28 July 2014

Sea Turtle House, or STH as it is affectionately known by its owners Stefan and Nenita, is a charming beach lodge right on the edge of White Beach, Moalboal. It is surrounded by tropical vegetation and gives panoramic views of the Tanon Strait between Negros and Cebu in central Philippines. The rustic atmosphere coupled with a fresh sea breeze makes for an ideal beach getaway and we had a wonderful week of complete relaxation.

Named for the Green Sea Turtles that frequent the coastline (we literally saw sea turtles popping up for air every day the water was flat enough), Sea Turtle House has to be our new favourite holiday destination; it’s reasonably priced, offers great home-cooked meals from Arlene, a beautiful location and a stunning reef to snorkel only 100m off shore. Check out more information at the Sea Turtle House Dive Adventure website.  It is also only a short walk from the long, white, sandy beach.

What to expect: 

Hammocks, bamboo cabanas, sun loungers, air-conditioned rooms, tropical garden, stunning coral reef that runs from white beach all the way out past Panagsama towards the acclaimed Pescador Island, a great dive spot, home-cooked meals, scrumptious bacon breakfasts and lots of sunshine. Also, massages, snorkel tours and tuk-tuk trips in to Panagsama (for other restaurants) or Moalboal for groceries, are available on request.

Getting here:

Situated on the west coast of Cebu, it is less than a 3 hour taxi ride from the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.  We flew directly into Cebu (Cebu Pacific/Air Asia X are the best low cost airlines for this) and then jumped straight in to a (white) taxi in front of the ‘Departures’. It cost us 2,500 pesos (US$ 58) for a three hour taxi ride – well worth it for two to four passengers! STH can also arrange an airport transfer for you for around the same price.

Tips:

1.If you go in the rainy season (June to November), even though a little rain can be expected all year round, then it is much quieter but be prepared for some rainy days of reading a book on your bamboo porch. or under the cabana.  We even had a typhoon pass by us during our stay here (July 2014), but the following day we had glorious sunshine and got thoroughly sunburnt on our (absolutely awesome) snorkel tour.

2. There are some basic rooms and others with kitchenettes. We upgraded when we arrived and it was great being able to prepare little snacks, tea or light meals for ourselves using our groceries from Moalboal town and the fruit market.

3. We requested massages, manicures and pedicures in our rooms on some of the rainy days and were sent an angel, named DaDa, who appeared to relieve all the stress and anxiety from our weary bodies. She was amazing, truly! And her rates were more than reasonable too – for an hour long full-body massage and also a great mani-pedi. She is a mother of four and a beauty school student so I’m sure your small financial contributions will be greatly appreciated in her life, especially for what you get out of the deal (a fantastic massage and the gift of giving back).

Read more…

• About Panagsama (the neighbouring tourist area with hotels, restaurants and dive centers) here.

• STH reviews on TripAdvisor before you book on Agoda.com