We decided to take a break and escape the urban life to get in touch with nature. Another unplanned excursion into San Remegio, Samal Island, Philippines. We were supposed to join a climbing event but because of constraints we made other plans. We decided to head to the beach.
San Remegio is situated in Samal Island. We used to think of it as located at the far-most side of the island. My first time going there was by bike when me and my friends were mountain biking. I was not able to completely enjoy the place because I was too exhausted and we did not want to risk riding the trail in the dark. Its actually one of the reasons why I wanted to go back and this time I went with someone special.
Our excursion started at Sta. Ana wharf , Davao City , where we took a bus ride to Kaputian, Samal island. Kaputian is farthest point the bus can go. From there we took a motorcycle ride to Alorro beach resort, Barangay San Remegio. It was a bumpy ride from the bus terminal to the beach resort. The road is full of gnarly uphills and downhills. When we got there we were greeted by the soothing ambiance of the place. The white sands, the beach and the calmness.
The resort wasn't like any resort. I think not many people from the city have knowledge of the place. Most people think of Paradise Island, Kaputian, Sunset Beach, etc. when you say Samal Island. It's what makes the place peaceful and calm. Also it's not that developed yet and in my opinion its better that way. We went near the beach and just sat there admiring the place. I put out a cloth so we could lie on the sand. My girl likes to do that because she said it feels like all the stress is being sucked from her body.
Later on, we started to set up our tent so we could place our things. For the sake of information , there are cottages in the resort. They also have rooms available. I remember there's a room there that is already good for two people and it has its own comfort room in it. If my memory serves me well, I believe the room rate is still five hundred pesos per night. Unfortunately that's the only rate I remember.
There's also a store where you can buy food and beverages. You could also ask the locals to cook you food for a fair price . The resort was indeed remote but it was not inconvenient to stay there. You could basically get what you need. Oh and they also have electricity.
The tide sets in during the night and the waves get bigger and bigger . I think it would be fun but I don't recommend swimming in it during the night. Because of that we just stayed at the shore and watched the night sky filled with stars. It looked like a thousand diamonds were strewn across a black blanket (insert the rest of Incubus' Wish You Were Here lyrics). We were lucky that it wasn't gloomy that night . We managed to take a photo with us in it . Having a tripod is really handy. We slept afterwards. It was the longest number of hours of sleep that I've had in a long time.
I was excited for the sunrise during the morning but again we weren't that lucky to witness it. The sun was blocked by a sea of dark clouds. We had our breakfast after that then we took more photos along the beach as the clouds began to clear off. The sun lit up the turquoise colored beach . It was clear and inviting. Especially the mid part because it was all sand. I don't usually want to dive where there are many seaweeds beneath because it always makes me feel like there's something under that will suck me into the deep abyss. Well, that's just me.
We went to the far side of the cove where there was a beautiful spot to take photos. You can actually go even further if you swim or if it's during the low tide. We met a foreigner there. He was also scanning the place. He wanted to dive but he didn't bring his gear with him. He was nice, he even volunteered to take a photo for us. He went on his merry way after that. Later on we took a swim before prepping to go home. The water was quite cool and it was like we had the beach for ourselves that day.
We started to prep after lunch and went home after that . We went home the same way we went there. The same motorcycle driver took us back to the bus terminal. When going to places like this I really recommend you get the driver's contact number and if possible set an appointment with the driver so you won't have a hard time finding a ride home. Till next time. End.
Some factoids from this excursion.
How to get there:
- Ride a bus from Sta. Ana wharf, Davao City to Kaputian, Samal Island (P75.00 per head)
- You can also ride the barge to Samal Island and charter a motorcycle heading to Kaputian or directly to San Remegio. Though I wouldn't recommend that.
- Another Alternate route is to take a boat from Sta. Ana wharf to Kaputian (around P80.00 pear head)
- Motorcycle ride from Kaputian bus terminal to San Remegio (P150.00 per motorcycle)
Fees / Rates:
- Entrance fee for overnight (P10.00 per head)
- Tent pitching (P60.00 per tent)
- Closed cottage with comfort room (P500.00 per night)
- There are open cottages, tables and chairs
- There are stores nearby where you can buy food and beverages
- There's a clean common comfort room for male and female