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Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Life begins where WIFI is weak

Fish Spa | Relaxing | Old Enchanted Balete Tree | Siquijor island, Philippines

5/11/2024

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The nicest and most relaxing fish spa that I ever tried!

According to the legend, Turad became the trunk and Pintas became the branches, and together they would form the huge Balete tree. The tree is believed to be 400 years old and considered as the oldest and largest in the island of Siquijor. Below the tree is a natural spring flowing directly to a man-made pool. So today if you go there, you can enjoy the nicest fish spa that I ever tried. But beware there are some big fish in the pond as well!
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Where to stay in Siquijor, Philippines

13/9/2017

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​Review of Charisma Beach Resort

Review of Charisma Beach Resort and Restaurant, Siquijor Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

​Charisma Beach Resort a good deal

San Juan is in the western side of Siquijor. Many resorts, restaurants, bars and shops are located here in this particular area. Here you will also find Charisma Beach Resort quietly located near the beach. I ended up here, stranded for a couple of days due to the rough weather. The location is very nice less than 50 m from the sea with a nice beach. If you don't want to swim in the sea they have a fairly large swimming pool as an option.


​Resto with sea view

Review of Charisma Beach Resort and Restaurant, Lunch with a view, Siquijor Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog
It was wonderful to eat my lunch here!
The restaurant is with a nice sea view. They serve a wide variety of meals ranging from breakfast to dinner. My favorite quickly became the Baby Squid Adobo. So, so yummy! The breakfast was also delicious with everything a hungry person can wish for. 
Review of Charisma Beach Resort and Restaurant, Baby squids, Siquijor Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog
My favorite meal, Baby Squid Adobo.

A standard bamboo cottage

Charisma Beach Resort have rooms from 450 PHP up to 2650 PHP. I was lucky to get the Standard Bamboo Cottage, the one and only cottage for just 1000 PHP without breakfast. There was no sea view but still it was a very good deal. The cottage was clean and spacious with a porch facing the pool. However there was no AC in the cottage but for me, that is not a deal breaker.  On the contrary I prefer a fan room. I am a believer of adjusting myself to the heat rather than fighting it.
The Standard Bamboo Cottage, located behind the bush.
A fairly large pool good for swimming.
The resto and reception area.

​Summary

The location is good. The surroundings around the resort is quiet but still in the area of San Juan so it is near other establishments as restaurants, bars and shops. The room was nice and clean with a bed I can sleep in. No AC, just a fan. Private toilet and shower with cold water. But a private cottage for 1000 PHP and just  100 m from the beach, what could you expect?
Review of Charisma Beach Resort and Restaurant, The hotel dog, Siquijor Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog
The super friendly hotel dog waiting for a snack
Charisma Beach Resort
Solangon, San Juan, Siquijor, Philippines
Phone nr +63 908 861 9689
Rating for the resto:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Food 
4 Service
4 Value
5 Atmosphere
​Rating for the accommodation:
​1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Location
4 Sleep Quality
4 Rooms
4 Service
5 Value for the money
4 Cleanliness 
Related links:
Review of Joel's Lechon Manok
Siquijor Island, Philippines
1 Comment

Where to eat in Siquijor?

9/9/2017

0 Comments

 

Review of Joel's Lechon Manok

Lechon Manok, roasted chicken

Lechon Manok is Tagalog and the meaning in English is roasted chicken. It is said that the Filipino people consumes more chicken meat than any other meat. I believe that is true because you find Lechon Manok basically everywhere in the Philippines. One of the top 5 chicken franchises in the Philippines is Sr. Pedro which have more than 300 branches scattered allover the country. But I didn't find Sr. Pedro in Siquijor. But if someone knows if there is a Sr. Pedro in Siquijor, please feel free to update me.
Lechon Manok, roasted or grilled chicken in the Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog
Lechon Manok, roasted or grilled chicken.


