Revisiting Guimaras

The first time I came to Guimaras was for a shoot. I was stayng in Iloilo, and we just went to Guimaras for about 3 hours. I was feeling sick, so I really didn't wander around much. In fact, after the shoot, I asked to be brought home because I was starting to have fever.





Last year, I was able to go back again to Iloilo for a shoot, and so made our way for a lunch in Guimaras. For those who don't know, Guimaras is just a 15 minute boat ride from Iloilo, making it a must to visit when in the area. You arrive at Jordan in the island and either take jeepney to your destination or hire a multicab to go around. This was also my first time to go back to Guimaras since the oil spill so I was curious to see how the island has recovered.







As I've said, we were only to eat lunch in Guimaras by a beach, so headed off straight to Raymen Beach Resort, one of the most popular resorts in Guimaras. It was your typical resort, with a building for accommodations and some beach huts. Raymen Beach is actually small, and the resort is the only one there. That's how small it is. But Guimaras offers so many beaches and island getaways. I saw some islands nearby Raymen and saw a foreigner couple board a small boat to those islands.





Going back, if you never heard of the oil spill, you wouldn't think there was one. The water was super clear, like one of the clearest I have ever seen. I held the water in my hands, and it was so tempting to drink. No sign of a disaster. The beach was not white, but more of crushed fine coral giving it a mixture of colors. We didn't have any swimwear, so I wasn't able to swim. We had lunch for an hour and made our way out of the resort. We made a quick stop at the Trappist Monastery, and bought some goodies. I managed to stay behind Iloilo and stay in Westown Hotel in Smallville, a entertainment compound filled with bars and restaurants. Westown was a new hotel and for P2,000 a night, it was a steal, having a good location and neat rooms.



I hope to come back to Guimaras to explore the islands that I saw from a distance. For any recommendations of other beaches in Iloilo or nearby Capiz, please do inform me. I know I'll be back there soon.

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