Around Camotes: Santiago Bay

When one mentions a beach in Camotes, one would probably say Santiago Bay. After visiting Timubo and Lake Danao, we decided to grab a snack at Santiago Bay Garden Resort, perched on the cliffside of Santiago Bay.



Santiago Bay Resort is also owned by Mangodlong Rock Resort, so these two resorts are essentially the most popular ones on Camotes. The resort was almost fully booked when we had a snack here.


The resort was well maintained, considering it's been one of the oldest resorts in Camotes. The deck (picture above) looks perfect for small events, like wedding receptions. There is also a pool below the deck, that overlooks the beautiful sea.


The views from the resort were excellent. And it is from this vantage point that you could witness the most famous image of Camotes, a panoramic view of Santiago Bay.


After devouring a satisfying pan of pizza, we headed down to the beach itself. It was located at the center of the baranggay (the baranggay hall was facing the beach even). 


There are huts and lounges for rent, but these look uncomfortable and dirty. In fact, the beach was littered with garbage and other debris. Our tour guide said that the trash came from Leyte. The sand was not that white as well, but the quality is close to that of Bantayan's. It is definitely not powder (Boracay quality) in all areas. 


What was amazing was how the bay receded its water as far as 200 meters from the shore during low tide.  This phenomenon reveals wave lines on the sand. The water may be clear, but again, you can pick up trash even as you go further out into the sea.


Santiago Bay is a public beach, and unless the government imposes measures to keep the surroundings clean, the beach will soon lose its natural beauty. The shoreline is beginning to look crowded, so I hope regulations come into place. Santiago Bay is a testimony of the potential of other beaches in Camotes, which I hope to visit in the near future.








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Us-Usan Island: Guimaras

Image
After having a pleasant lunch in Nagarao, we decided to hire a boat to explore the surrounding islands of Nagarao. There was this one island that the staff recommended, Us-usan Island. As soon as I saw a strip of sand glistening from a distance, I knew we were in for a treat. Us-usan Island. The water wasn't as clear though as in Nagarao and in most of Guimaras. The sand bar jutting out of the island seemed like a catwalk on the sea. This provided a nice swimming area for the island's visitors as well. We began to explore the island, hoping to circle it in less than an hour. The island has a narrow shoreline, probably because it was high tide. There were also foliage all around, so it was quite a struggle going around. We were treated though with amazing views of the sea. This tree was alone and offshore for around 100 meters. It was quite strange to see a single tree in full bloom in the middle of the sea. After 15 minutes of walking, we arrived at a mangrove area. There were ...
Explore...

JCO Donuts and Coffee

Image
Its logo looks like Starbucks and the look of the place is like Krispy Kreme in orange. I guess the owners of JCO really thought of merging coffee and donuts, which are of course, perfect for each other. I stumbled upon JCO when it opened in Jakarta 2 years ago. The lines were unbelievably long, and that reminded me of our Gonuts Donuts craze back then. After 2 years, JCO in Jakarta has established itself as a donut shop serving great coffee and blended drinks. They also serve ice cream (gelato). JCO is a franchise that began in Singapore, spread in Malaysia, and hit Indonesia. The donuts craze came about the same time across all countries in Asia. JCO for me is different. When I tasted it the first time, I just had the glazed donut served by my clients. MY initial reaction was, it tasted like Dunkin' Donuts. And that held my interest. While Go Nuts and Krispy Kreme tasted the same, Dunkin Donuts was still different. In the Philippines, Dunkin' is targets the mass market, makin...
Explore...

Legaspi Suites Hotel: Davao

Image
Legaspi Suites is the only boutique hotel in Davao. What makes it boutique is its size and attention to design and ambience. Legaspi Suites is located in a complex that was once an ancestral home. The landmark still remains in tact at the middle of the complex and a 4 story apartment building was built around it to house the hotel. Once you enter the lobby, you would feel that the hotel thought about its design, which is uncommon in Davao. I would think this would be normal in Cebu already, but in Davao, good design is still scarce. I got the cheapest room, a standard room for P1,600 since I was only staying for one night. The room was huge and very bare. I'm assuming this room was made simple because of the class. The rooms have different colors, as seen from their brochures. I passed by a suite room which was open, and I thought it looked charming. My room was located on the second floor beside the spa, so I had a view of the courtyard downstairs. I love this place because it had...
Explore...