Lechon - A Nice Treat Before Flying Back Home

A trip to Cebu is never complete without a kilo or two of their all time favorite delicacy - Lechon! For the uninformed, lechon is stuffed pig (yes, the whole freakin pig) roasted to perfection for hours. The mere thought of lechon brings me back to one of my favorite Pinoy folklores - ang Alamat ng Lechon!

There's one near the airport - perfect for a last minute stop over. 

Once there was a village who loved to raise pigs. Each house had its own barn, oddly located below the residences. The villagers loved those pigs and fed them the best plants. The pigs, in turn, showed their affection by being playful and cheerful.

One fateful day, the villagers went to a neighboring town to join a fiesta. Nobody wanted to stay behind as they will miss out on all the great food, fun and games. Everyone left early, with the exception of Lydia who woke up too late. In her haste, she forgot to blow her candle/nightlight before she ran off in pursuit of her family and friends.

Who can resist?

That single candle would change the fate of the pigs. It caused a fire like never before seen in the region. The pigs, trapped in their cages, had nowhere to run. They all perished and got burned to a crisp.

When the villagers returned, they were caught off guard by the devastation. But what surprised them more was the inviting aroma that came from their village. They discovered a reddish brown delicacy where their pigs were, and just could not resist getting a taste. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Lechon came about to this world.

With that said, lemme go back to the reason why I wrote this entry in the first place - Rico's Lechon. I'm not sure which is more popular: Rico's, or the classic CNT lechon (which I love). But we ended up with Rico's because the crew craved for spicy lechon.

Not everyone eats lechon, but that didn't stop the fans from dining here!

The bad news? No more spicy lechon when we got there (sorry to those who wanted us to bring home some). What the hell? It was only 5PM, and the spicy lechon was already sold out? This isn't the first time that this happened to me (and I'm sure this is not a unique experience), so you would think that they would prepare more of those to meet the demand. Ugh. So with a bit of a frown on my face, I decided to order the regular variety as well as some Lechon Paksiw. We also ordered chicken skin, sizzling squid and an eggplant dish - but I never got to touch those. Only lechon for this die hard fan.

The lechon was, as always, quite satisfying. What do they feed these things that make them extra yummy? It will probably cost me my life someday, but we only live once right? The paksiw, on the other hand, was not what I expected. I was craving for the "mang tomas" variety and not the literal "paksiw" with lots of vinegar. But the lechon. Yum. I always say that I would willingly fly to Cebu if only to get a taste of lechon. I'm a certified lechon addict. Lechon lechon lechon. Did someone say lechon?

Malapascua Island - Not for the Weak

I've often heard about the "awesome beaches" of Cebu, but never really got to go beyond the borders of Cebu City in the past. When the opportunity to go to Malapascua presented itself, I grabbed the opportunity despite the arduous trip ahead.

And arduous it was. From Cebu City, it took us around 4 hours to get to Maya port, and another 30-40 minutes via a slow moving boat (I swear, I can probably swim faster than that thing). The van ride cost 200 per head, but we were literally packed like sardines. One person was even standing up the whole trip - if you can believe that. I wish I took a photo, but I was too cramped in my own little corner and unable to do much.

A nice spot in Malapascua - not a photo of the docks though.

When we finally arrived, it wasn't exactly a sight to behold. It looked like Puerto Galera with all the hotels and the boats, and I didn't see a lot of people swimming. It looked like the place had a wide wide variety of options for tourists - places that provide basic amenities for backpackers, and the "high end-ish" resorts for the altas. There were restaurants all over the place (yahoo! We won't starve!), and the area was crawling with foreigners (mostly European, I think). It looked like a place where divers converge, so I should probably consider getting some diving lessons soon. We ended up booking with Ocean Vida, but more on that on a separate post.

The highlight of the Malapascua trip (aside from the Kalanggaman Island tour of course) was the 3 hour snorkeling tour around the island. You can rent a boat for 1500 (1200 with excellent haggling skills) and have a guide bring you around the island. Yet another opportunity for me to test my new full face snorkeling gear. Yay!

This kid is just like me - born to go to the beach!

The plan was simple: go around the island, take some photos, make a couple of stops, and swim/snorkel for a little bit. The tour was slated to last for 2-3 hours, which gave us enough time between early morning work and a noon time check out. The sales pitch was exciting and I was looking forward to spending a few hours with my underwater buddies. The weather was cooperative, so I was ready for some fun and excitement!

