Moalboal, Cebu (12.2007)

I love discovering new places. planning for a trip is both a joy and a chore for me. i get excited at the possibilities, but I also get stressed if there isn’t enough information. So as a public service (hahaha), I am posting the details of my Moalboal trip. I only wish that other travelers are as OC and generous as me. Hehehe.

It's a funny coincidence that I started doing this for my 2006 Malapascua-Bantayan-Camotes islands-amazing-race-trip, which is in Cebu din.

Disclaimer: information, prices, schedules, contact numbers may have changed as of posting. please do your own "due diligence" to avoid regrets =P

Moalboal essentials: booties, mask&snorkel, sunblock

Note 1: Cost

There are a lot of “white” tourists in Moalboal, so the prices are kinda jacked up. For the budget-conscious traveler, this might be a tad more expensive than Malapascua or Bantayan.

Note 2: Basdaku or Basdiot?

Basdaku means “big sand” (bas = sand + daku = big), while Basdiot means “small/little sand” (bas = sand + diot = small/little)

There are 2 main beaches in Moalboal, White Beach (or Basdaku) and Panagsama (or Basdiot). Technically, Panagsama doesn’t have a sandy beach anymore because a strong storm washed it away (according to the locals. I didn’t ask for the specifics). If you’re a diver or want cheaper accommodations or share day trips to Pescador Island, there are more choices in Panagsama. There are also more bars/pubs in the area so it can be a bit noisy daw. These are all according to what I’ve read on the web, the tricycle drivers, and the staff at our resort. We didn’t go to Panagsama anymore.

If, however, you want to wake up at the sight of a big, sandy beach, or have a quiet moment while waiting for sunset, or just snorkel at the house reefs, you should opt for White Beach. The accommodations are more expensive though. There were some mom-and-pop bungalows/nipa huts for rent along the shore of White Beach but I didn’t get the chance to get their info. Most likely first-come-first served basis. I couldn’t vouch for the bathrooms, maybe that’s why I wasn’t motivated to ask. Hahaha. There were campers (as in complete with tents and cookware) along the beach, but I don’t remember seeing public baths and toilets. Go figure.

Useful link for possible accommodations: http://www.moalboal.org.uk/accommodation. When I called up to make reservations (around Oct), most resorts right in White Beach had rooms for a minimum of P3000 a night. But they were all fully-booked at that time.

Day 1

1. Taxi to South Bus Terminal P120
2. Non-aircon Ceres bus to Badian (?) via Barili P90
3. Food along the way P135
4. Tricycle from bus station to resort P100
5. Lunch @ resort P525
6. Resort aircon room (1 day) P1,500
7. Dinner @ resort P600

Total for 2 pax = P3,208

To go to Moalboal, take a Badian-Barili (ask the conductors in the station) Ceres bus at the South Bus Terminal. We were informed by the kundoktor that there was no airconditioned bus going to Barili (leaves every 30mins). Good thing that there was hardly any traffic and the road condition was good, not even a stretch of dirt road from the city to Moalboal proper. The bus ride took about 3 hours. From the bus station at Moalboal, we hired a tricycle (pakyaw) to take us to the Asian-Belgian Resort (see link from above). The Asian-Belgian was 2 resorts off White Beach, less than 5-minute walk along rocky shores.

Dolphin House, Club Serena, and Ravenala resorts along Basdaku, but they were all fully-booked when I made reservations last October (yes, October!) so we ended up at Asian-Belgian, which was not too bad. The rooms were clean, the bathroom was fairly big and new, and it was cheap compared to the resorts at Basdaku beach front. The staff was friendly and helpful, the food was not bad and more than enough for me (though a little expensive: P250/meal), and the place was quiet, which was what we needed.

After lunch and siesta, we crossed two neighboring resorts to get to Basdaku to catch the sunset. It was a little cloudy, but we had good-enough share of the golden sky. And, oh, the sunset is right at Basdaku, something like Boracay sunset.

