Guimaras Island Summer Holiday ;)

Three days after the school year has ended, my bestfriend (Abi) and I packed our bags and went to Guimaras Island, Iloilo with our kids on a six-day summer holiday. There are no direct flights from Manila to Guimaras Island. You can fly to Iloilo, which is the main stepping stone to get you to Guimaras. And since we're on a tight budget, we travel via seafare which took us 24 hours to get there. Or From Ortiz Wharf in Iloilo, ferries or banccas will take you across to the provincial capital of Guimaras, Jordan.Once on the island you can et around by jeepney or tricycle of which there are plenty. And from where we stayed (Raymen Resort and Villa Igang Resort) will take you almost thirty minute drive and will cost you around 300Php to be able to get there. I'll cut to the chase so here's what we did in the island of Guimaras for five days;

Perfect day to get a tan by the beach, eh?

The kids obviously loved the place and enjoyed the water on our first day That's me and Rickiemae
Kitty and me overlooking the Raymen Resort Sunset at Raymen's.. fantastic! It won't be fun letting the first night in a strange place pass without drinking Red Horse beer! Hehe. Abi and I was soo drunk, I sang my heart out in a videoke bar near our cottage and broadcasted the guys there it was my theme song. As if they care!;) Abi tripped on the beach's stairs and lost her clamps. I slept first and left Abi with an upset stomach. It has been a long day! Second day: Island hopping with our new-found-Canadian couple- friends, Greg and Julie, it's always nice to make friends wherever you go. Ooh beach babes!

One of the island that you will come across when island hopping is this beautiful and tranquil beach, I forgot the name of the island actually. You can take pictures for as long as you like but swimming is absolutely prohibited... awww! But there are some island beaches, as well, where you can swim for free or snorkle to see the enormous and wonderful creatures under the sea, I'll warn you it's very invigorating and ADDICTING! ;)

Hiking after island hopping is always fun and exciting!

From Raymen's to Villa Igang Resort is just 30 minutes away or so when you walk and the good thing is, you can explore the woods on your way there. Here's what you don't wanna miss at the top of the hill-- shrine of Jesus and his two guards (tuko's). Honestly, there's no possible way we could get there if it weren't from Julie, too scared to go to the bushes stuff like that. ;) It's fun though and it's like an accomplishment.Third day: we decided to move to Villa Igang Resort which, I must say, is more placid and also there are lots of activities you can do other than swimming like paddling/rowing, rock climbing, island hopping, bird watching, or even play with their two housemate monkeys. They will indeed take care of you and assist all your needs for the rest of you stay andI can attest to that.
We chose a beach-front cottage where there is a cave and in the morning, you will see dozens of starfish of different colors, amazing! These are just few of what we saw on took pictures of.. This is soo majestic! Fantastic sunset at Villa Igang's Resort. Just a few steps away from our cottage, this is one of the best things in life which is free. Abi, making the most out of the backdrop
Me inside the cave at Villa Igang's Resort

Look, we even managed to bring our own flashlights (part of being a girl scout, that is)! Unfortunately, the cottage we chose was too far from where the crowd is... so I was hiding to myself how creepy I felt at that moment until we went to bed. Boo! Ate Nening (Resort's supervisor) prepared us sumptous Ilonggo's fish sinigang paired with grilled pork over candle-light dinner, yummy!Fourth day: I'm ready for snorkeling... yayyy!!! Guess it's not a good idea, I've been bitten by the jellyfish.. too many times!
How can anyone not like this thing?If you're looking at a cheap but cozy hotel in Iloilo, try Chito's Hotel

Here's our ride Ayos!!!!