In maps, this is known as Refugio Island. I've
visited this island several times, and I make sure I go whenever I visit San
Carlos City.
Boats to Sipaway are docked at the San Carlos
City port. They charge Php 10.00 per person a 15 minutes boat ride.
Sipaway is only 3.5 kilometers away from San Carlos City.
The public boats will take you to this port,
which they call Baybay.
During my past visits, we just stayed here and
snorkeled.
This port is teeming with colorful corals and
fishes. Some local boys also harvest seaweeds here, which are always good
additions to our packed meals.
We first decided to go to San Juan. Habal2 is available here for Php 5.00 per head. There was a cottage for rent for only Php
300.00 but we haggled and brought it down to Php 100.00.
San Juan has a long stretch of knee deep water
on white sand. White starfishes are abundant here.
We all wanted to swim, so we decided to move to
Ermita. We again rented habal2s for Php 10.00 per head. This white-sand coral
island is only 7 kilometers long and 1.5 kilometers wide. Ermita is one of the
two barangays here. The other one is San Juan.
The habal2 ride was actually fun and we got to
see more of Sipaway Island.
Resorts are available at Ermita. We stayed in
one where we paid an entrance fee of Php 10.00 per head and a cottage for Php
300.00. There are comfort rooms available and grill stands.
There are also rooms available here and at
nearby resorts.
Ermita also has fine white sands. My niece had
a fun time looking at starfishes and making sand castles.
Before lunch, we walked to the nearby port
where we snorkeled. There is an obvious degradation of the corals here, but it
is still good for snorkeling because of its abundant marine life.
We left Sipaway before 3PM, with most of us
almost burned to the crisp. The very excited bunch forgot to put on sun blocks.
Good thing another group rented a boat and we just hitched a ride. We didn't
have to go back to the port.
There are other great places to visit in
Sipaway. Whispering Palms is a favorite
resort. There is also the century-old
balete tree. The other ports are also
worth a visit.
8 comments
hi,, im making my itenerary for my negros tour..and while searching in the net, i found ur site..do you have contact numbers of resorts found in sipaway island? plsss..im so impressed with the pics u've posted! thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteThere are two big resorts in Sipaway Island. Whispering Palms and Crystal Beach. Most of my photos was taken from Crystal Beach (or the resort beside it). We didn't stay there overnight so I am not sure but the number I got was 09082632701.
ReplyDeletethanks so much!! :)))
ReplyDeleteSipaway Island is nice. Try visiting :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, is there other resort in ermita? and do by chance have their contact #'s? thanks a lot :)
ReplyDeleteYes there are but unfortunately I lost their numbers already. Last time I went, we stayed at Whispering Palms and it was a good experience.
DeleteHi Kelly! Your blog is of great help. I've been wandering in the net for quite some time now unable to decide where to spend my long weekend this April. Thanks for your contribution. I'm considering Sipaway as my last drop off from Bacolod via Don Salvador Benedicto.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much! Here are other blog posts regarding Sipaway Island and San Carlos City. Might help you plan:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kellyaustria.com/2013/05/biking-around-sipaway-island.html
http://www.kellyaustria.com/2013/03/this-is-why-i-cant-stop-raving-about.html
http://www.kellyaustria.com/2012/11/san-carlos-city-blooms.html
http://www.kellyaustria.com/2011/05/when-is-san-carlos-city.html