SINCE the late 1990s, Siargao has been synonymous to surfing, and for good reason. A tear-dropped island northeast of Surigao del Norte province, it is the country’s surfing mecca and named by the prestigious CNNGo as the world’s eighth best surfing site.
Siargao’s signature surf spot is Cloud 9 in General Luna town, it is acclaimed as a perfect barreling right hand reef break, but with razor-sharp coral at the ocean bed. Named after the popular chocolate candy bar with which foreign surfers subsisted on when it was yet a best-kept secret, this spot has been luring the world’s best every September in the annual Siargao International Surfing Cup to wow the crowd and bring home handsome cash prizes in the process.
Today, it is not so much of an apocryphal story to say that surfers are like walking on Cloud 9 when they ride the 16-foot waves.
Those who are averse on adventure sports can walk on their own Cloud 9 in Siargao’s sprawling playground, beyond her crashing waves, sculpted by Mother Nature herself.
The interlude begins with General Luna’s string of islets of fine-sand beaches and crystalline water that never fails to captivate the wanderlust. First stop is Naked Island, a sandbar whose contour is shaped by the changing tide.
The more sizable Guyam and Daku islands have vegetation and are lined with coconut trees and native cottages ideal for intimate picnics. Gazing idly at the sun as it dramatically fades in the horizon at dusk is a priceless sight one can reward himself with.
Aquasports is too good of a must-do to pass up in this waterworld. You can paddle in the flat waters of placid lagoons and coves aboard a kayak or on a stand-up paddle.
The more agile can kayak triangulate Naked, Guyam and Daku islands or paddle leisurely around Sugba Lagoon and the mangrove forests of Del Carmen.
One of the cool stuff guests can do is “staycation,” a conjugation of the words stay and vacation, a trend among weary urbanites where they stay within the confines of their hotel to pamper themselves with its amenities and features.
Staycationers can bask in the glow of the newly opened Balinese-themed Siargao Bleu Resort & Spa with its well-appointed Floating Cottages, and Garden and Terraces Rooms.
The Floating Cottage is an opulent accommodation with a spacious bedroom, an outdoor shower, a roomy Jacuzzi-equipped toilet and a scenic veranda facing the Pacific Ocean and the pool.
The resort boasts of a 1,600-square-meter swimming pool, where you can get confidence-building measures on kayaking and stand-up paddle board before taking on the sea.
Guests are kept occupied with in-house activities such as water aerobics, yoga, Zumba, cooking classes, bartending sessions and kids’ swimming tutorials. Health buffs who can’t part with the treadmill and weights can stay in tip-top shape at the Fitness Gym.
There are also movie nights so visitors can catch up on the Hollywood hits, while munching on their sumptuous dinner.
There is an option to do “glamping” or glamor camping and pitch tent, to get the feel of being a stranger on the shores of the vast Pacific, with a butler attending to their needs.
The local cuisine is an integral part of every journey, and being surrounded by the sea of green, seafood is the hand-down staple you can sink your teeth into. Siargao Bleu has the island’s only seafood restaurant, which offers a culinary treat in a tropical retreat.
Guests can pick from a wide array of ocean’s bounty ranging from blue marlin, tuna, salmon, oysters, squid, crab, fish and shrimp, as well as pastas, Filipino classics, and any dish in between.
For a nightcap, guests can sip their favorite spirits or play billiards at the Bleu Bar, or treat themselves to a rejuvenating massage at the Bleu Spa.
But beyond the comfort zone of staycation, visitors are encouraged to discover Siargao’s great outdoors. Magpupungko Rock in Pilar is a tourist icon which forms a natural crystalline pool at low tide, and is ideal for rock diving and free diving.
In Del Carmen, there is a 4,000-hectare mangrove forest which extends as far as your eyes can see which is the habitat of a rare saltwater crocodile specie. This expansive ecosystem has helped maintain the ecological balance in the island by providing rich breeding grounds to aquatic life.
Tucked inside the cliffs is Sugba Lagoon, which shuts you out from the outside world and whose deafening silence is only shattered by chirping birds and the very sounds you make.
The grainy beach of San Isidro beckons the outgoing travelers to get their feet wet, quite literally, in skimboarding. Truth be told, surfing and other watersports is a mind game more than a physical challenge.
Meanwhile, Santa Monica takes pride in Taktak Falls, the only one of its kind in the island, whose icy natural pool is a welcome respite to travelers. It also has a long stretch of powdery and sleepy shores in the village of Alegria, which will undoubtedly delight certified beach bums.
With the infinite wonders it has to offer, Siargao is indeed about surf, shore and more.
Image credits: Alan Milan