I had the pleasure of spending a four-day vacation with new friends last weekend. First out of town vacation I had nothing to do with, was not involved in the planning, arrangement, etc. Of course that made me anxious but it was also refreshing to be just a part of the crew.

Anyway, I'd like to share some of the details of this trip in the hopes of putting more content to this blog and help out those who are interested to travel to these places.

Transportation:
We rode almost all kinds I could think of, except for 2-wheeled vehicles! Here's the breakdown of our transpo:
Upon landing, we took a van going to Ceres bus terminal. Apparently there's a north and a south terminal. We were dropped off at the south terminal so we had to take a cab to go to the right one. Good thing a one-stop bus was about to leave for Cadiz when we arrived, we didn't have to wait too long. As for the cost of the boat ride, the entrance fee to the resort was included. We left Manila a little after 6:35 AM and we arrived at the resort before 11:30 AM I think.

All in all, the travel wasn't that much of a hassle. We traveled comfortably even in the tricycle.

Lakawon Island Resort and Spa:
It was absolutely beautiful. The sand was dominantly powder-like and the water was clear. The facilities and infrastructures were a different story though.

We booked the Pearl rooms, which can fit 4. It's a 5 or 10 minute walk from the restaurant. The second floor of the building was still undergoing construction when we arrived. The room had the basic necessities but it didn't have its own bathroom. The common bathrooms are at the far end of the building.


There was a lot of construction going on and many areas were still being developed. We didn't really mind. We still enjoyed the resort. The island's undeniably beautiful. I also liked that there weren't a lot of people during our stay so it wasn't crowded.

Food:
The food and drinks were a hit and miss. We absolutely loved the liempo and the others say the fried chicken was delicious. Serving portions were generous, good enough for two. Price was a little steep for the taste. I was hoping to be wowed.

You can't mess up grilled liempo.

Do not order the lumpiang shanghai. The meat tasted like it was cooked from yesterday.

Do not order the scallops as well. Itsy bitsy scallops, 10 pieces for 200 pesos! Not only were they tiny, the taste was too bland as well.

And of course, rice. Not bad for 15 pesos a cup but I don't mind paying a little more for better quality. Also, for a resort that boasts of good experience, their dining wares need improvement. I know it's petty but it's just a lot better to eat at a well prepared dining table outside of your home.

Cost of Day 1:
We didn't do a lot, we pretty much spent most of the time traveling and lazing around. I took a long nap after lunch, roamed around the island, took another nap, had dinner, then lazed by the beach.


More photos of the place on Day 2.