I wonder what lurks within the scary cave.

One of the first things we saw (aside from the crystal clear waters and some floating seaweeds) was an islet with a cave. No, we did not dare get too close as the waves may force us to the rocks. But my imagination has gotten the better of me, and my mind was thinking about Blake Lively, a buoy, and her friendly neighborhood shark. Fun fact - at least 50% of the people in the boat were more terrified of sharks than me, so you can imagine how many shark jokes were thrown here and there.

Trivia - there used to be more hotels on the island. Then came Yolanda.

Next stop was a diving spot with a ship wreck. It was in a wavy part of the island, so I was thinking long and hard as to whether I wanted to jump in - I had my share of stressful snorkeling in the past and I know how painful my body would be in the next few days. My friends dove in, and within a few minutes one of them came back screaming. Okay, maybe screaming is a strong word, but she was in excruciating pain. Apparently, tiny jellyfish got to her sensitive skin, and she was itching like crazy. She was begging me to pee on her (haha!), but luckily the neighboring boat had a bottle of vinegar. That helped a bit, but we all decided to move on to the next spot - the coral garden.

Don't let the smiles fool you! The "invisible" jellyfish are lurking.

Expectation vs reality. Expectation: since it's named "coral garden," there must be a loooot of fish and a looooot of pretty corals. Exciting! Reality: the water was crystal clear...and that's about it. There were some fish and some corals, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. The swimming was fun though - the waves were pretty steady and the dip was relaxing. We got about 20 minutes of fun until the jellyfish started attacking. I got some Oh well, it was almost time to check out anyway.

We took a less stressful route on the way back to the city. First off, we took a private boat (of sorts) going back to Maya port. It cost us 1200 (and some violent reactions from the resident backpacker) but we got to the port within 20 minutes or so. We also arranged for a private van to take us back to the city for P3000. It was super relaxing, but again, resident backpacker went nuts.

Can you tell from this photo who "backpacker" is?

On a sad note, beware of scammers. First, we found out that the boatman who offered to find us a private van got a kickback of Php700. We probably would have gotten a better deal if we just went straight to the port and looked for our own van. Then, the van driver tried to extort more money from us because he "was told" that the drop off point is SM Cebu and not Mactan (we were told that the van can drop us off anywhere in the city). I will leave how the argument went to your imagination. Let's just say that they ended up dropping us off where we wanted to be dropped off. Don't mess with the Angry Backpacker and the Stingy Maartourist.

SuTuKil Cebu - An Unusual Dining Experience

We were famished, and we wanted to kill some time in between hotel check ins. We also needed a place that's relatively near Movenpick Resort. SuTuKil was the perfect place - just a few minutes from the hotel and a short walk from a famous tourist destination (Mactan Shrine).

As soon as we got off the cab, a small mob of locals offering the world and beyond approached us. A lady offered to give me an umbrella so I won't melt under the heat of the sun. Another guy was mumbling something about "no cooking charge," and yet another offering the "only air-conditioned room in the area."

So many choices, so many dishes, so little time.

And that's where it sank in - yeah, the place is collectively called SuToKil (Sugba, Tula, Kilaw) but it's actually made up of several restaurants. It's similar to Dampa, where you get to purchase your own fresh seafoods and have the resto cook for a fee. We ended up joining the girl with the umbrella - going the extra mile usually pays off.

The place itself looked nice, despite the bad reviews I saw from other blogs. Sure, it's not a classy restaurant, and sure there may be some "natural smells" coming from the ocean and the seafood market. But if you're going to be a "maartourist" about it, then you are probably better off in one of the fine dining establishments in the city. Umayon sa kapaligiran. If you are looking for a relaxing place with a touch of nature, then this place is for you.

That's a mangrove cove behind us!

Did I mention we were famished? So we ended up ordering a huge Lapu Lapu (cooked three ways - Sugba, Tula and Kilaw), a kilo of prawns, a kilo of scallops, and lots of rice. That's a lot of food for four "on a diet" adults and a child who only eats Rosquillos.

My Review:

I didn't care much for the "Tula" or the fish soup. I'm not a fan of soup, and I'm not a fan of fish. I liked how the sabaw (soup) tasted, took a few sips, but devoted most of my tummy space to the other dishes. The "Sugba" or grilled fish was what it was - grilled fish. Again, not something that I would normally order in a restaurant, but simply had to for the complete "SuTuKil" experience. I guess it wasn't so bad paired with the "sawsawan" made of soy sauce, chili, calamansi and some spices.

