I again got an invitation from Pete Dacuycuy to join a three-day media familiarization tour of another Bluewater resort (the first one we visited was the Panglao Bluewater Resort in Bohol), this time to the 27-room Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort (www.bluewatersumilon.com.ph) in Cebu. Joining me were two bloggers and five writers from the print media. We all arrived at Sibulan Airport by 3:30 pm via a PAL Express flight and, upon exiting the terminal, we were whisked via two air-conditioned vans to Sibulan Port. Here, a big 50-pax outrigger boat was waiting to bring us to the island, foregoing the tedious land-sea transfer and, instead, directly getting to the island via a one-hour boat trip. We arrived at the island by 4:50 pm. Dinner was prepared, al fresco, along the island’s signature shifting sandbar.
The spacious, tastefully and comfortably decorated air-conditioned deluxe rooms we stayed in had a high ceiling and impressive interiors with two very comfortable queen-size beds with many fluffy pillows, a big private bathroom with hot/cold shower and a skylighted ceiling, cable TV with DVD player, a work desk, coffee/tea-making facility, minibar and a private veranda with lounge chairs. Glasses of the most refreshing lemongrass-calamansi iced tea and a platter of assorted fruits welcomed us inside our room. The resort also had one- and two-bedroom villas with, aside from the aforementioned deluxe room amenities, a dipping pool and a free-standing bathtub for the two-bedroom villa.
The resort also has three glamping (short for “glamorous camping”) tents. It has all the other features of a regular room, such as two single beds, carpeted floor, cabinets, lamps, electric fans and a cooler filled with assorted drinks (beer, soda, juice) and chips, all for free. The campsite is near the beach and the natural lagoon, and a bathroom and shower room is close by. Wi-Fi is available in our rooms and public areas. Lounge areas with seats and hammocks are located along the seaside, and wooden stairs lead guests to a pocket beach.
Come morning, we had our buffet breakfast at its quiet and lovely, octagonal Island Pavilion restaurant. A la carte lunch and dinners feature traditional Filipino and international dishes, such as chili crab, grilled squid, adobo rice, lechon kawali, pork adobo, gambas, thin-crust oven-baked pizzas, pasta, etc. Beside the pavilion is an inviting outdoor infinity swimming pool, overlooking Oslob, with a breathtaking view of the beach, and nearby is a well-stocked bar. Clambake and barbecue dinner buffets, with grilled steaks, fresh squid, fish and seafood skewers with fresh scallops from Bohol and occasional lobsters, are also served, with bonfires along the white-sand sandbar.
Up ahead was a full day of resort-sponsored activities at Oslob, starting with a 10-minute boat ride to the mainland where we bonded with butanding (whale sharks), frolicked at Tumalog Waterfalls and reminisced the town’s historical past at the poblacion where we visited the Spanish-era Church of the Immaculate Conception, the unfinished cuartel (barracks) and a partly ruined baluarte (watchtower). In the afternoon, back at the resort, we all explored the island via a nicely laid-out hiking trail through lush forests, making stopovers at the lighthouse, another Spanish-era baluarte, Yamashita’s Cave and Our Lady of Fatima grotto. Come evening, to refresh their tired bodies, some of the ladies also tried out an outdoor massage at the resort’s Anuma Spa.
The resort also has a children’s playground, library, game room and a souvenir shop. They also offer airport transfers, 24-hour room service, kayaking, fish feeding and fishing at the lagoon, Hobie Cat sailing, snorkeling, windsurfing and paddle boating.
The resort also has dive shop (Aquamania Dive Shop) offering scuba diving. The island has waters 2 to 5 meters deep and 200-meter wide, plus a drop-off about 100 meters off the southwest coast with spectacular underwater life.
Dive sites here include Coral Landscape, Garden Eel Plaza, Julie’s Rock and Nikki’s Wall, and diving season is all year round. Fine snorkeling can be done over coral gardens along the western, northern and eastern sides of the island. This highly recommendable resort, an excellent escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and the chaos and stresses of the mind and body, is truly a good place for reflection, prayer, rest, relaxation and romance. I’ve nothing but praise for the friendly, courteous and efficiently proactive staff’s hospitality and their earnest desire to fulfill every request.
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Is Sumilon Island easily accessible from Dumaguete than Cebu?