Last August, a friend from Canada returned to the Philippines for a vacation. Her hometown was Davao so like any good impulsive friend, I, along with friends from college, booked a flight and flew to the south again. This was my third trip to Davao and my barkada have already been there at least once, so we decided to just make the trip as relaxing as possible. (Our young professional bodies were VERY tired!) In our own terms, we wanted to make it a “Lola Trip.” No offense meant to grandmas, of course. We love y’all! Well, things didn’t turn out as planned.
Our flight was around 7pm so filing a VL was really not necessary. However, it was on a long weekend payday Friday! If you live in Manila, you’d know well enough to avoid this madness because of the uncontrollable traffic. I filed a half-day VL and Uber-ed to NAIA as soon as possible. And true enough, we arrived at the airport around 1:30PM. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed and we boarded at around midnight. This was the longest I’ve been inside an airport. Oh well, papel. At least, nasa loob na ng airport.
Isla Reta, Samal Island
Isla Reta is one of the top destinations for Davaoeños. From the port, a boat goes directly to the resort. With its white sand beach and blue clear waters, Samal Island may be in the running as the Philippines’ next top beach. A friend is considering it for her wedding but she has no boyfriend. Oh well, papel, again. #SinglesForSale
Isla Reta is usually packed during long weekends but we still managed to have a relaxing time. We rented tents and camped overnight on the beach. It was a different experience comparing it to the time when our tent was the only tent on the beach.
I brought my inflatable lounge I got months ago from Napsakk. Best purchase ever. Lying on the inflatable lounge with just the sea below and the sky above you is just heavenly.
Eden Nature Park and Resort
We didn’t plan to go to Eden Nature Park and Resort but, again, our impulsiveness got the best of us. We rented a taxi for a day, which brought us to the place. First stop: Skyswing. I don’t know what we were thinking but we were feeling very adventurous that day. #ForTheBlog
The hardest part was waiting for the drop seconds after hearing the whistle signal. Talk about suspense!
Next stop: Skycycle. It’s a lot scarier than it looks. Though it is completely safe, the wires tend to wobble. :|. It was fun nonetheless. Try it!!
Malagos Garden Resort
We came to Malagos for their famous chocolate farm. Unfortunately, it was closed so we just strolled around the resort. We got to taste chocolates in different percentages of dark chocolate content. Yum, yum, yum! :p
The butterfly sanctuary was one of the highlights of our visit to the resort. The butterflies took time to warm-up before they noticed me though.
Watch our Davao adventure below:
I hope you enjoyed the video! Davao was one of the first places I visited when I started “traveling” and it still didn’t fail to impress me. Plus, I got to enjoy this trip with awesome friends and locals I met at the beach. Next stop, Cebu and South Korea! Happy New Year!