Now for the good part. I could have eaten the kilo of Chili Garlic Prawns all by myself. It's similar to how prawns are cooked in Dampa, but with a distinct taste of its own. The baked scallops were probably not made with "real" butter, but it was yummy! I wish we ordered a couple more kilos, but that would be gluttony. Finally, the Kilaw (raw fish "cooked" in vinegar) was a hit. I don't usually go for raw fish, but I couldn't seem to get enough of it.

The damage? 2500 pesos (or was it more? I don't remember). Was it worth it? Well, I would probably skip the soup and the grilled fish and order more shrimps and maybe some crabs. Will I go back? I love a good "dampa" experience so yeah, I hope to see this place again someday (and maybe try another resto).

Mövenpick Hotel Mactan Island Cebu

Nothing like a good "staycation" in an expensive resort hotel. Sure, the rates are usually way up there but the experience is usually worth it. And the photo ops are usually fabulous.

So the gang and I were thinking, "Since we are going to Cebu, why don't we stay a night at Mövenpick?" We were told by a "reliable source" that while a hotel room is on the expensive side, they aren't too strict about the number of people staying in the rooms. In fact, there were 6 of them in the room when they went there on vacation. With numbers on our side, the costs can't skyrocket that much, right?

We get to the room and lo and behold, there are two single beds. Two freakin single beds that don't even look comfortable enough for one person (one look at it and I knew I was going to fall off). It took us about 10 seconds to decide that we needed another room - not an easy decision considering the budget constraints. But there wasn't really much of a choice - it was physically impossible to fit two people in one bed. Luckily, there was another room available and we were given a "local resident's rate" of Php 8,900++. Still pretty darn expensive. Serves us right for trying to beat the system in the first place. On the bright side? There was a nice tub and the view from the room was pretty amazing.

Woke up like this!

What's Good:

Aside from the view, there are some other "picture perfect" spots in the resort. The view of the pool from the lobby area was cool, and the pool itself was nicely built - with swimming areas for kids and adults alike. It has plastic couches where people can relax, and some cozy pool side lounge chairs if you are too lazy to swim. And for those who don't want to get burnt by the sun? A portion of the pool is sufficiently shaded by palm trees (not the deep parts though).

The weather was perfect for a late afternoon dip.

The beach is also quite nice (clarification - by beach, I mean the sand). It looks a bit out of place, and probably man made, but it does serve its purpose. Find a nice seat and you can spend the day sun bathing, people watching, or just reading a book. You can also enjoy a cold beer and watch the day pass you by.

I'm not sure what that rock formation is supposed to be.

The breakfast buffet also had a decent selection - lots of bacon and fruits, so I was quite happy. I've seen better looking buffet tables but this one was good enough for me. The gang needed to spend a couple of hours working, so it was a "working breakfast" for us. Check out all the Macs - hard to stay focused but we do what we have to. It is, after all, a working vacation.

Those are fruits on my plate!

For dinner, I heard that booking at table at Ibiza is a must - good ambiance and a nice show. And yes, this is where the famous "net over the ocean" seats are located (a bit of a disappointment, in my opinion). We made our reservations but ended up ordering room service because we were tired from all the swimming. And yes, the buy 1 take 1 Halo Halo (PHP 250) was a highlight.

I got extra ice cream!

What's Disappointing:

Swimming in the ocean turned out to be a disappointment. I grew up surrounded by nice looking beaches and clear water, so swimming in murky waters with floating seaweeds is a turn off (especially for the amount of money that we paid!). I tried snorkeling and saw some fish in the deep part;  but nothing spectacular. I just gave the place a quick spin, took some photos, then moved on to the pool.

As mentioned earlier, the rooms weren't that impressive either. For the price of the place, I was expecting a lot LOT more. Two double beds or one king bed would have made a world of difference. There were also a couple of things that made me want to make a scene at the front desk - including a card key that just wouldn't work, and the fact that they wouldn't let us bring the pool towels back to the room (I had to walk "half naked" across the lobby, by the front desk, and into the elevator area).

The pool looks enticing at night.

The Verdict:

It was an okay experience. Thankfully, I had some extra cash with me (thank you Resorts World, for my "pabaon"). Most of the guests were foreigners (it's amazing how many Koreans converged in the same place), with a handful of locals here and there. Overall, I don't think I got what I paid for - not the place for you if you are looking for value for the money you spent. I would say the experience is worth 50% of what I paid for.

