Situated a few kilometres off the south east of Cebu island it a very small island (about 3 kilometers by 1 kilometer) which makes up one the 7 000 islands of the Philippines. It is the home of the Sumilon Blue Hotel which as soon as you arrive completely fits ones imagination of a tropical island resort.
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| Bangka |
However this long, but for me, not too boring trip ended at an open air lounge on the beach. Here we were welcomed (I quite like the "Sir Patrick" bit) by a very pleasant hotel representative and a delicious glass of cold iced tea. After a few formalities we joined about 15 other people who were also waiting for the next scheduled bangka to take us across to Sumilon island.
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| Porters arriving |
On arrival we were met by the island hotel representatives who handed us a very welcome cold facecloth. We were then led up through the open dining area to our room. Ours wasn't just a room it was a villa - the honeymoon suite and we were the first guests in the brand new suite.
Totally fenced in it had its own splash pool and small garden with a view over the amazing crystal clear blue sea.
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| Bangka - off to Semilan |
After lunch we decided to do some snorkelling which was very enjoyable ... but also took a bit of getting used to. Treading water while trying to clear water out of the goggles was definitely not my strong point.
This was greatly improved once Mark gave us the advice to "blow air out of your nostrils" when the mask is in place ... the theory being that the mask is now sucked on to your face.
Although the coral quite sparse and damaged as a result of a typhoon earlier in the year I still found it fascinating. The colours, shapes and characters of the tiny fish as they swam in and out of the protection of the coral was mesmerising.
After that it was time to eat again!
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| Villa view at Night |
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| Walk on Sumilon Island |
I found the food acceptable but not outstanding. Maybe it has to do with having very few Western visitors as most of the other vistors appeared to be Koreans or Japanese.
The following day we had an interesting walk around the island. The first part was tricky. The path was along a high cliff and the rock was very rough and jagged - volcanic? Once we made the end of the island the return was a welcome flat and easy relief ... as by this time it was pretty hot and humid.
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| The massage room |
I had planned to do a introductory dive the following day but late in the afternoon started feeling dizzy and nauseous. This led to being "man down" and me missing dinner. I felt horrible for a few hours but started feeling a lot better during the night.
Consequently my introductory dive was replaced with an hour long massage - which was a very suitable alternative. Mark did the dive and loved it. So maybe next time.
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| On our way back to Cebu - sea slightly rougher |
After an early lunch we headed off to the bangka jetty for our trip back to Cebu island. Noticing with interest that without a payment receipt your luggage will not be loaded!!
Then our drive home. The traffic was certainly better and we were home in less than two and a half hours.
As we headed home through the messy traffic I was wondering, where did the three days go to?
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