EL NIDO BOUND 2017 - TOUR B PACKAGE

El Nido's Tour B Package is the least favoured among the three island hopping tours, it has always been the Tour A and C sweeping the bookings. Why? I think it's because of Cudugnon Cave and Snorkeling site faring less as counterparts of the locations from tours A and C. Tour B consists of 5 islands and activity destinations which are (1) Snake Island  (2) Pinagbuyutan Island  (3) Entalula Beach  (4) Cudugnon Cave and  (5) Snorkeling Site. Snake Island is my personal darling from only the looks of it because we were not able to cover the place due to the island utilization of reality tv series - The Survivor Asia, thus, we just hang longer in the snorkeling site until we had enough of it. See also El Nido Tour A blog.

EL NIDO BOUND 2017 - TOUR A PACKAGE

After 34 years and it's been like forever waiting for this time to finally arrived, gradually, I am no tourist anymore in my own backyard. El Nido dubbed as one of the best beaches in the world is down from the checklist. Quick history guys, "Bacuit" is the former name of El Nido since the 1890's branded by the Spaniards during the colonization and in 1954 it was officially changed to El Nido which is the spanish word for "The Nest". Why The Nest? because it became famous for the edible nests of swiftlets found in the limestone cliffs. These nests are the main ingredient for the gourmet nido soup which are being sold for an approximately whopping price of Php145,000 (US$ 3000) per kilogram. You will probably hear these backgrounds from your lively and fun tour guide. I think they were trained to crack some routine jokes to give the tour some added delights. Most of the tourists from different boats had only good words about them.

Back to the main subject, Tour A consist of these 5 island destinations - (1) Shimizu Island, (2) 7 Commando Beach, (3) Small Lagoon, (4) Big Lagoon, (5) Secret Lagoon and Ilok Lagum (sorry, pun intended for the last one- not in the list). The tour package is priced at Php1200.00 (25 US$) as of this writing and is inclusive of lunch buffet and free use of life jacket, mask and snorkel. Assembly time to get on board in the boat is 9:00 - 9:30am and the tour covers about 8 hours of duration. So, probably by 5pm you'll be back at the docking point.

Tour A and Tour C are the best recommendations in the islands even in blogs and the likes in social media. Unfortunately, Tour C is unavailable during our whole stay because of strong winds and waves condition. During the day of tour, the Coast Guards will confirm if a particular tour is being restricted. Usually, Tour C is delicate to these conditions and oftentimes being cancelled for prohibitions. See also El Nido Tour B Package blog.

Docking Area.

HOW TO SIMPLY AND QUICKLY STOP A HICCUP?

I promise myself to be dynamic and occupied this year, but really, I just want to hit the S$150 Adsense quota if it's really taken to serious business.  By the way, Adsense is like a commercial on tv where it pays the platform it appears and that is the Ad displays here in blogging and clicking it is the way it works for the money. The more browse traffic, the better. Expect more post from me and I swear I will try to make it informative, fun and helpful! I'll "refrain" from mema- memapost lang!

BALI BALI BEACH RESORT, SAMAL ISLAND

Ending the year like a BUM! It was an invigorating year-end for me as I have some chain of recreation lining up till the start of 2017. Together with my pack, we started the escapes first with a staycation in SEDA Hotel Davao as an additional leisure for the holidays and more importantly to be more relaxed when traveling the next day to this resort 'coz we're from Tagum City. Bali Bali Beach resort felt like a remote place because it's not guest congested neither infested even though it's not quite far from the town proper. Maybe because it's a pre-arranged or pre-booked accommodation where walk-ins are discouraged by the resort. Despite that, it is but a perfect place to be if you're looking for tranquility. 

"Bali bali" is Pangasinense's word for beautiful, a name everybody could think of to name a stunning resort. There are 6 villas to choose from when you opt for an overnight stay. Room rates ranges from Php5000-10,000 a night for a 45sq.m - 60sq.m. room areas. All bookings are inclusive of breakfast and can be upgraded into a full day's meal which comes with a price also. See Agoda for more info.

HOW TO GET THERE: ( 1 ) via Davao-Samal barge transfers using your own vehicle (Php250 toll fee) at Sasa wharf followed by a 20-minute drive (11km past Paradise Island Resort) along Samal's coastal road to your right when going out of the docking station. ( 2 ) via boat transfers from Davao Boat Club Marina, Lanang Aplaya to this beach resort arranged by the resort (additional fees will be charged). 

*Boat Schedule Departure Time at the Davao Boat Club in Marina, Lanang Aplaya are as follows:

Morning Transfers:  from Bali Bali to Marina - 8:00 AM and Marina to Bali Bali - 8:30 AM

Afternoon Transfers:  Bali Bali to Marina - 4:00 PM and Marina to Bali Bali - 4:30 PM

I heard they cater special trips for a separate fee.

CAMP SABROS MOUNTAIN RESORT, DIGOS CITY

It's my second time around here and I know very well what to expect. I don't have the blog yet when I first set foot on this mountain resort with my high school classmates but I have my poor photos bunked together in facebook. All but some fun-filled memories. We have tried all what we wanted to exhaust from this elevated plain from cable lift to zip line to horseback riding the horses with no names. We did all those without a sweat because Camp Sabros just like Eden Nature's Park in Davao City has a relatively cold weather all through out the day. This time, the intention of revisit is to shoot our prenup. During the negotiation stage, we suggested to our chartered photographer to have that vibe of nestling in a tree shrubs; be in a place that is unwinding, easy-going and breezy which led him to plug this place to seal the deal.

Camp Sabros boasts its zip line facilities with the highest elevation in the region and the perfect spot to view the country's highest peak - Mt. Apo. It is about 2 hours away from Davao City. It is best to arrive at the Camp as early as 8:00 in the morning to enjoy the captivating view of Mt. Apo and the more chilling weather. It is open daily even during holidays and the cottage standard check-in is 1:00 pm and 11:00 am check-out.

CAMP SABROS MOUNTAIN RESORT. Location: Sitio Barras, Barangay Kapatagan, Digos City, Davao del Sur. Distance from Davao City is approximately 75Km (will take 2 hours of travel, depending on traffic)