Kalanggaman Island - A Once in a Lifetime Trip

It's been a while since my last blog post, and I have a feeling that I got rusty. But my last "vacation" inspired me to create a new "travel blog." Got some interesting ideas, like "MaarTourist" kasi maarte daw ako, but I decided to just keep it real and simple (I'm surprisingly low maintenance lol). 

Because one of me is not enough...

So enough about that, and more about Kalanggaman Island. It's a nice island somewhere in Leyte (or so I was told) that will certainly make an interesting trip. For people like me, it's probably a once in a lifetime experience. And I'll tell you why in a bit. 

How to get there:

I was able to book a really cheap Cebu Pacific flight going to Cebu (one of those Piso Fare deals), so that helped a lot in the budgeting department. From Cebu City, we had to take a van ride for about 3-4 hours to Maya Port. It only cost us 200 pesos per head, but it was an interesting ride. The van was packed, and I was seated literally at the farthest corner of the van (with some boxes and luggage). I was elated that it was raining outside, otherwise I would have perished in the heat. 

From the port, we took a boat to Malapascua Island - that's another 30-40 minute ride (100 pesos). Finally, it takes another 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours from Malapascua to Kalanggaman. The travel time itself is enough to discourage you from going in the first place. But somehow, I got there. And it was kinda worth the trip.

I'm the king of the world!

The Kalanggaman tour itself officially costs 800 pesos per head. That includes the boat ride and lunch. If you know your locals, you can probably get it for as low as 600 pesos. Our tour was pre-arranged, so we were initially charged 800. With haggling skills, we managed to bring it down to 700. 

The Experience:

We got to the island at around 11 in the morning. You can rent cottages for 500 pesos, so you don't have to stay under the sun if you don't want to. Lunch was served at around 12:30, and the food was yummy! Grilled pork, chicken and fish! You can never go wrong with grilled meat (unless, of course, you burn it). We were able to swim, snorkel, rest and take pictures until around 3PM. For the adventurous, you can actually rent some tents and spend the night on the beach. Definitely not the experience I'm looking for at this point.

This scenery is to die for!

The Good:

The beach is awesome. There's a long stretch of white sand, that even goes further when the tide goes down. You will never run out of places to take a good selfie, and you can make the place look deserted in your photos even if there's like a hundred other people in the island. The water is crystal clear and offers a good swimming experience for kids and adults alike. 

The Bad:

No swimming in the sandbar area. Wait, what? But that's the best part of the island! Well, the current is pretty strong in that area, and tourists are not allowed to risk their lives by swimming there. I personally didn't try to validate the "strong current" claim; the current in the regular swimming area is already pretty challenging. So yeah, I just decided to trust the huge "DO NOT SWIM" signs and enjoy what the island had to offer.

Saaaaaaand

It also rained for about 20 minutes. The raindrops felt weird on my back while I was snorkeling, so I decided to take shelter for a few minutes. Our small cottage was "invaded" by a group of 7 tourists, who also wanted to take shelter from the rain. We didn't mind at first, but it got to a point where we felt uncomfortable in our own (paid) cottage. They left after almost an hour without even thanking us. And yeah, they left trash behind, too. So boys and girls, if you ever need a favor from somebody else (especially strangers), please PLEASE don't be ungrateful bitches. It's so easy to say "thank you."

My travel buddies!

I also got to test my new full face snorkeling mask. I had reservations about it when I ordered it online, but it actually worked like a charm! I used to hate renting snorkeling gear no matter how "sterilized" they say those things are. Now, this will no longer be a problem for me (unless I leave the gear behind, of course). Too bad the swimming area was not too snorkeling friendly - nothing to see but sand and some small fish. The boatman said there were some snorkeling spots on the other side of the island, but I didn't have the time to venture (thanks in part to the invaders, who drained some of my good mojo).

The Verdict:

I definitely had loads of fun in Kalanggaman. It's a beautiful place - no doubt about it. Probably not worth going back to, however, considering the effort. Yes I'm lazy, and I was never a big fan of delaying gratification. There are a lot of other islands to explore, and there's always Puerto Princesa and Boracay if I want a stress-free beach experience.

For the "maartourist," you can opt to ride a private van going to Maya port (costs around 2500-3000 pesos), and get a private boat going to Malapascua (way faster than the public boat, but will definitely cost more if you are a small group). Nothing much that you can do about the Kalanggaman tour, as it seems to be centralized and organized.