After a long travel hiatus, there’s nothing like an island with a white sandy beach, an ocean breeze, and clear, turquoise waters, sans the crowds, to put your mind at ease. Located in Oslob, at the southern tip of Cebu, the small and breathtakingly beautiful 24-hectare Sumilon Island fits that bill perfectly.
Joining a media familiarization tour sponsored by the island’s Bluewater Sumilon Resort (the only resort on the island and one of three Bluewater Resort locations, the others being in Maribago in Cebu and Panglao in Bohol) and Cebu Pacific Air (CPA), our gateway from Manila to the island would be Sibulan Airport, near Dumaguete City. Cebu Pacific flies from Manila to Dumaguete City 24 times weekly and from Cebu City 10 times weekly in Negros Oriental.
Getting to the island entails a short 3.5-km. (10 min.) drive from the airport to Sibulan Ferry Terminal and a 10-km (15-min.) drive from Liloan Port in Santander to the resort’s Welcome Center at Bancogon, Oslob, and sea transfer (20-min. ferry ride from Sibulan Port, across the Tanon Strait, to Liloan Port in Santander, Cebu and a 10-min. ferry ride from resort’s Welcome Center at Bancogon, Oslob to the island) but, in the end, the reward was great, a light at the end of a tunnel.
First, a sumptuous buffet lunch spread welcomed us at the resort’s restaurant beside the natural lagoon and new swimming pool. The resort now has two, the other being an inviting outdoor infinity swimming pool, overlooking Oslob, with a breathtaking view of the beach.
Next, we were checked in at spacious, tastefully, and comfortably decorated, 77-sq-m air-conditioned premiere de luxe rooms (one of 14). The rooms had a high ceiling and impressive interiors with 2 very comfortable queen-size beds with many fluffy pillows, a big private bathroom with hot/cold shower and a skylighted ceiling, cable TV with DVD player, a work desk, coffee/tea making facility, minibar and a private veranda with lounge chairs. A platter of assorted fruits welcomed us inside our room.
The resort also had 14 smaller, 58.35-sq-m deluxe rooms and 1 and 2-bedroom villas. The latter, aside from having the de luxe room amenities, also has a dipping pool and a free-standing bathtub for the 2-bedroom villa.
Lounge areas, with seats and hammocks, are located along the seaside and wooden stairs lead guests to a pocket beach where, if you are lucky, you can spot black tip sharks. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in our room and, come evening, a dinner of grilled seafood, chicken, and pork was served, al fresco, at the island’s shifting white sandbar (noted for its changing and shifting patterns depending on the time of year).
The next day, after a buffet breakfast at the restaurant, a full day of resort-sponsored activities awaited us at the Oslob mainland. From Bancogon Port, a 22-km /45 minute drive brought us to Brgy. Tanawan where we were to experience bonding with whale sharks (butanding or tuki to the locals). After a short orientation, we donned life vests and snorkels, boarded outrigger boats, and,once in about 25 ft of water, encountered these gentle giants attracted by krill (uyap), their favorite food, thrown by the boatmen.
From here, a short 10-minute drive, plus a motorcycle (habal-habal) ride, brought us, inland, to the postcard-pretty, imposing, and multi-tiered Tumalog Falls where we washed away the salt, from our previous butanding interaction, from its 4-ft deep waters.
Lastly, we delved into the town’s historical past at the Municipal Heritage Park at the Poblacion. The massive, Spanish-era (circa 1847) Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception has a 4-story, 30-m high bell tower on the left and the restored convent on the right. On the left of the church is Calle de Aragones, the town’s oldest street (built in 1879), at the end of which is the unfinished (constructed halted with the arrival of the Americans in 1899) cuartel (barracks) of the Guardia Civil. Parallel to the coast is a partly-ruined, hexagonal baluarte (watchtower), one of seven (another is on Sumilon Island itself) built by warrior-priest Fr. Julian Bermejo. We capped our town tour with a lunch of delicious street food at the nearby Nhinz Larangan Grill and Restaurant.
After merienda back at the resort, Bamm Adina, Tina Alpad and I explored the island via a nicely laid out hiking trail, through lush forests, making stopovers at the lighthouse and the 2-story, Spanish-era baluarte (watchtower) before making our way down to the shifting sandbar and returning to our suites. Dinner was again served al fresco, this time along the beachfront of the resort. I capped my day with a soothing massage at my suite.
The next day, after breakfast, Tina, Louise Lizan, Bamm and I did some kayaking at the pristine natural lagoon with its thick forest mangrove. Before departing for Manila, we still had time for a guided snorkeling tour of the marine sanctuary (the country’s first Marine Protected Area, declared as such in 1974 by the initiative of the Silliman University Marine Reserve) off the Shifting Sandbar. Here, under the sparkling clear blue waters, we explored large, blossoming coral formations and its vibrant community of fish.
The island has waters 2 to 5 m deep and 200 m wide plus a drop-off of about 100 m off the southwest coast with spectacular underwater life. Dive sites here, with 30 m plus visibility, include Coral Landscape, Garden Eel Plaza, Julie’s Rock and Nikki’s Wall and diving season is all year round. The resort also has a dive shop (Aquamania Dive Shop) offering scuba diving gear. Diving in Sumilon is perfect in combination with a trip to the whale sharks of Oslob.
Image credits: Benjamin Locsin Layug, Alvin Alcantara and Benjamin Locsin Layug, Benjamin Locsin Layug and Anton Delos Reyes, Anton Delos Reyes and Alvin Alcantara