Stranded at Siquijor

Picture
I really didn't mind to be stranded on this wonderful island!
Due to strong winds and rough sea I was stranded in Siquijor for several days more than planned. It was difficult to get updates from  the ferry company if they were going to resume the schedule or not. So I decided to stay at the Belleview hotel near the pier and the ticketing office. In that way it was more easy for me to inquire about the schedule. Just across the street of The Bellevue hotel I found Joel's Lechon Manok. Every evening it was a bustling activity outside the place which made me curious. To my humble opinon, if the locals go and eat there, the food must be good!
Review of Joel's Lechon Manok, Siquijor Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog

Juicy with crispy skin...

Joel's Lechon Manok looked small from the outside but was far bigger inside than I expected. The atmosphere was noisy and full of guests.  Even though there were many guests in line I didn't need to wait long for my Lechon Manok. And yes... oh my gosh it was so delicious! Juicy with crispy skin and seasoned to perfection with a slight taste of lemon grass. Can it be better? No wonder it was so crowded inside! Even if you stay at San Juan where most of the tourists are staying, it is well worth taking the scooter to come here and enjoy this delicious Lechon Manok. 
Rating: 1-5 where 1 is terrible and 5 is excellent
5 Food 
4 Service
5 Value
3 Atmosphere
Joel's Lechon Manok
​Poblacion, Siquijor, Siquijor
6225 Siquijor
Phone: +63 905 376 1290
Related links:
​Review of Charisma Beach Resort
Siquijor Island, Philippines
0 Comments

Siquijor Island, Philippines

21/1/2017

2 Comments

 

Magic and sorcery in Siquijor

Siquijor has a long-time reputation as a place of magic and sorcery which both attracts and repulses visitors. Siquijor is also 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. Among the many attractions are the beaches, caves, waterfalls, Bandilaan natural park and butterfly sanctuary. White sand beaches make up most of the 102-kilometer coastline of Siquijor. The coral reefs ringing the island offer some of the best diving in the Philippines for snorkelers and scuba divers.
Siquijor my favourite island!
Voodoo dolls for souvenirs.
The pier
View at Salagdoong Beach
Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!


​​My favourite island in Visayan

This is so far my favourite island among the Visayan Islands. I was here almost two weeks. As long as you have a motorcycle everything is easy accessible. You can dive, snorkel and swim at beautiful beaches with white sand. In San Juan you have a variety of nice restaurants which can satisfy even your most hard headed tastebuds. I stayed at Xylla’s Guest House in Lazi, a simple and nice accommodation. It was located a little bit far though from San Juan and the beaches but on the other hand, if you appreciate the quietness this is the right place to be. But with your rented motorcycle you can easily go everywhere. 
The friendly hotel dog
La Gann Falls in Lazi
View at Salagdoong Beach
Danish Lagoon Siquijor Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog
Nice sunset at the Danish lagoon.
Salagdoong Beach Siquijor Philippines © Patrik Lord Travel Blog
Sunbathing at Salagdoong Beach

​My highlights

  • Kagusuan Beach, a nice and quiet white sand beach without tourists. Suitable for relaxing, swimming and snorkelling. The beach is little bit hard to find but with some map reading it will be no problem. There is a sign at the last turn, but sign is well hidden by a tree though.
  • Tulapos Marine Sanctuary, for its nice snorkelling. It costs 20 PHP for snorkelling. You can also rent equipment there. You will probably be asked to be accompanied by a guide. It’s not really necessary, just go straight out a couple of hundred meters and you will see some rocks. There it is. Try to be there at high tide, the sea is very shallow at low tide.
  • Baha Bar, for its food and drinks. The house is built in traditional Filipino style with four different woods and the ambience is really nice there.
  • Larena Triad Coffee Shop, for its nice location with the most beautiful view. They have good Filipino food and a bakery with delicious bread.
  • Infinity Heights Resort, for its good food, nice view over the north of the island. They also have a pool which shares the same astonishing view.
  • Old Enchanted Balete Tree, for its fish spa. You can drink buko juice at the same time you enjoy the fish cleaning your feet. There are some bigger fish there too, but don’t be afraid it feels really nice when they are chewing, almost like foot massage.
  • Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!
Kagusuan Beach with white sand and no tourists.
Tulapos Marine Sanctuary
Baha Bar, the building is built with four different type of woods
Fantastic view from the Larena Triad Coffee Shop
The pool at Infinity Heights Resort is nice for a swim
Old Enchanted Balete Tree
The fish spa at the Old Enchanted Balete Tree. The big fish felt almost like foot massage.
The pool at the Danish Lagoon

