Karlo Pacana
Bluewater Sumilon Island Discovery Day 1
Getting There
The King of Sinulog is off to the Southeastern tip of Cebu to experience Bluewater Sumilon Island Discovery on the 24-hectare coral island of Sumilon a few minutes away from the municipality of Bancogon in Oslob, a town famous for whale shark watching. About three to four hours away from Cebu South Bus Terminal, the pier to Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort could be reached via bus or private transfers arranged with the hotel.
Coming from Cebu City, the access way to Bluewater’s waiting lounge is visible from the highway with its blue signage on the left side of the road. A clear landmark is a red and white cell site tower on the right side of the road. For those taking the Ceres bus liner, you can tell the bus ticketer to drop you off at Bancogon which is a few meters after the whale shark center. We arrived just in time for the last trip to Sumilon before 4:30 in the afternoon. The boat trip to the island took not more than 10 minutes.
Waiting and Receiving
After confirming our booking with the reception staff, we were handed standard registration slips with our welcome drinks, Iced Lemongrass Tea, which was indeed refreshing after a long commute. The boat crew was also very helpful with the bags of the guests.
What I admired most was the punctuality with regards to following the time allotted on the boat schedule. By the way, the boat schedule could be downloaded from the hotel website. And yes, if you are an in-house guest, you can ride the boat anytime for free as long as you stick with the schedule. Just make sure to be back at the pier before the last trip if ever you plan on sight-seeing in Oslob proper or else you’ll have to pay for a special trip.
Arrival and Room Accommodation
Upon arriving on the island, we were greeted with smiles and handed some ice-cold towels to wipe off the sweat from our haggard faces. We were then escorted to our room. With 27 different types of rooms scattered on the island, we were fortunate to get Deluxe Room #5, which is only a few steps away from the restaurant and pool.
And at that instant, our complimentary tropical fruit tray arrives, ready to be devoured at once. Checking out the room, it was indeed very spacious complete with state of the art amenities. We believe it could hold a party of 20 people.
The bathroom was also outstanding! My favorite part about our room was that we had our own private veranda with a view of the ocean. Priced at PHP17,000 a night, this room could accommodate 4 to 6 people with extra charge while standard breakfast offerings are available only for two persons.
Sandbar and Sunset
Seeing that it was almost 5:30 in the afternoon, we rushed out to the western side of the island to catch the sunset. What a glorious sight to behold! Sea, sand, sun with varying colors of orange, pink, purple and red with mountains as a dark backdrop make it a perfect subject for an oil painting.
You can’t help but take a souvenir shot of this natural phenomenon. In addition, there’s a secret to the sandbar in which only the locals know. It’s that it is an ever-changing sandbar that shifts and transforms primarily due to the tides and the season.
Dinner at Pavilion Restaurant
We had a romantic setting by the pool under a bamboo-framed shade which was perfect for couples like us, I tagged along my cousin with me by the way. Laughs. The Pavilion is known for serving a delectable fare of local and international cuisine.
We had the 5-Course set dinner at Php970 per person. For our appetizer, we had breaded prawns with sweet chili sauce. For soup, we had cream of corn. For our vegetables, we had the green salad with sesame balsamic vinaigrette.
For our main course, we had a combination of grilled tenderloin steak with pepper sauce and grilled tanguigue with malunggay pesto served with mashed potato and mixed buttered vegetables. Last but not the least was mango cheesecake for dessert.
What I loved about our dinner was on how artistically the food was presented and served just at the right time and sequence. The tenderloin steak was my favorite because of its juiciness and sauce on the side variation.
The uncommon malunggay pesto sauce was surprisingly good and I also loved the sweet, sour and spicy goodness of the balsamic vinaigrette paired with our greens. Our server was also very knowledgeable with the food he served to us as if he was the one who prepared all of them. Keep up the good work, Madz!
Breakfast Buffet
From cereals to do-it-yourself salads, to cold cuts and imported cheeses, to croissants, pancakes and local bread, to the noodle section, to the omelet section and to the typical Filipino viand favorites and the local tsokolate and puto combos, the breakfast spread has indeed a wide variety of food choices.
Certainly, mornings at The Pavilion Restaurant will make you feel like it’s your birthday every single day. Service was also prompt and professional, with special gastronomic requests prepared with love by the master chef of egg and noodle dishes.
You can’t help but appreciate also the well-thought of design of the restaurant. With high octagonal “nipa” thatched roofing and open-air construction, it boasts of a spectacular panoramic view of the ocean and mainland Cebu.
Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort (check rates)
Contact Details
Address: Bancogon, Oslob, Cebu 6025, Philippines
Tel 63 32 318 3129 or 318 9098
Mobile No: (63) 917 631 7512
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.bluewater.com.ph
Next: Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort Review Day 2
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