Patrick's on the Beach in Siargao

Our Bohol-Cebu-Siargao trip hasn't been planned properly. As usual, we were too busy. I bought the tickets several months ago but never got the time to plan our specific itinerary. However, even way back in 2005, I have been wanting to check out Patrick's on the Beach located in General Luna, Siargao, Surigao del Norte. It has been recommended by my best friend's ex-boyfriend, and though he was a jerk, I believed in his judgment. Teehee.

That's me enjoying the beach in front of Patrick on the Beach. Behind me is their famous and romantic Beach Tree House.

A week before our departure, I contacted Patrick's on the Beach and was able to secure a nice deluxe room for Php2,100.oo per night. Since we were spending three nights there and I was very much looking forward to this trip since 2005, I wanted to feel really cozy and nice. I mentioned to the owner, Elizabeth, that I wanted to feature their resort on my blog and I was delighted to be given 50% discount on our accommodations. Whoopeeee! That really made our trip so much more worthwhile.

On the day of our arrival, our Cebu Pacific flight was delayed. We came from an overnight stop over in Bohol and Cebu and Peter and I were very tired. But our fatigue was lessened when I saw two vivacious gay guys waiting for us outside the airport terminal. I texted the resort earlier that our flight was delayed, nevertheless, they patiently waited for us.

We were also surprised by the transportation that would take us from the airport to Patrick's on the Beach (this cost us Php300/head one-way). We were expecting to see a van, but instead we were greeted by this colorful open-air jeepney with the words CLOUD NINE painted above the windshield! Cloud Nine is where the waves famous for surfing are located! My heart started racing at the thought...

My only concern at that point was the possibility that the roads could be dusty or that it might get hot and unbearable. I just went with the flow and let the ride unfold...

Above is a video taken with our new HD recorder from Agfaphoto.

As it turned out, the road is properly cemented so no dust at all. There was a quick checkpoint in Gen. Luna where Peter and I registered our names. Siargao's local government is doing this since one Korean committed suicide sometime ago in one of the islands by jumping off a cliff. His body was found 3 days later...tsk, tsk. Anyway, from this 45-minute ride alone, I can already tell how lush, virgin and beautiful Siargao is! Imagine just coming from Cebu with flooded streets, and Bohol with storm brewing, then here we were where the sun was shining so brightly and cool breeze was brushing our skin. As the rest of Luzon and Visayas were under a rainy spell, summer was shining on this part of Mindanao. Fabulous!


We arrived at the resort at about 1 pm. The two gay guys who assisted us were kind enough to carry our bags and bring us to our spacious air conditioned deluxe room. We checked-in at Cottage # 1 and we loved it!


There were two beds --- one queen-sized and one single bed; there was a cable TV, a ref, an electric fan, and spacious toilet & bathroom with hot and cold shower.


Most importantly, our room has a lot of electrical sockets plus free wifi-connection coz it's the nearest one to the reception and restaurant where wi-fi signal is strongest.

Patrick on the Beach has free wi-fi. Signal is 100% in their restaurant but it can still reach some of the cottages.

It wasn't a five star hotel but it was cozy enough and comfortable to live in for three nights. We also got a veranda at the front and back of the cottage where Peter spent some quiet late afternoons reading his book.

If we were still smoking, they would be perfect nooks for taking a break from a very busy, touristy day. ^_^


Most cottages are fronting the beach, where you can already see the famous Guyam and Dako islands from afar.

This is the beach at Patrick's during low tide. That's Guyam island in the far-off left and Dako island in the far-off right.

Right across our cottage are native pavilions with wooden tables and chairs just like the ones we have at home. We immediately felt warm and cozy. We also couldn't wait to explore what Siargao has to offer (more about this on my subsequent posts).


This branch of Patrick's on the Beach in General Luna (they have one in Cloud Nine but it's not beach front) is a bit of a walking distance from the Boulevard where both locals and tourists flock to sing the night away in a row of open-spaced videoke bars (more on that later).


The beach of Patrick's is best enjoyed for swimming in the early morning and late afternoon. The tide gets low the rest of the hours at this time of the month that you would have to walk far in order to swim.


But during surfing season (Sept.-Nov.), the tides in this area get high and people can actually surf since swells and waves start coming in which is just a few kilometers away from Cloud Nine.


The rest of our stay, we availed of their tours, particularly the following:

3 Island Tour (Guyam, Dako & Naked Islands) - Php2,500 for 2-3 pax
La Januza & Mamon Islands Tour - Php3,700 for 2

We were on a tight budget so for our Sohotan Cove tour, we rented a cheaper and smaller boat from one of the locals in the area.

You can check out the rest of their tours, accommodations, promos and other rates at http://patrickonthebeach.com/ They have rooms-transfers-tours-food packages that are perfect for groups of tourists or surfers on a budget. The packages also include the use of surfboards, kayaks and snorkeling equipment. Their restaurant also offers international cuisines at reasonable prices.

If you happen to visit Siargao, do check-in at Patrick's on the Beach. And don't forget to order their very own Yohoho mango rum. But if you avail of one of their packages, Yohoho rum comes free. It is so far the best rum I've ever tasted! No wonder it's currently being exported to other countries. Again, thank you, Patrick's on the Beach, for our wonderful stay. We will definitely come back and stay longer. Perhaps we'll buy one of the properties for sale there one of these days coz we really fell in love with the island. Cheers!

ADDRESS:

Patrick’s on the Beach

General Luna, Surigao Del Norte.

Siargao Island, Philippines. 8419

EMAIL:

info@patrickonthebeach.com

PHONE:

(+63) 9184816483 / (+63) 9204024356

Siargao travelogue to be continued...

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