​How to get there

I went there from Dumaguete with the Ocean Jet company and paid 220 PHP one way trip. You can also take the ferry from Cebu. If you encounter bad weather the Ocean Jet Ferry might be cancelled but then you can try with Montenegro Shipping Lines. They are using bigger and slower ferries and are not likely to be cancelled as easy as the Ocean Jet due to bad weather.

​Where to stay

There are numerous resorts and guesthouses scattered allover Siquijor. Most of them you will find in San Juan where the most tourists are. I stayed at Xylla's guesthouse and paid 810 PHP. It was a simple accommodation with AC and fan in the room. Private toilet with cold shower. Breakfast was not included, but you could order Filipino breakfast for around 75-100 PHP. They had also motorcycles for rent. The nice Honda Beat automatic for 300 PHP day. I also stayed at Charisma Beach Resort in San Juan and had a nice bungalow for 1000 PHP. If you need to stay in Siquijor Siquijor I can recommend the Belleview hotel near the pier. New and fresh rooms from 1200 with AC and hot shower. They also have a very good restaurant which serving Cafe Latte and freshly baked bread from the Triad bakery.
Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!
The Belleview hotel near the pier. They had a nice restaurant also.
Xylla's guesthouse in Lazi. A good simple accommodation.

​Going around

Siquijor is a small island, you can drive around the whole island with motorcycle in a couple of hours. And talking about motorcycles you must rent one otherwise it will be both expensive and difficult to travel around. You can rent a motorcycle for around 250 to 350 per day depending on the rental time and your negotiating skills. 
There are also tricycles and Habal Habal. The tricycles are using a tariff system with fixed prices for tourists. So for example going between the the port and San Juan expect to pay 250 PHP. Going from the port to Lazi is 500 PHP. There are also tricycles going fixed routes and if you can catch one of those you pay only 20 PHP for going Siquijor Siquijor (the port) to San Juan.
Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!
It's necessary to rent a motorcycle in Siquijor.
Riding a motorcycle is a perfect way to explore the island.

​Where to eat

You have plenty of restaurants in San Juan. You find the whole range from small barbecue places and canderias to more expensive resorts. My favourites in San Juan are Baha Bar and Danish Lagoon which serving Scandinavian food with a beautiful view over the sea. In Larena, try the Infinity Heights Resort and Larena Triad Coffee Shop. If you are in Siquijor Siquijor you have the Belleview hotel or Joel’s Lechon Manok, just opposite the Belleview hotel. Joel’s is really a good budget alternative for dinner. The secret is that they use lemongrass when they barbecues their chicken which makes it so delicious.
Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!
Bangus ala Pobre in Belleview restaurant
The cat is waiting for the scraps
The menu for Rastaman restaurant in San Juan. The food was nice there.
Baby squids adobo with rice and a sea view. This was at Charisma Beach Resort in San Juan.
Joel's Lechon Manok, deliciously grilled chicken.
Larena Triad Coffee Shop, they had Cafe Latte, freshly baked bread and a fabulous view from the restaurant.
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Copyright © Patrik Lord Travel Blog, All Rights Reserved
  • Travel Blog
  • About
    • Me
    • Professional Life
    • Sweden
  • Contact
  • Other Pics & Stories
    • Hiking >
      • Hiking Kebnekaise
      • Hiking 2006
    • Europe >
      • Nice, France
      • Visiting my roots in Paris
    • Philippines >
      • Mt Pinatubo
      • Video clips Above ground
    • Tanzania
    • Thailand >
      • Notes from Thailand 2006-2007
      • Bangkok
      • Hua Hin
      • Ko Phi Phi
      • Temples
      • Fishing in Udon
    • Food >
      • Food, one of life's necessities
      • My Recipes
    • Sweden Off Road Tour 1999