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Amazed by Amihan Villa: Our First Anniversary at Puerto Galera’s Finest :-)

June 20, 2010 in Amihan Villa (Puerto Galera), Philippines, Puerto Galera, Search for the Best Bed and Breakfast, Trips, featured by admin | 25 comments

On our first anniversary, C and I went to Puerto Galera, an island located within 3-4 hours south of Manila. The place is popular because of the White Beach (literally a stretch of white sand crowded by cheap apartelles, bars, and dive shops). We did some extensive research weeks prior to the trip and learned that there is more to Puerto Galera than the White Beach… Hence, Amihan Villa is a discovery that we will never forget.

Making reservations was easy. Even if it’s going to be a long weekend, they did not require us to pay any downpayment. Our room costs Php3,000 per night inclusive of continental breakfast.

We were picked up by Monica, the owner of the Villa. She was born in Puerto Galera but moved to Amsterdam as a child (her father’s Dutch), then went back with her goal of putting up a luxurious accommodation option for Puerto Galera tourists. The Amihan has been in operations for only about a month, and they really hasn’t advertised yet, that’s why even some of the locals are unaware that they’re open already.

The trip from Muelle Pier to Amihan Villa takes about 15 minutes. Along the way, Monica was enthusiastically talking about her project, and how she envisions the villa to be in the future. Listening to her stories was able to excite me even more.

And no words can ever explain how I felt when I saw Amihan Villa up close…

The Rooms

Amihan Villa only has five rooms so far that can accommodate 2-3 people. I know you’re dying to see how our room looks like already… Here goes…

The Food

Amihan Villa has their own Chef – that’s so true! We heard from the locals that JR, the chef, is a brother of the owner. While we weren’t able to confirm it, we definitely had a great anniversary dinner because of him. These are our orders:

For breakfast, we were able to secure the best area: the table at the corner with an amazing view of South China Sea.

What’s so good about Amihan is that even if they’re still considerably on dry run status, they are able to provide first-class, personalized service to their guests. Monica said that they’re already going to start constructing an in-house spa, complete with all amenities during off-peak season this year. I can’t wait to go back once it’s over!

They’re also located very close to the White Beach, only about 10-15 minutes away by tricycle. Since the Resort is not beach front, guests may still enjoy wading in the white sand beaches of Galera quite easily.

Because of our experience in Amihan Villa, I am being tempted to end our search for the best bed and breakfast already (though I’m sure we’ll still not stop looking. . This place was definitely able to bring our standards several notches higher. It was hard to leave this paradise and for a while, we regretted booking only a night there. I could stay there forever if I can!

So what are you waiting for? Book a night at Amihan and be awed, like us. I’m so sure that soon, their room rates will increase dramatically (because of demand and they deserve it!) so grab the opportunity now. I highly recommend this place to couples and small families looking for a quiet but top-notch accomodation near where the action is.

Me and Monica, our gracious host.

Many thanks to Monica, to JR, and the staff of Amihan for a romantic and memorable stay. Our first anniversary celebration was made perfect because of you guys.

Here’s to more happy years together!

Amihan Villa

c/o Monica Slothouwer – Romas
Aninuan, Puerto Galera
Oriental Mindoro
www.amihanvilla.com
+63 (0)9081222335

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Tags: amihan villa, beach, Puerto Galera, weekend geataway, white beach

Camiguin Day 1: A Valentines Getaway

February 24, 2010 in Camiguin, Philippines, Trips, featured by admin | 9 comments

Follow our trail: (Camiguin Day 1: Our Valentine Getaway); (Camiguin Day 2: Fell in Love with Camiguin Today); (Day 3: It’s Cold in Cagayan de Oro)

We were able to get our air tickets via the Cebu Pacific’s seat sale last November. It was a series of firsts for me: fitime to book a flight online, first time to plan a trip way ahead of time, first time to ride a Cebu Pacific plane, and first time on a plane with C!

All Cebu Pacific’s flights are in NAIA Terminal 3 and as a first timer, I was quite impressed with the spacious area and hassle free boarding. I’m also a happy customer of Cebu Pacific because both our flights were on time and we even arrived at our destinations earlier than expected.

Hello Cagayan de Oro!

We landed at CdO airport at 5:20am, 15 minutes earlier than our scheduled arrival. Since it’s still dark outside, we waited for a while inside the arrival area before haggling with cab drivers in a quest to get the lowest rate going to Macabalan Port. The first driver that we talked to offered Php 250; and since that was more or less the rate I saw during my extensive research prior to the trip, we chose him already. It was chaotic outside the airport and I don’t want to stay there any longer. It’s still early, so the driver advised us to wait at Jollibee (the only fastfood chain open 24 hours) at Downtown first since Paras Sea Cat leaves at 8:30am.

We had breakfast and from there, we hailed a cab to Macabalan Port again (Php 60) and bought tickets at Paras Sea Cat booth inside the Port. We bought our tickets at a discounted rate of Php 350 each. There’s an ongoing Php 50 off sale at that time until Valentine’s Day. The ferry left at exactly 8:30 and arrived at 10:45.

Finally in Camiguin!

Mang Frank was waiting for us already at the Benoni Port in Camiguin. He’s one of the most recommended guides in the Girltalk Forum and luckily, he was available during our travel dates. We agreed on Php 2000 for one day tour and service to and from Benoni Port.

the habal-habal - Camiguin's own version of Manila's tricycles

From the Port, we went straight to see Jasmin by the Sea Resort. We didn’t have any reservations but gambled because we read a lot of good reviews for them including that of Lonely Planet’s. Luckily, they have a vacant beachfront fan room for only Php 600 with our own bathroom! We rested for a while and at 1:30pm, hopped on the multicab to see the sights of the island.

Camiguin Sightseeing

Our tour started with a so-so lunch at Vjandep restaurant. Nothing special here, but food is cheaper as compared to other restaurants. For only Php 103, we had two viands already and the driver eats for free. The highlight, perhaps, of the meal was the pastel. Vjandep is well known for this delicious delicacy, and for Php 11, we had sweet dessert that C and I shared.

I’ll let the pictures do the narrating now:

Katibawasan Falls. I was awed by gigantic waterfalls. It was my first time to see one up close and it was just awesome! The water was so cold and C had a blast taking photos. I forgot how tall it is, but our guide mentioned that part of it was damaged by a typhoon recently. Php 20 entrance fee.

Stations of the Cross. Another attraction in Camiguin where in you had to climb up more than a hundred steps to follow the trail of, yeah, stations of the cross. I don’t like climbing up stairs because I hate to have sore legs the rest of the trip, so we decided to pass up on this.

Guiob Church Ruins. From the outside, it looks bland and uneventful so I was quite hesitant to explore inside. The marker says that it’s the ruins of a church that was brought down by a very strong earthquake more than a hundred years ago. I think that was also the same earthquake that sunk nearby towns, hence, the famous sunken cemetery.

and finally…
Sunken Cemetery. Waited for hours to catch the sunset here for C’s pictures. The locals told us that the cross was put up only a few years ago to mark the spot where the sunken cemetery is. You can rent a banca at Php 5 each person to bring you to the cross. We opted not to.

my own photo of the marker - TSAMBA. Hahaha

After the Sunken Cemetery, we decided to call it a day. Was back at Jasmine’s at 7pm, had dinner in their restaurant (calamares 150 and pork fillet 170), and dozed off to sleep. Did I mention that our room was directly facing the beach? The waves can get really loud as the night gets deeper. It was like sleeping while being lullaby-d by the sea.