Tag Archives: lodge

Philippines, Travelinds

Sea Turtle House, Moalboal

28 July 2014

Sea Turtle House
The ‘private swimming pool’ – step right out into the ocean.

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.

Sea Turtle House
Looking out over Moalboal reef.

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:

Sea Turtle House1.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
Malaysia, Travelinds

Tip of Borneo Accomodation

14 February 2014

After a week at the Tip of Borneo, the following accomodation in the area seemed worth a look. Since not all seemed to be available for online booking, Travelinds thought they’d mention a few options to those looking to spend a couple nights in this beautiful place:

1. Tommy’s Place (mid-range, email booking)
  • We stayed here for the 5 days and loved the vibe of this chilled out lodge.  The food was decent (breakfasts were delicious!), it’s right opposite the beach, ten minutes walk from the Tip of Borneo monument and lookout, managed efficiently and generally clean.

    Tommy's Place
    Tommy’s Place
2. BorneoTip Lodge (mid range, email booking)
  • Right next door to Tommy’s Place, wooden bungalows and a lovely pool seems to be in the making (a long way from finished though).  Popular with bikers going up to the Tip for the weekend. Also right across from the beach and ten minutes walk to the Tip of Borneo.
3. Merrimas Villas (mid to high price, online booking available)
  • Beautiful villas here and it is right on the tip. five minutes walk down to the beach. Great restaurant (see blog on Chef Jainnes Apin) and friendly staff.
4. TipofBorneo Villas/bungalows (mid to high price, phone/email booking)
  • The last lodge before the tip itself. Seemed like simple but comfortable bungalows (different sizes available) but mid to high prices. Cheapest beer at this restaurant. Five minutes walk from the beach.
5. Tampat Do Aman (Howard’s) (mid range, online)
  • This seems to be the most well-known (well marketed) lodge in the area with its rungus-style longhouse and rustic living experience. The information is available on their information website and you can read more in the menu of Tip Top restaurant (Howard’s) while you are there. http://tampatdoaman.com/

This area is largely untouched with hardly any urban development noticeable. It provides a great base to relax, enjoy the beach, swim, surf, explore beautiful local beaches (with absolutely no people to crowd out the long white stretches) and just enjoy a bit of an authentic Sabah experience.

It is so worth the trip!

Tip of Borneo beach
Tip of Borneo beach
Philippines, Travelinds

Tawala Beach

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19 January 2014

Tawala beach is one of the quieter beaches on Panglao Island, Bohol.  It is right next to the main beach, Alona, which is where the majority of tourists gather to enjoy the long white beach, restaurants, tour departure points and a large variety of accommodation. We chose to stay at a quieter location for our first week in Bohol, as we prefer peace and quiet to the buzz of the central tourist spots.

Tawala BeachThe lodge we booked was called Nova Beach Resort (Nova Beach Club) and it is situated on Tawala beach.  As H was sick with flu for a few days, it was the perfect place to relax, swim, read and sleep. There are hammocks overlooking the ocean, a deserted sandy beach, plenty of comfortable couch space with a view and air-conditioned rooms for muggy nights.  We slept, ate and relaxed here (and recovered from flu) and by the end of the week were feeling more than ready to take on our forthcoming five week travelling vacation.

We stayed in the basic rooms at the back of the lodge (small room, two single beds, simple furnishing, en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning) and were very comfortable.  There are also deluxe rooms and villas available.  It would be a great place for honeymooners to enjoy some time to themselves.

There are dive tours available (just ask at the front desk) and we read reviews that when there are large groups of divers or Japanese tourists (the owner is Japanese), it can sometimes get a bit rowdy at the resort.  Our own experience, however, was of a tranquil atmosphere and we had plenty of time and space to ourselves for the week.

tumblr_inline_n4l3skCJBa1rg4d7lIf you want a night out or a change of scenery, you can get to Alona beach by tuk-tuk, motorbike, the shuttle van or even walking (if you’re fit and don’t mind sweating A LOT). These charged anywhere between 40 pesos and 300 pesos depending on your bargaining skills. When we changed hotels at the end of the week, we took our bags (we usually only travel with hand luggage) and each hopped on to the back of a motorbike – it was cheaper, and faster than taking the trike.

There is no entertainment on this stretch of beach so don’t expect any restaurants, tours or boats.  The advantage is that it is also free of tourists, pesky tour agents, vendors and noisy speedboats.  It is a beautiful big bay where you can swim and snorkel, before retreating into the shade of one of the low hanging trees on the beach.  Then take an afternoon nap on one of the hammocks or couches with a view before tucking in to a scrumptious dinner in the airy dining room.  The swimming pool area also has a few sun-loungers and private massage booths too.

We hope to return to Nova Beach Resort some day soon! It felt like our own stretch of private beach on a paradise island.

Check out reviews on TripAdvisor and make a booking on Agoda.com

 

Philippines, Travelinds

Chilling in Panagsama, Moalboal

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26 December 2013

There was a welcome break for one week over New Year’s, so we jetted off to Cebu for the week on a $200 return flight (Air Asia X) direct from Incheon International Airport to Mactan International Airport.

A three hour air-conditioned taxi ride later (at 2000 pesos, shared between four tourists we managed to round up) we arrived at Panagsama, Moalboal.  On the way back we took the local bus back to the Cebu City South Bus Terminal (open windows, less than 200 pesos, 4 hours) and enjoyed it much more than the crazy taxi driving. And then took a taxi from the bus terminal to the airport (220 pesos).

Sumisid lodge was everything we had hoped for and was well worth the trip.  With clean rooms and cosy facilities, it is a lovely little place with its own strip of beach sand and snorkelling spots right off the shore.  There are tables, chairs, sofas and beach loungers available and the adjacent dive center offers alternative activites, as well as motorbike hire options.  The breakfast options at Sumisid Lodge were great and the american breakfast (with REAL, crispy bacon) was our main preference for the week.

As this was a week between the end of semester and English Winter Camps, we literally did nothing for the entire six days. Two novels, a nice tan, plenty of delicious food and a lot of sleep left us feeling completely refreshed and ready to head back to work the next week.

We did take a walk along the coastline from Panagsama towards White Beach, but could only get as far as the Kasai Resort (read more here).  We didn’t do the trip to the nearby waterfall, or snorkel, or do any other ‘day trips’ that can be done to other parts of Cebu. We did take a short motorbike trip one morning to see White Beach, but after seeing our accomodation options (New Year’s week is quite full so not much was available), we quickly retreated back to Panagsama to lounge around at Sumisid lodge. Next time!

Panagsama strip is a great place for restaurant choice too and top three were:

1. Czech In (European cooking, fine-dining, high price) – try “fish of the day” and the tuna steak. The desserts were really delicious too!

2. The Pleasure Principle Resto (Mixed cuisine, reasonably priced) – great for lunches and excellent mango shakes!

3. Chilli Bar (Mixed cuisine, reasonably priced) – don’t miss out on sunset drinks and dinner to look over the bay at the turtles popping up all around.

Panagsama really impressed us with its chilled out vibe, friendly locals,reasonably priced restaurants and lodges and the many options to either relax or do a range of different activities.  We definitely hope to be back there soon!