Our Guiuan host, Ms. Vibina “Bebeng” Juacon, facilitated our visit to Calicoan Island with a call to Mr. Danilo Molina, Gen. Manager of Calicoan Surf Camp, the resort where she recommended we stay overnight. Once given the green light, we thanked Ms. Juacon and Jandy and I hired a tricycle (for PhP400) to get to the island and the resort. There were to be no boat crossings as the “island” is connected to the mainland by a short concrete causeway. Once across, we traversed a dirt and gravel road which runs the length of the island.
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| Calicoan Surf Camp |
Calicoan Surf Camp is island’s best and most luxurious. This hideaway was developed by Cebu-based lawyer and pioneer developer Maning Go who owns about 500 hectares of the island’s 1,600 hectares. It was designed, with distinctive Asian-inspired (Thai, Balinese, Indonesian and Filipino) lines, by Frenchman Nicolas Rambeau, owner and creator of the highly-acclaimed, high-end Pansukian Resort in Siargao (Surigao del Norte).
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| Bungalow interior |
After a short interview with Mr. Molina, we called it a night and Mr. Molina checked us in at one of the resort’s 7 well-appointed, spacious bungalows with its soaring rooflines. Each bungalow has a native feel, with its own deck and floor with alternating dark and light wood stripes. Modern amenities include airconditioning, compartmentalized bathroom with hot and cold shower, satellite TV, coffee/tea maker, hair dryer, minibar and safety deposit box.
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| Infinity pool |
Tired after a long trek around the island, we dipped our tired bodies at the resort’s inviting 300-sq. m. saltwater infinity pool bordering the 3-km. long, white ABCD Beach, the island’s prime surfing area. Verdant pandamus trees (locally called bariw) grow through the pool’s uniquely-designed wooden deck, embracing it and providing cool shade, thus binding nature with design. Here, we watched the surging, breathtaking surf (boasting perfectly-shaped left or right reef breaks) as the island’s eastern side juts out to the rolling surf of the Pacific Ocean (its powerful swells tirelessly rolling in over 10,000 m. Philippine Deep), making it a surfer’s paradise. The best surfing months, according to Mr. Molina, are March, April and September to October when southwesterly winds blow offshore, piling up incoming ocean swells and carving them into glassy shaped hollows. Surfboards are rented out for a small fee and beginner’s lessons can be provided, on request, by the resort staff. Surfers must wear booties as protection against the sharp rocks. Although the currents are strong here, the island offers opportunities for big game fishing along the “Tuna Highway,” the migratory route for tuna to Japan.
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| The resort’s restaurant |
Also quite famished after such a long trek, we later indulged ourselves at the resort’s restaurant which offers International and Filipino cuisine including seafood such as freshly caught, fleshy, sweet and delicious lobster, prawns, scallops, abalone, crabs and fish. After a filling lunch, we packed up our gear, checked out, thanked the resort staff and hired a tricycle (this time for PhP350) to bring us back to the bus station at Guiuan town proper for our trip back to Tacloban City. Along the way, we made a brief stopover at Calicoan Island Ocean Villas, another of Maning Go’s development projects. Go enlisted the multi-awarded architectural firm of Francisco “Bobby” Manosa to prepare the island’s master plan. He envisions zoning development where visitors can make nature treks to large areas of the island without encountering any bar, souvenir shop or billboard, thus offering more natural attractions and leisure activities with less of the hustle of the better-known Boracay. With continued but controlled growth, may it stay that way, making Calicoan truly a diamond in the rough.
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| Calicoan Island Ocean Villas |
Calicoan Surf Camp: Calicoan Island, Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Manila Tel: (632) 376-5818. Website: www.thesurfcamp-calicoanisland.com.