or Silang? I was convinced we were in Tagaytay the whole time.

It's the quarterly ganap of our group and boy we all needed to get out of the city.

So lucky of us to snag a beautiful home! Again. Some of my favorites about it are:

• very spacious
• light and airy
• enough bathrooms
• enough utensils, dinnerware, and cookware
• Karaoke!
• everyone had a space to comfortably sleep in
• dining area was able to accommodate all of us
• huge garden!
• super IG worthy

One of the things I loved about this place is the dining area. Since we're a big group, it's nice when the dining can seat all of us.

My favorite girls and our new recruit.

I super love the natural light!

Stove at the back. Fridge wasn't big enough, good thing I brought a big cooler for the ice.

The spacious veranda (or balcony? I don't know what to call these areas) was perfect for day drinking!

Obligatory group photo of course

Grill fest it is for our March celebrants and Ms. Techie's despedida

Good food and good folks

We absolutely had a great time here and I personally recommend it for groups like us.

Found this gem in Airbnb, link here.

I was quite worried that it was too cloudy and that it might rain! Good thing the weather turned out to be nice the entire time we were island hopping, a little too cloudy but bright and sunny.

That house can be rented out for 5k, good for 15 pax according to our boat captain.

I wasn't able to take photos of the entrance to the beach after going down the rocky path. We all kind of just dove in the water after securing our things.

This is absolutely more amazing in person. Getting out of the boat and hopping on the island is a bitch though.

We couldn't go to the caves cause our boat wouldn't fit, so we just went to Ave Maria which is also our last stop.

Ave Maria

Day 3 was a mix of the good and the bad. Good that we found a willing multicab to take us directly to the port where we'll ride a roro. Bad that it was one rust away from falling apart. Good that we got to the port early, around 10am. Bad that the next trip was at 1PM. Bad that the tricycle ride from the port to the resort is 18 kilometers long. Good that the view was UH-MAZING!






At first we were hesitant to take their deal, 600 per tricycle for 4 pax, but upon learning that it's about an hour so of travel and there isn't really any other option, we agreed.

As you can see from the photos, it wasn't a comfortable ride but man the view made up for our sore butts. I mean, nothing really breathtaking but it was just plush greens all the way to our destination and there weren't a lot of cars and buildings.

We spent the night at Raymen. It wasn't my kind of accommodation but since we'll only sleep there, it was okay. The rooms were cheap anyway. The room had the basic stuff you need: bed, bathroom (hot and cold shower), towels, a TV with cable, AC, a shelf, a small table, and a chair. The bathroom was rigid, the mattress and pillows were thin but alright, sheets were really suspicious looking, and the entire room was so small. The room wasn't to my liking but we just used it for keeping our stuff, sleeping, and showering anyway.

Anyway, after dumping our stuff in our rooms, we headed to the resort's restaurant right away for some late lunch/early dinner. Too bad I wasn't able to take any photos of our food 'cause we're too hungry to bother. We super loved the grilled liempo, I think we ordered three servings! Food was reasonably priced and servings were pretty hefty (an order is good for two or three).

After dinner, we checked out the beach and dang. These are not filtered by the way. Photos were taken with an iPhone 6s.




The beach was awesome: clear water, not overly salty, sand was powdery, and there weren't a lot of people which I super love! We had the beach to ourselves later that night.

The boys got busy playing with the sand while some of us took a dip then later had beer by the beach. Perfect way to end the day.

Tomorrow is for island hopping!

Oh by the way, here's Day 3's total damage:

Tocilog (with coffee or hot choco) for 200 pesos I asked the lady at the cashier if the serving is good for two and she said it's good for only one. Nope, this was good for two and I'm an ulam person. Share it with someone then just order extra rice (15 pesos).

So nice to have bean bags by the shore!

Undeniably my favorite spot!

Under the bridge

First deck of the floating bar (Grabbed this photo from their website)

Super chill place! This floating bar is such a cool idea if the 250 entrance fee came with free drinks! We should've spent the evening here.

You can tell that I'm so in love with being an island girl. You can walk around without any pants, not brush your hair, not wear make-up, and be lazy!

 We had to get back from the floating bar around 11 A.M. and get our stuff ready for check-out.

After Lakawon Island, we went to The Hostelry in Bacolod and spent the night there. From Lakawon, boat to the port, then tricycle to the terminal, then bus to Bacolod, then a cab to the hostel. Please insist on following the meter when riding the cab there.

Our room at The Hostelry

What joy to have your own bathroom!

Upon checking in, we just left our stuff in our rooms and went to the cafe right away for late lunch. Food was pretty decent.

Cafe's pride, chicken sandwich. It was okay. Don't wanna brag but I can make a better one than this.

Quiapo halo-halo special. Ask for sugar and milk. Good for two or three.

After lunch, we decided to go to a nearby drugstore for some antacid and antihistamine and on our way back to the hostel we met Nelson!

Yeah I was creepy and all the moment I saw this humongous doggo! Good thing the human he was with was friendly and patient too just like him. We followed him and asked for a photo upon reaching McDonald's. Nelson was just so cool! I wanted to follow him some more but they started running shortly after this photo was taken.

When we got back, I took a nap while charging my phone. Later that night, I met up with some old colleagues at Lion's Grill for dinner. It was a short meeting and I also couldn't stay too late. I'm not sure what the others did but I think they went to Calea for some cakes. They initially wanted to go out and experience Bacolod's night life but we were all exhausted from the traveling I guess that we just called it a night before 12mn.

Anyway, here's what day 2 cost us:

Cab fee was good for 4 and the dinner at Lion's Grill was good for 6.

Guimaras tomorrow!

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.