Legazpi | 2017

There's something with Mt. Mayon that would make you feel mesmerized. The first time I saw it, from afar, I was stunned as if it was hypnotizing me. I was sailing that time and I promised myself that I would go to Legazpi to fully see its beauty. Lo and behold, after several planning, I was able to travel to Legazpi last March 13 to 15, well, upto 16.

View from our Balcony

Mt. Mayon at Night

Since it's just a short trip and we had a very limited time, we decided to go to Legazpi via air. We flew Cebu Pacific on early Monday. Thank goodness, there was no delay. We reached Legazpi around 9AM. We decided to go to the AirBnb that we booked to leave our bags before we head on to the DIY tour. There's not much accommodation to choose from in Legazpi. Yep, there were several but not a lot like Bohol or Boracay or Palawan. We wanted to stay within Legazpi to make sure that we won't have a hard time commuting to the tourist spots. We stayed in a condo-like accommodation right beside the Daraga Church. It can accommodate 3 people. We did some grocery shopping and cooked our breakfast since kitchen utensils were available. We had an amazing view of Mt. Mayon from our balcony. It was worth every penny we paid. When we're settled, we went to Biggs to have brunch. Biggs is a fast food in Legazpi that offers breakfast platter and I think they're boasting their ribs. I didn't have a chance to taste it though.

1st Day: Exploring Camalig

Hoyophoyopan Cave, Quitinan Hills, Japanese Tunnel, Sumlang Lake

Hoyophoyopan Cave

Japanese Tunnel

Hoyophoyopan Cave

After Sumlang Lake, we went back to Daraga to change clothes then head to Embarcadero de Legazpi. It's like an abandoned mall. We just went to Puregold for the groceries then went back home.

2nd Day: Conquering ATV

• We availed the 2-hour trail to Lava Front ATV package of Your Brother Travel and Tours. The trail was a combination of river, rough road, and rocks. It's so much fun and I will do it again!
• You have to trek going  up to the Lava Front. It's steep for me. No, I won't do it again.
• After ATV, we went home to change then went to Cagsawa Ruins

While I almost cried and cursed every word I know, Misibis Bay guests have easy access to this Mayon Lava Front via Helicopter. How cool is that? Lol

We're supposed to go back home on the 3rd day but our morning flight got cancelled. We tried to catch a flight at night but it got cancelled too. So, for the 4th day, we decided to go to the mall and watched a movie. Lol

Notes:

AirBnb Accommodation -  Php 5,300 (hosted by Cathy)

Grocery - Php 250

Hoyophoyopan Tour - Php 300 (per Group of 6)

Sumlang Lake - Php 60

Trike Rent for Camalig Tour - Php 400 (for 2-3 pax)

ATV Package - Php 1,900

Lava Rock - Php 50

Cagsawa Fee - Php 20

El Nido | June 2016

It was supposedly a budget trip/backpacking trip to El Nido with 2 of my WFM friends but turned out otherwise. Surely, it's definitely worth it. :)

Our flight schedule was in the afternoon. We arrived at PPS 5PM. Oh did I mention that we should be a total of 5 friends traveling together? For some reasons, at the last hour of flight, 2 of them didn't make it for personal reasons.

Upon arrival at PPS, we headed to La Terrasse Restaurant. Everything we ordered was superb! It was a bit pricey.

From PPs to El Nido, we had to travel 6 hours via Bus. We arrived 4AM at Novie's Inn. It's along the highway and you can ask the bus driver to drop you off in front of the hotel. We had our day planned. We dropped off our things, changed clothes, and head on to have breakfast at Art Cafe. Art Cafe's price range is not far from other restaurants. Food is pricey in El Nido. Of course, there are options like tapsihan, barbecuehan for budgetarians but we opted to splurge a little on our food.

Our first stop after breakfast is THE Nacpan Beach, hailed as the world's most beautiful beach on some blogsites (lol!). We rented a tricycle going to Nacpan. It costs twelve hundreds for 3 people. You can actually get it at a lower price but please mind that tourism is the livelihood of the locals in El Nido so please be considerate in haggling. The beach was very nice, a chill place. I enjoyed swimming because the beach didn't have a lot of rocks. The fine sand felt so good under my feet and the water was not cold. We're supposed to go to Las Cabanas but we were very satisfied and relaxed at Nacpan Beach that we didn't bother leaving. We stayed there the whole afternoon. We walked and hike a little for us to see the Twin Beach.

We availed of  combined Tour A and B Package on the second day. The popular is Tour A and C but because we wanted the snake island we pushed for Tour B. If you are a first timer in El Nido, Tour A is a must! You'll be going to different lagoons in Tour A. The small lagoon can be crowded at times. You have to be very careful if you'll be swimming instead of renting a kayak because the corals are very sharp. We headed to several islands. Our arrival in 7th Commando Beach was very timely because it was not crowded. It's our first stop. It's just us on the island so we were able to ran a quick photo shoot! Lol

I Loved El Nido. Everything was just chill and relaxing. I will definitely go back!

Notes: Per Pax

Tour Package A and B - Php 1,500

Contact Tour Guide - Ansley - 09209792871

Environmental Fee - Php 200

Novies Inn - Php 1,220 (for 4 days booked via Agoda)

Trike fare to Bus Station - Php 50

Bus to El Nido - Php 500 (Cherry bus Night Trip)

Bus Fare back to PPS - Php 350 (Non-Air-conditioned)

Art Café - Php 250 (rough estimate)