Siquijor … Stunning Sunsets!

We’ve headed to the Coral Cay Resort in San Juan on the island of Siquijor (pronounced like a poorly donkey … Sick-Eeyore!) and as the website advises ‘getting here is part of the adventure’.

A Siquijor legend tells of a great storm which once engulfed the region, followed by a strong earthquake which caused the island to be raised from the sea.

The island was first sighted by the Spaniards in 1565 and they called it Isla del Fuego or Island of Fire, because the island gave off an eerie glow, from the great swarms of fireflies that lived in the numerous Molave trees on the island. The dense, durable wood was once used extensively in furniture, boats and building but the trees are now endangered.

Siquijor also has a reputation as a place of magic and sorcery and is well known for its festivals that focus on healing rituals where incantations are sung while the old folks make potions out of herbs, roots, insects and tree barks.

We began with a tricycle for 20 mins to Liloan Port …

… where a small ferry took 30 mins to cross to Sibulan Port.

Another 20 min tricycle ride …

… took us to Dumaguete Port, where we found the 50 min Oceanjet fast cat ferry was broken, so we took the Montenegro Line, a big but slow boat taking 2 hours.

A final tricycle transfer to our resort took another 30 mins …

Here’s Coral Cay … and we definitely reckon it was worth it! We have a little thatched hut with a fan which sits right on the beach, within a few feet of the sea and the sun sets just there!

Admittedly, while the sea looks lovely, it’s quite shallow most of the day, with the reef close to the shore so not ideal for swimming …

… but there’s a pool for that!

A bar with smashing margueritas and tasty food and that’s all the bases covered.

We have made a few forays out though – to Siquijor town to book our departure ferry ticket as there is only one sailing a day back to Cebu and while we can’t guarantee it’s running, we want to make sure we have seats if it is! We had to wait for the ticket office to open so wandered round the church while we waited.

Chris was eager to have another bike riding experience so we hired a scooter for a couple of days.

The first day was a bit overcast and we began by taking the chance to have breakfast somewhere different … a mango smoothie bowl and eggs shakshouka at Luca Loko … yum …

We passed a rice paddy with this chap doing some ploughing …

Then on to Cambugahay Falls, the most popular swimming hole on the island, popular with locals and visitors alike. This is a water park, Filipino style with two small waterfalls with large swimming holes at the base of each.

There are small several rope swings from which you can jump into the water for a small charge …

… a water slide …

… and if you want to just pose without getting wet, you can be pulled out on a raft and have photos taken in front of the waterfall!

I can understand why this is one of the most Instagrammable places on the island and yes it’s a bit kitch, but everyone of all ages was having such a lovely time … all for 10 pesos each!

Next stop was a cafe in Lazi for lunch, then a look round the two most important historical buildings on the island, the San Isidro Labrador Parish Church and Lazi Convent, both completed in 1891 and recently renovated. The church is huge with seating for 1000, a very blue ceiling and cute pulpits.

The convent is said to be the biggest and oldest convent in Asia. Nothing has been said about the nuns, but it was certainly used as a holiday home for the local priests! The restoration was pretty good, we could see how efficient the design was with the huge sliding windows making the large rooms inside very cool.

Final stop was the reputedly century old Balete Tree, cannily made into a tourist attraction by the owning family, with small entrance fee to the tree and surrounding fish foot spa (no, we didn’t have a go), cafe and shop capitalising on the love potions and other voodoo-style souvenirs being sold here as the locals believe this tree has mystical powers!

Back passed the rice paddy and we were amazed to see progress …

On the way back it got a bit drizzly so we decided to cut our losses for the day.

Next day we just had to repeat our breakfast at Luca Loko, then went in search of butterflies. Chris got chatting to a couple on the beach and they said the butterfly sanctuary was worth a visit, so despite being a little sceptical after our last butterfly experience, we thought we’d give it a go. We took a road up into the mountains in the centre of the island …

… stopped at a viewpoint and were able to go for a bit of a walk taking pictures …

… then on to the butterfly sanctuary, started by a man who breeds butterflies in his garden then releases them into the wild. We spent quite a while watching the butterflies and photographing them.

Our last day here was also Chris’s birthday and while we had only planned a chilled day … it turned out a bit overcast with a couple of showers. There were still birthday cards, breakfast overlooking the beach, some time by the pool, pizza for lunch, cake, sunset, cocktails and Chips for dinner … perfect says 67 year old Mr Hayes!

The highlight of our stay has definitely been the beach … stunning in the early morning …