SUMMER IS HERE! TIME TO HIT THE BEACH!
At least it nearly is in the PH
Summertime for the people here in Davao usually means going to the Island Garden City of Samal which is a small island off the coast of Davao city. Samal may be small but it's full of beautiful beaches and in this post I'm gonna be featuring one of it's resorts called Costa Marina.
So travel time. To get to Costa marina from Davao City you're gonna need to ride a jeepney or Taxi to Sasa then tell the driver to drop you off where you can ride going to Paradise (another more well known resort in Samal). From there you can ride a boat For 15php (Philippine peso)/person going straight to Costa Marina just inquire at any of the boats there which one is bound for the resort. The boat leaves once they have a minimum of 10 people onboard and you have the option of paying 150php if you want the boat to embark immediately. Earliest trip is 6AM and last trip is 5PM. You also have the option of going by ferry to Samal Island for 10php and riding a motorcycle for 60php from the drop off point to Costa Marina but it will take more time and money. All in all when traveling from the heart of Davao City to this resort will only take around 30 minutes.
Once at the resort you will need to pay an entrance fee of 150php or US$3. You are free to bring along food with you but you will need to pay corkage if you bring Lechon(pit roast pig). I also suggest bringing water with you because they have corkage for beverages as well. You can bring water and powdered juice if you want. They do sell food there and drinks if you have extra money and don't want to go through the hassle of preparing food for the trip.
Costa Marina's beachside tables and chairs are free to use but if you want to stay the night they also have cottages available for as low as around $45 per night. Other amenities include water activities like jetskiing, banana boats, water boarding, kayaking and more. You just have to pay extra to rent the equipment. They also have other activities available like volleyball, table tennis, darts and billiards. The staff are also very warm and welcoming and will cater to your every needs like requests for more chairs and tables and they will even give you some citronella oil burners if you feel plagued by mosquitoes. 😂
The citronella oil burner candle thing~ 😂
The last time we went there I took a couple of pictures:
Arriving at the docks. 😎
Found the boat! 😎
Waiting to embark. 😑
Finally on our way. 😍
ALMOST THERE!!! 😱
TOUCHDOWN! 😎
Finally here! 😍
Look at that clear water~ ❤️
Time to prepare the food since it's almost lunch time! 🍴🍴🍴
They have a cozy little spot where you can grill just bring your own coal. 🍴
Here's my dad 
Hive account@gems.and.cookies doing the grilling. 😂
We grilled pork, fish and squid. Yum! 🍴
My mom and my sisters 
Hive account@jacinta.sevilla and 
Hive account@noellesevilla arriving a little before lunch. My sister just got out from school hence the uniform. And yes we are all on steemit. 😂
LUNCH TIME! 🍴🍴🍴
Time to play in the ocean!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Trying to catch fish with my bare hands. Doesn't work. Fish are fast. 😂😂😂
Ha! Found a Sea Star or Chocolate Chip Sea Star! 😎
We found more! And also found a Blue Starfish! 😂
Lookie a Brittle Star! Didn't wanna touch it cause it feels weird. 😂
It's my first time seeing a Cushion Star! Look at that lovely camo color~ ❤️
A closer look~
Can't get enough of it! ❤️ (I wasn't squeezing it.)
Tide's getting low.
Found two tiny fish. I think these are Mudskippers. Correct me if I'm wrong. 😂
Looks like a council of corals! Haha. Don't know if someone arranged them like that or if it's natural but it still looks awesome! 😂
Tide was too low to go swimming so we dug a hole and just lay there to relax. 😂
Sun is starting to set. 😟
Time to go home! 😭
Waiting for the boat to take us home~
The journey back to civilization. Tiring but really worth every moment. ❤️
Contacts for Costa Marina
In case you guys ever find yourself in our city and wanna go there~
Telephone Number: 233-0229 / 233-1209
Mobile Number: 0917-795-8372
Email Address: costamarinabeachresort@yahoo.com
Booking Office: Km 9 Sasa, Davao City
Some words of advice to beach goers:
Places like these are very beautiful and are perfect places to relax, unwind and have a good time. But they are also very vulnerable specially if the tourism there is really booming. So we should all do our part in preserving the beauty of these places. We should always be aware of the little things we do that could affect the overall health of ocean life. We must see to it that we bring back our garbage with us or put them in the proper waste disposals provided for by the resorts.
We have a very popular island here in the Philippines called Boracay and it's a highly sought after party place with beautiful beaches as well. But recently around 50 establishments have been closed around the island for cleanup and rehabilitation which may take up to 6 months because the waters were starting to get polluted. Let's not get to the point where we have no more clean beaches to swim in. 👍
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