Sea La Vie: Camotes Island Vibe - Day 1

This blogpost is about 3 months overdue. Well at least 'later' didn't turn to 'never'. 

This will seem like a photo dump kind of blog post, but whatever. Still blogging it all for keepsake. All these happened last March 24, by the way. 

As a day-late birthday gift for the beloved baby-ik, I planned for a 2-day, 1-night quick getaway to Camotes Island. The inner wanderlust in me has been screaming for an adventure anyway. I've been wanting to get away from the bitter taste of reality lately. 

This trip has already been well-planned ahead of time! A getaway we’ve been dying to have since the year started. I may not have blogged about the negativities that’s been happening in my life lately, but sure enough, this break was exactly what my soul needed for cleansing! 

Initial plan was just for 2 people — my boyfriend and I, as you probably may have already guessed. But along the planning process, I felt the need to have my little brother tag along. Spontaneously, I had our accommodation altered for 3 people. 

I barely slept the night before as I was planning for a birthday surprise for the baby-ik (I will probably blog about this soon). I have been very hands on in preparing for literally everything we might be needing to bring and of course, something to munch on while on the way. 

We left early at around 2:00AM and got to Danao port at around 4am. The line was insanely long that day. I didn’t expect the port to be crowded with so many people. Thus, we unluckily haven’t gotten the chance to board on the first trip to the island. We waited for a few more hours for the second trip. I rocked my not-so-little brother to sleep so he could squeeze in some time to rest in what little time we have left before boarding the next boat. 

Soon after, we got to board the boat and finally we were off to the island. We had a pretty good view of the island as our boat nears it at around 10AM. Camotes Island was indeed a beauty. 

We were greeted by the motorcycle owner we had rented out for 2 days. He held a card with my name on it, gave us a few tips on how to go about the island and left the rest for us to explore on our own. 

The way he looks at me though 😂

We stayed in Santiago Bay Resort. And although we arrived earlier than the agreed check-in time, it was so generous of the management to have granted us an early check-in so we could start exploring the island. However, my little brother was all tired from the trip and I could sense that all he wanted to do was rest, so we had him sleep as we went to check-out a cave about an hour away from the resort. He was fine with it. Just told us to come back before the sun sets so he can at least enjoy the pool.

To Bukilat cave we went. Waze failed us yet again, and stalled us for so long. So, we trusted our instincts and opted to explore by asking the locals we happen to pass by.

Despite the rain, the cave was pretty swamped with people that day.

We were welcomed by strong winds and rain upon arriving Bukilat Cave. A low pressure area was set to land the next day, but we played along and did not let the vibe ruin the day. 

At about 4pm, we got back to the resort and found my little brother watching a Filipino horror film on the TV. 😅 Only he wasn’t watching, he was singing to himself in an attempt to distract himself from the jump scares... Haha! I felt bad, but he said he only waited for about 5 minutes. Sorry, baby bro! 

At around 5pm, we decided for an early dinner, so we went to the most raved food place in Camotes to have something for our hungry tummies. It’s called Pito’s Sutukil. The place has been featured on GMA’s show, Biyahe ni Drew. I ordered Tuna Sashimi, the baby-ik opted for their Sisig as always, the brother chose to munch on some Calamares. A platter of rice and a bottle of coke and we were already full! Prices are really affordable!

Later on, we decided to do some kayaking in the sunset and have a quick dip in the water. 

Sunset here was glorious! I mean, I know all sunsets are, but this one’s definitely one of my favorites! The gradient the sky had that time was just picture-perfect! Man, I wish I could stay longer. 

I honestly didn’t want to get off the water. But my little brother and my boyf dragged me out as it's already getting darker.

And so the sun finally decided to set. 

I just seriously, seriously loved the sand! It’s one of the finest sands I’ve ever stepped on my entire life! So white and so pristine! Not even exaggerating. I wish I could have taken a few for souvenir.

 

Little brother apparently enjoying the pool.

We spent the rest of the night swimming in their infinity pool. My little brother loved it here. He swam and swam and swam until it was time for us to rest. He kept asking to give him 5 minutes, and more 5 minutes. I am so genuinely happy to see my little brother enjoying the day. I love him more than anything in this world!

Pretty night lights in Santiago Bay

After about a few hours, we finally decided to call it a day. Little brother drifted to sleep pretty quickly, so did my boyf. I, on the other hand had little time to spare to edit some of our photos and pack our stuff... followed them soon after to dreamland.

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How To Get There:

From the North Bus Terminal, we rode a van to Danao Port. You may also ride the bus. Not really sure of the prices as it varies depending on the day but more or less it won't cost you more than 200 Php per person. From Danao Port, we road a boat to Camotes Island. Travel time was about an hour. 

You  may also opt for another faster alternative but pricier than what we did. As of writing, fast crafts are available from Pier 1 and 2 to the island. There are also fast crafts available from Mactan Wharf to the island.

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