Had dinner at Asian-Belgian.

Day 2

1. Tricycle to/from Kawasan Falls P600
2. Entrance fee to falls P20
3. Raft (3hrs) P300
4. 2 Bangkero P300
5. Lunch P290
6. Tricycle to/from Marine Sanctuary P200
7. Dinner @ Serena resort P900

Total for 2 pax = P3,010.00

The trip to Kawasan falls took about 45minutes, via tricycle, from Moalboal proper. It’s a good 15-minute brisk walk from the parking area to the falls. We just followed the river upstream. Our bangkero was very persistent. He followed us from the parking all the way to the falls. I suggest that you get the bangkero when you reach the falls. This way, you can go up to other groups who want to go under the falls and share the cost of both the raft and the bangkero. All in hindsight. Sige na nga, Christmas naman, a season of giving.

The tables near the falls are for rent on an hourly basis, the prices depend on the location. Make sure to inquire before sitting down. The tables near the CR and “restaurant” are also for rent at P50. Only the 1^st falls has a “restaurant”, which served not-too-bad liempo (either that, or sobrang gutom na kami). Sobrang tourist trap talaga. Dun ka na nga kakain sa restaurant, babayaran mo pa ung table. Anlabo.

The 2^nd falls also had cottages, which are also for rent. You need to bring your own food if you plan to hang out here.

It was crowded when we went there, with both locals and tourists. I only braved jumping from a 7-foot-high rock. If not for the slippery rocks, I would’ve made a jump at the 2^nd falls. Naisip ko, I’m not as limber as before.

The highlight of our Kawasan trip was going under the rocks towards the underbelly of the falls, while lying flat on our tummies on a floating kawayan raft. You would think that you can’t possibly fit in the cracks of the rocks. But we did! And being under the falls was exhilarating! It was noisy, cold, misty, and cold, and cold. We went under the force of the falls, literally. It was so strong, nalawlaw ang shorts ko! At mejo masakit.

After the falls, we went to the Marine Sanctuary, which we tried to find while snorkeling but couldn’t. I would’ve skipped the trip and went directly to Basdaku to snorkel. We spent the afternoon lounging at Basdaku and taking pictures of the sunset, which was better than the previous day.

Had dinner at Serena resort, which was a lot better than Asian-Belgian. The place also felt … romantic and sweet, with soft lights coming from candles, torches, and Christmas lights. Date-place. After dinner, we decided to eat there for the rest of our stay.

Day 3

1. Room P1500
2. Breakfast P700
3. Snorkel & Mask P800
4. Lunch P900
5. Tricycle P100
6. Bus P200

Total for 2 pax = P4,200

Total for 2 pax (2 nights) = P10,418.00

The resort opened late for breakfast, so we were forced to tambay at the beach with empty stomachs. Locals were digging stuff out from the stones at the shore. I just hope they weren’t destroying the corals. After our breakfast at Serena, which was way better than at Asian-Belgian, we snorkeled at the resort’s house reef. The corals were surprisingly intact. The low tides made us snorkel at the “deeper” end of the shore which had better corals. The tide was so low that we reached the coral wall which made a sudden drop to the ocean. Ang daming little fishies!

We had yummy lunch of salpicao and beef stroganoff pasta at Serena. We were supposed to go back to our resort right after lunch to pack and shower, but the water was so clear and inviting, we couldn’t resist! Ended up swimming at the beach for another half-hour. I grudgingly took myself out of the water to start heading back to the resort, and prepare for our trip back to the city.

Except for the friendly Aussie-French couple we met at the bus, the trip was uneventful. They had to go to Carcar to withdraw money. Bucky chatted with them the whole time, showing off his Areneo accent, to which the Austrialian commented that we speak very good English. Tumaas ang kilay ko. The bus was airconditioned, so there are cold busses traveling to Moalboal, I just don’t know the schedule.

If not for the expensive … everything, I would’ve stayed one more night. Sobra akong bitin!