Sumilon Bluewater Resort (part 1).

Warning! Read this blog entry before purchasing a Sumilon deal from a groupon/group buying site.

According to our tour guide, Sumilon came from the word sumilong ('take shelter' in Filipino) because fishermen used to go to the island to seek protection during storms and strong winds.


Day 1

There are 2 ways to get to Sumilon from Manila, via Cebu or via Dumaguete. The Dumaguete route was shorter but we took the Cebu route.

From Manila, we took a Cebu Pacific flight to Mactan, Cebu and from Mactan Airport, we traveled by land for 3-4 hours to Sumilon's port.




At the port, we were led to the lounge and served cold welcome drinks.




The boat wasn't there yet when we arrived so I went around first and took photos.




The waiting area gave us a sneak peek of what awaited us in Sumilon -- numerous beach chairs along the white sandy shore.







Normally, I would be so impatient (read: excited to get to our destination) but because the view surrounding the lounge was so pretty, I didn't mind waiting. All shades of blue and green!




After 10-15 minutes, our transfer arrived. It was a bright sunny day and the water was calm and peaceful.







Upon arriving, we were greeted by a Sumilon staff who led us to our cottage.




We were also given an orientation -- meal times, activities we can do and places where we can go.




Everything was so native. It was living the island life but glammed up. And staying true to this theme, we were given this bamboo instead of the usual hotel room sign. Green on top means 'Please clean room' while red on top means 'Do not disturb'.




Our cottage villa is huge! It has two queen sized beds and a spacious balcony with a view of the sea.









Even the bathroom is super sized!




There are no cabinets though. Just a lot of shelves and a few hangers. As for toiletries, they only have the basics -- shampoo/conditioner, soap, cotton buds, toothbrush and toothpaste. Nothing grand like that offered by Shangri-la Boracay or Bellarocca.

It was almost noon when we arrived so we asked them to prepare our lunch. Below is the pathway from the cottages to the pavilion.

T and I both had soup.




Followed by a cold shrimp salad.




For the main, I had the grilled prawns. It was super yummy! Rice was the original side of this dish but when I asked the server not to serve the rice anymore, they offered to make me mashed potatoes instead. Thank you chef!




On the other hand, T had the grilled fish. He also had it with mashed potatoes. Another good dish!




For dessert, we each had a slice of Brazo de Mercedes.




T and I just wanted to relax on the first day so we headed towards the Garden Eel Plaza. There are huts and beach chairs scattered across the shore which was just perfect!




The Garden Eel Plaza is home to a lot of fish so I borrowed snorkeling gear from the dive shop. However, lazy day and all, I ended up reading 'A Clash of Kings' and exploring the shore instead while T slept the whole afternoon.








On the other side of the Garden Eel Plaza is the Lagoon. This is where guests are allowed to kayak.




I woke T up at around 5 in the afternoon so we could explore the other beach. The resort offered tram rides to different parts of the island but it was a beautiful day so we decided to walk.




We didn't have the map with us that time so we kind of got lost in the forest. After a few more minutes of walking, we saw a Sumilon guide who led us to the famous sandbar.




The sandbar shifts day to day, sometimes even hour after hour. It seemed like a perfect place to take sunset photos so we waited for the sun to go down.




A little before 6, the sun began to set.



















By the time we were done, we were famished! From the sandbar, we went to the pavilion for dinner. For our appetizer, we had the Kinilaw, a Filipino dish.




For our main course, we had a platter of grilled chicken, grilled fish, grilled squid, rice and pancit.




For our soup, we had another Filipino dish called Tinola.




T and I both ordered fresh mango shakes to go with our dinner.




After dinner, we borrowed some DVDs from the library since Sumilon's TV sets don't have cable and called it a night.

Continue to part 2...

The Sumilon Series

Part 1 - relax and rewind

Part 2 - diving

Part 3 - coming soon..

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