The warmth of the greetings of the staff made me forget that I was cold due to being soaked in the rain. We didn't waste not a single minute. We signed up and went with one of their staff to our room accommodation.
Our room is pretty decent for the price we paid for it. It is a two-bed room, with a single fan and own bath/toilet room. I've been staying in budget rooms for most of the time so the room itself is quite refreshing for me.
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| our cozy room |
We are like kids on our first camping activity, like every little thing matters.
We change our clothes, arrange our stuff in the room, then immediately head out to explore the resort itself.
We are indeed lucky to got the room.
Its location is just perfect.
It's just meters away from the stairway heading to the beach and it's a few steps away from the resort's restaurant. What a life! :D
We were expecting it to be a high tide since it's already late in the afternoon. Yet, we find ourselves walking a few more meters away from the shore just to have the right place to have a dip. It's not that I'm telling you that Santiago Bay is not a good place to swim because you still can swim there; it's just that you have to prepare to walk a few more meters from the shore.
If you're not just after a good swim, here are a few more things that you can do in the Santiago Bay and Garden Resort:
1. Have a tour around the resort
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| our so-called Island Hopping activity |
While my friend and I were having a good swim, we saw a couple in what seems to be a boat for a mini island hopping activity. With that perception, we approached the boatman and asked him of his service. He is asking P500 for a brief 'island hopping' activity. We were thrilled because it's so cheap. Without hesitation, we got our cameras and hop into his boat.
I don't know if I can just easily be pleased. I'm constantly getting awed with the rock formation and the clear blue water, like you can see what lies beneath the boat. It also amazes me to see houses settling just a few meters away from the beach (I want to have one someday). We asked the boatman if we could stop for a while to enjoy the water. We swam as if it's our last day on earth and as if we have gills. This is the life! I keep on exclaiming that to myself. Well, that tour ends in that one place alone. We didn't expect that as we thought it is an island hopping or resort hopping activity, turns out we're some sort of scammed. Well, we still enjoyed the place though that other side of the resort can be reached by swimming alone.
2. Enjoy the food
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| nom nom |
The prices of the food in the resort are neither expensive nor cheap. The meals are priced just right. That night, after swimming at the beach and at the pool (maybe we're fish in our past life), we satisfied our gastronomic cravings with the resort's version of adobo, chicken lollipop, and their special pizza. We just had a festive dinner good for a family of four! That's how hungry we are that time.
3. Watch the amazing sunrise
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| Just look at that! |
One of my favorite things to do in life is to watch the sunrise. Sunrise has this special effect on me, like it's telling me that I'm heading towards something new, something better than yesterday. It gives me a glimpse of hope and strength even during the most trying times. We were dead tired that night from swimming, eating, and watching a pageant show (yes, we're lucky to have that event that night); yet, we still manage to set our alarm clocks at 5:30 am to witness the sunrise.
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| This is the life :) |
Hitting the snooze button is not an option. The moment our phones set the alarm, we woke up excited for the sunrise. We immediately head to the beach and it was AMAZING. The view of the beach early morning is one of those best moments in the resort. It's invigorating.
We were lucky that time 'cause there were just a few people (around 3 or 4) wandering around. We took the chance to take as many pictures as we can.
We then had an early morning swim (not advisable for those who hated cold water) before we had our breakfast and tour of the Camotes Island.
4. Do nothing
I brought my laptop with me that time to work but due to problems with internet connection, I wasn't able to complete not even a single task. Thus, I ended up doing nothing. Contrary to what I believe, doing nothing is also a form of therapy. It relaxes your mind and makes you more focus on things that matter. So, I guess I have to think the lack of Globe signal that time :)
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